A #teenpick from Ash!
Jade Daniels lives of off slasher films. There’s just something about a masked killer returning for revenge that gives her a sense of safety, of comfort. With an abusive father and a mother that left years ago, comfort is something Jade sorely needs. But when a real life slasher starts up in her small lake town, Jade isn’t sure whether to be excited… or terrified. She needs to find a final girl, and fast, to fight whatever horrors are in store; things that might just bring up some horrors in her own past.
My Heart is a Chainsaw is a love letter to slasher movies, weaving references throughout this heart-pounding story of trauma and revenge. As someone who loves slasher movies, I was delighted to find a book so full of slasher knowledge and jokes, and even some movie recommendations. This book goes far deeper than the revenge plots and surface level characters you’d expect from a slasher; it digs deep into American colonialism and gentrification and paints an amazing picture of Indigenous trauma and what it takes to overcome experiences that threaten to consume us. If you’re a fan of movies like Friday the 13th or Halloween, you’ll love My Heart is a Chainsaw.
Get your copy here!
Ash worked with the TNRL as an Indigenous Youth Intern for the Summer of 2023.