{ "item_title" : "The Birthing Tree", "item_author" : [" Amanda Peters "], "item_description" : "ⓘAUTOGRAPHED EDITION AVAILABLEBuy Autographed CopyNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHORCarnegie-Winning Author • Winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize • A New Yorker Best Book of the YearFrom the bestselling author of The Berry Pickers, an unforgettable novel about a woman who must confront her family’s buried truths and memories of passionate young love when her grandmother’s death leaves her as the only guide to her community’s futureBorn under the shadow of a birthing tree sacred to generations of Mi’kmaq women, Aliet Paul grows up outside a small Nova Scotia town with her fierce, loving grandmother Kiju. Her mother died bringing Aliet into the world under that very tree; her father remains a mystery no one will name. Aliet’s childhood is shaped by seasonal apple pickers, the medicinal wisdom of the old ways, and the quiet, steadfast presence of John, a boy who becomes her anchor.But the world beyond their community is changing. Traditional midwifery is condemned, prejudice deepens, and when the wrong person witnesses a birth, the consequences are disastrous. As Aliet comes of age, she navigates love, loss, and a personal tragedy that veers her from the path her grandmother wanted for her. She becomes a nurse trained in modern medicine, yet she carries Kiju’s teachings close, tucked beside memories of the tree that once welcomed new life.Years later, when the call comes that Kiju has died, Aliet returns home to a crumbling house, a community scattered, and a past she thought she’d outrun. As Aliet restores the house room by room, something inside her stirs awake: the threads of her lineage, the old ways of her grandmother, and the mystery of her own bloodline.As Aliet digs to uncover who her family really is, each revelation pulls her deeper into a web of long-guarded silences, dangerous loyalties, and generational wounds that refuse to stay buried: Someone knew the truth about her mother’s final moments. Someone knew what happened in the orchard all those years ago. And someone wants the past to remain undisturbed.Spanning decades of loss and reclamation, this sweeping yet intimate novel follows one woman’s journey to protect the land, the traditions, and the memory of the women who came before her—and to decide which parts of her inheritance she will carry into the future.Story Locale:Nova Scotia", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/64/622/369/1646223691_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "28.00", "online_price" : "28.00", "our_price" : "28.00", "club_price" : "28.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "28.00" } }

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Set in Nova Scotia, Amanda Peters’ second novel, The Birthing Tree, tells the story of a young nurse raised by her grandmother. It covers some of the same ground as Peters’ widely read 2023 debut, The Berry Pickers, also centering on the culture and traditions of the Mi’kmaq people of eastern Canada. Aliet Paul’s mother died giving birth to her, and Aliet has never known her father’s identity. She was brought up by her grandmother Kiju, a traditional Mi’kmaq healer and midwife, who tends the birthing tree, a sacred place where generations of women have labored and brought children into the world. Kiju wants to pass down her knowledge to Aliet, but as their town’s conventional medical practitioners and even the police raise opposition to midwifery, it no longer seems like a viable path. Aliet’s childhood is brightened by friendships with Mi’kmaq apple pickers who pass through every fall, and by her grandmother’s love. But she also faces racist hostility from the non-Indigenous townspeople and endures the uneasiness of not knowing her full lineage. After a shocking attack by a family friend, Aliet leaves home and becomes a nurse in an urban hospital, cutting ties with family and community. Decades later, after Kiju’s death, Aliet returns to find her grandmother’s residence in disrepair and the birthing tree used as a dumping ground for litter. As she reconnects with old friends and makes a few new ones, she finds comfort in restoring the house and the tree. Aliet realizes that she belongs in the town, even while seeking the truth about her origins. The Birthing Tree has dual timelines: one in the 1960s exploring Aliet’s childhood and community, including the events that led her to leave for the city, and the other in the ’90s, following her reconnection with her heritage. These two branches weave and intersect, much like the boughs of a tree, offering a complete portrait of Aliet’s life and how her past choices shape her present. A quietly impactful novel of community and personal growth, The Birthing Tree adds another facet to the conversation about the history of Indigenous people in North America.