'Brothers On Three' wins 2021 Montana Book Award

| March 17, 2022 12:00 AM

The 2021 Montana Book Award winner is “Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana” by Abe Streep, published by Celadon Books. This annual award recognizes literary and/or artistic excellence in a book written or illustrated by someone who lives in Montana, is set in Montana, or deals with Montana themes or issues. Presentations and a reception for the winning authors will take place Aug. 3 during the Montana Library Association Conference in Missoula.

“Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana” centers on the community of Arlee on the Flathead Indian Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and tells the tale of a remarkable group of young people who also happen to be remarkable basketball players. It follows Will Mesteth Jr. and Phillip Malatar, starters for the Arlee Warriors, as they balance the pressures of adolescence, shoulder the dreams of their community, and chart their own individual courses for the future.

Four honor books were also chosen by the 2021 Montana Book Award Committee:

• “Blood is Not the Water” by Mara Panich, published by Foothills Publishing. Panich addresses issues of being a woman in this world.

• “Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River” by John N. Maclean, published by Custom House. In the spirit of his father's beloved classic “A River Runs Through It,” Maclean writes a gorgeous chronicle of a four-generation family and the land they call home, on fly fishing and life along Montana's Blackfoot River.

• “Ridgeline” by Michael Punke, published by Henry Holt and Co. Through this taut saga, Punke brings immersive, vivid storytelling and historical insight into the real events of the Fetterman Massacre of 1866 and grapples essential questions of conquest and justice that still echo today

• “Stone Sister” by Caroline Patterson, published by Black Lawrence Press. Spanning the mid to late 20th century and set in the Elkhorn Valley of southwestern Montana, “The Stone Sister” is told from three points of view — a father’s, a nurse’s and a sister’s. The novel sheds light on the beginnings of the disability justice movement as it follows one family’s journey to reckon with a painful past.

The Montana Book Award was founded by the Friends of the Missoula Public Library in 2001 and winners are selected by a committee of individuals representing areas throughout Montana. Members of the 2021 Montana Book Award committee include Gloria Behem, Chester; Amanda Allpress, Missoula; Della Dubbe, Helena; Hannah Mundt, Bozeman; Kim Siemsen, Glendive; Debbie Stewart, Great Falls; Starla Rice, Hot Springs; Chris Brea, Livingston; and Gavin Woltjer, Billings.