Jon shares his gripping literary debut about power and corruption, family, and facing the ghosts of the pastAbout this Event
Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Tuesday June 24 when Jon Hickey comes to the store to celebrate the paperback release of his debut novel Big Chief. Jon will be joined by a special guest to be announced and will sign copies of his book after the event.
to order a paperback copy of Big Chief.
“Propulsive...a masterclass...a dazzling, fast-paced pressure-cooker journey about not letting others define who we are, but rather deciding that for ourselves.” —San Francisco Chronicle
Mitch Caddo, a young law school graduate and aspiring political fixer, is an outsider in the homeland of his Anishinaabe ancestors. But alongside Tribal President Mack Beck, his childhood friend, Mitch runs the government of the Passage Rouge Nation, and with it, the tribe’s Golden Eagle Casino and Hotel. On the eve of Mack’s reelection, their tenuous grip on power is threatened by a nationally known activist and politician, Gloria Hawkins, and her young aide, Layla Beck, none other than Mack’s estranged sister and Mitch’s former love. In their struggle for control over Passage Rouge, the campaigns resort to bare-knuckle political gamesmanship, testing the limits of how far they will go—and what they will sacrifice—to win it all.
But when an accident claims the life of Mitch’s mentor, a power broker in the reservation’s political scene, the election slides into chaos and pits Mitch against the only family he has. As relationships strain to their breaking points and a peaceful protest threatens to become an all-consuming riot, Mitch and Layla must work together to stop the reservation’s descent into violence.
Thrilling and timely, Big Chief is an “unexpected, disturbingly funny” (The New York Times) and unforgettable story about the search for belonging—to an ancestral and spiritual home, to a family, and to a sovereign people at a moment of great historical importance.
JON HICKEY earned his MFA at Cornell University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and he is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Jon lives in San Francisco with his wife and two sons.
THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 6:00 pm on June 24.
BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.
DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.
WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows.
WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event.
PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home.
OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly.
Event Venue
Mrs Dalloway's, 2904 College Avenue, Berkeley, United States
USD 0.00
