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The Berry Pickers: A Novel

Amanda Peters

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2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Winner

Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction Finalist.

A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years.

A stunning debut about love, race, brutality, and the balm of forgiveness." —People, A Best New Book.

July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.

In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.

For readers of The Vanishing Half and Woman of Light, this showstopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.

A harrowing tale of Indigenous family separation . . . [Peters] excels in writing characters for whom we can’t help rooting . . . With The Berry Pickers, Peters takes on the monumental task of giving witness to people who suffered through racist attempts of erasure like her Mi’kmaw ancestors." —The New York Times Book Review

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Posts about this title from Lace Read

Lace Read\ \ Lace 🌟\ \ • Sep 9 2025

10 Historical Fiction Book Recommendations by the Decade 📚 • five star historical fiction recs !!

Finally time to recommend some books from my favorite genre!! You can’t go wrong with any of these historical fiction book recommendations—most of them are five star reads for me!

Let me know if you like any of these books or if you have any recommendations for me. I love talking books, especially this genre!!!

Follow along on IG: @ lace.read

Tik Tok: @ lace.read

Email: Lacereadbooks@gmail.com

Thank you so much for being here, I hope the books you read bring you joy 🌟

#booktube #bookish #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #booksiread #books #bookreview #reading #bookbites #historicalfiction #historicalfictionbooks #historicalfictionbookrecommendations #booktubetbr

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Dec 26 2025

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Books For People Dealing With Grief

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Lace Read\ \ Lace 🌟\ \ • Sep 9 2025

Let me know if you like any of these books or if you have any recommendations for me. I love talking books, especially this genre!!!

Follow along on IG: @ lace.read

Tik Tok: @ lace.read

Email: Lacereadbooks@gmail.com

Thank you so much for being here, I hope the books you read bring you joy 🌟

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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • May 18 2025

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Do Our Tastes Align? Indigenous Edition.

Indigenous edition! How many of these have you read and how many are on your TBR! Add them up and drop your score below! Also, if you’re seeing this and you haven’t followed me on Bindery yet for free, can you please do that? It’s quick and simple and would make an impact! #boozhoobooks #indigenous books #booksrecs

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Reads with Rachel\ \ Rachel\ \ • May 1 2025

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The BEST BOOKS I read in 2024

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Mari's Black Girl Unlimited review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3417736431 Morgan made my copy of Ember In The Ashes: https://www.instagram.com/artbyhurricanyounot/ Vicky Bagget melting down over a kid's book: https://www.facebook.com/vicki.g.baggett/videos/1293426925359816/?fs=e&mibextid=UalRPS

Intro & outro created by E.A.

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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Dec 27 2024

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January Book Club Pick: House of Frank

If you participate in our monthly bookclub, here is some information on our January pick! Make sure you read the entire article though, because there are several important announcements as well...including a very special giveaway.

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Dec 23 2024

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THE BERRY PICKERS' Amanda Peters Recommends ...

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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 30 2024

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The Secret Power of Literature... and spoiler alert, it's not escapism.

Escapism is lovely, but that is not what reading does for me. So I thought I would share a little bit about one of the biggest things I get out of reading.

***Trigger warnings: grief, slavery, trauma, parentlessness, broken family, racism***

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Nov 5 2024

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Today’s the Day! 🗳️

For the love of books …

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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Jul 1 2024

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[Last week was a pretty eventful reading week for me. On top of finishing _The Berrypickers, Toxic Bloodlines _& Opaque, I also spent some time diving into several books that I haven't finished yet, including _House of Frank by Kay Synclaire, Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and Children of Anarchy and Anguish by Tomi Adeyemi. _Additionally, I also had the incredible privilege of being able to read the finished manuscript of Daughter of Danray, the third installment in the _Flowers of Prophecy _Series by Natalia Hernandez.\ \ So yeah... i've been READING this week. Lol. So let's talk about the books I finished!\ _**The Berrypickers by Amanda Peters: **_I don't know the last time a book made me cry, but the Berrypickers came ready for me. That's all I can say. This is one of the most emotional books I have ever read.\ \ Joe is the second youngest in an indigenous family who spends every summer in Novia Scotia picking grapes for a wealthy white family. Early in the book, Joe's younger sister Ruthie goes missing, with him being the last to see her. Throughout the book, we watch him struggle with the loss of his sister and the part he fears he played in losing her.\ \ In Maine, our other Main Character--Norma--grows up wrestling to cope with her parent's overprotective love and the dreams that have plagued her since she was a child. She becomes more and more certain that her family has a massive secret. One that takes nearly her entire life to uncover.\ \ This book is about loss, love, grief, family and fighting for healing. I don't want to spoil too much, but this book deals with heavy things life grief, and what it looks like to spiral in the face of it...and to find hope again on the other side of it. It was both soul-wrenching and healing in a weird way. And it balanced the concepts of grief and family so beautifully that I couldn't help but fall in love with Amanda's writing. I am a fan for life!\ _**Toxic Bloodlines by Emmanuel Ossai: **_Toxic Bloodlines is set in the small town of Seventh Heaven. Soon after several meteorites strike, a group of young people begin to experience a series of mysterious and terrifying encounters. Monsters, cultists and mysteries they can't explain. It becomes clear very quickly that this town--and their parents--have been keeping secrets that they won't part with easily. And in order to survive, these kids will have to figure out what horrible history the older generation is hiding so they can find a path to escaping it themselves.\ \ I started this book a while back and had put it down for whatever reason, but when someone suggested it for this month's book club, I picked it back up and happily gave it another shot. I found the story itself very interesting and was pretty satisfied with the story's conclusion, but this one was a little bit of a rough read for me. In general, culty horror stories don't really do it for me, and this one had some rough edges on top of the genre not being my favorite. There were a few times where the story jumped in ways I wasn't understanding, and that was pretty jarring for me. I wouldn't say the writing was bad. It was just a very layered story and didn't quite land all of the connections for me.\ _**Opaque by Calix Leigh Reign: **_Another hard read for me, but for different reasons.\ \ The book follows two young people. Adam and Cally. Adam is a senior in highschool and is struggling with his identity. He finds himself having some very inapropriate thoughts about his mother, which lead him to believe he is a monster who is unworthy of love. And as a result, he finds himself on a very dark path. Until he meets Cally, who reveals that he is actually the last known member of one of several Russian bloodlines who have been hunted for centuries because of their unique supernatural abilities. Together, the two of them must find her missing parents and join in the fight to end the secret Russian agency that has been hunting them, so that their families can finally come out of hiding and live like everyone else.\ \ The story itself was pretty interesting. The writing was good as well. But I struggled with the inclusion of his attraction for his mother. It is explained chemically in the book, and I'm not going to condemn the author for the inclusion, as she did not lean into anything abusive between the two. But it, as well as some other darker themes that served no noticeable purpose, were just not for me.\ \ As far as the writing, there are moments where the story's POV is not entirely clear, and that was a bit disorienting. But like I said above, overall, I thought the story was interesting and the writing was good. And I am curious where the story goes from here, so I will probably finish the series at some point.\ \

My Week of Reading

I finished three books in the last week: The Berrypickers by Amanda Peters, Toxic Bloodlines by Emmanual Ossai & Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reigh. Read below for my brief thoughts on each!

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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Jun 5 2024

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Hey, everyone! I thought I would take some time to tell you a little about what I've been up to!\ \ READING UPDATE: I am currently reading two books. Well, three technically. I am reading through a friend's manuscript as they write, which is so much fun! But also, I am reading through The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters for an indigenous bookclub I am in over on Fable, with Naomi Darling (@fromthemixedupdesk). I just started that one and so far, I am enjoying it. From what I've heard, I'll likely be crying a lot as I read this one! And then I also just started Toxic Bloodlines by Emmanuel Ossai for my bookclub right here on Bindery! I will link both of those books in case you watch to check them out!\ \ WRITING UPDATE: I had a 10,000 word day yesterday!!!! Now, for my non-writers, you may not know how big of an accomplishment that is. But a 1,000 words a day is the norm for a full-time writer. So a 10,000 word day does not come around very often for most of us! I am feeling myself today! lol! I am working on two books. The first being Haliut, which is the sequel to Alfajiri. I was really stuck on that for quite a few months, but I FINALLY figured out where I want this story to go and I am flying through it now that the characters let me know where we are heading. The second book I am working on is the alien colonization story that I started right here with all of you! I have two and a half more chapters done, which I will be sharing with you in a few days. I want to finish the one I'm working on now and then I'll let you read them all!\ \ PUBLISHING UPDATE: Tavern is doing fairly well. That is the book I put out with Deston Munden a few months ago. I'd love it to do a little better, but we are both fairly happy with its numbers. I am looking forward to promoting that book more over the next few months and announcing the other projects that we have in the works! Because we've been BUSY, let me tell you!!!!\ \ PODCAST UPDATE: Laani and I just interviewed Neka Marie! Author of The Inevitability of! An incredible book, which I will link below. If you don't know Neka, you are truly missing out. She is BookTok's bestie!\ \ PERSONAL UPDATE: Today is always a little bit of a sad day on my end. It is the anniversary of my Mother's death, so like every year, I went to the park to take a walk in nature and think about her. It was delightful, and depressing, as it is each year. lol\ \ Hmmm, what else is there... that honestly might be it for now. But yeah, there's a peak into my world. Let me know a little bit about you and whether you want me to do more of these!!!\ \ ​\ \ ​\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

Journal Entry

Just a little bit about what I've been up to lately! Enjoy! Also, tell me about your week in the comments!

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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 5 2024

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I listened to The Berry Pickers on audio and imthis book is going to be in my top contenders for bes

I listened to The Berry Pickers on audio and I am sure this book is going to be in my top contenders for best book of the year.

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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 3 2024

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Hello Everyone,\ \ I will be hosting a Silent Book Club this Thursday at 530pm PST via Zoom (open to all tiers). I will post the Zoom link here early on Thurdsay.\ \ We will be reading for the first 30 minutes and then chatting about books for 30 minutes! Come make sure you get some reading in and discover new books with book friends.\ \ I hope you can join!\ \ I've added my current read to this post.

Silent Book Club- Thursday 5:30 PM PST

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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 1 2024

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Hello Everyone,\ \ Books for June have been selected in both of my Fable Bookclubs.\ \ Good Day To Read Indigenous is going to be reading The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters:\ \ From Amazon: A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a family, and remains unsolved for nearly fifty years\ \ July 1962. Following in the tradition of Indigenous workers from Nova Scotia, a Mi’kmaq family arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.\ \ In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective.\ \ Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.\ \ For fans of The Vanishing Half and Woman of Light, this showstopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.\ _**Women In Horror **_is going to be reading The Devil and Mrs. Davenport\ \ From Amazon:\ \ The first day of autumn brought the fever, and with the fever came the voices.\ \ Missouri, 1955. Loretta Davenport has led an isolated life as a young mother and a wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant professor at a Bible college. They’re the picture of domestic tranquility—until a local girl is murdered and Loretta begins receiving messages from beyond. Pete dismisses them as delusions of a fevered female imagination. Loretta knows they’re real—and frightening.\ \ Defying Pete’s demands, Loretta finds an encouraging supporter in parapsychologist Dr. Curtis Hansen. He sees a woman with a rare gift, more blessing than curse. With Dr. Hansen’s help, Loretta’s life opens up to an empowering new purpose. But for Pete, the God-fearing image he’s worked so hard to cultivate is under threat. No longer in control of his dutiful wife, he sees the Devil at work.\ \ As Loretta’s powers grow stronger and the pleading spirits beckon, Pete is determined to deliver his wife from evil. To solve the mysteries of the dead, Loretta must first save herself.\ \ If you haven't joined the bookclub yet there is still time. The Devil and Mrs Davenport is available on KU and the author has offered to meet with us on Zoom at the end of the month!\ \ ​\ \ ​

June Book Club Selections

Selections For Indigenous Book Club and Women in Horror Book Club

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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • May 23 2024

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Indigenous Book Club Options

These are the books being considered for June.

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • May 7 2024

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://inkyphoenix.binderybooks.com/item/bScqkRXaarreSmrZaGVz/)

Inky Phoenix Picks as Met Gala Looks

BOOK LEWKS!

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Feb 10 2024

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://inkyphoenix.binderybooks.com/item/iyQ7iblWfEcHgBGD5j67/)

The Berry Pickers Zoom Conversation

For those of you who missed our Inky Phoenix discussion on THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters.

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Feb 4 2024

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://inkyphoenix.binderybooks.com/item/y1lFWkHsR58p8HHHvXVb/)

Zoom conversation for THE BERRY PICKERS

It’s Zoom conversation time for THE BERRY PICKERS by @amandapetersauthor : join us next Saturday, February 10th at 3pm ET! Copy this link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89046200041?pwd=OplU6zMIW2bHA9ga7aAmVmQBtuVuR8.1

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Jan 1 2024

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Our First Pick of 2024 is Here!

THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters

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The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Dec 13 2023

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New Free Cookies Episode

Amazon Books Senior Editor Seira Wilson shares five of her Inky Phoenix-friendly picks from their Best Books of 2023.

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