Warner (We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the '90s and Changed Canadian Music) draws on 60 hours of exclusive interviews to explore the extensive achievements of Buffy Sainte-Marie (b. 1941)—as songwriter, performer, recording artist, educator, and activist. Early on, Sainte-Marie's natural musical talents and strong interest in her Cree heritage inspired her to compose songs of deep emotional eloquence that focused on the struggles for freedom and equality faced by all Indigenous peoples. She emphasized that her compositions were not an expression of anger but rather to educate listeners about the inequities encountered by Native Americans and the need to raise cultural awareness. Warner astutely describes Sainte-Marie's career, from her acclaimed performances and numerous recordings (beginning with the 1964 album It's My Way!) to her creation of highly successful educational programs and her groundbreaking work on Sesame Street. Behind-the-scenes details about Sainte-Marie's personal life are honestly and skillfully interwoven with those of her professional journey—the suffering and the joys. VERDICT For folk music enthusiasts as well as readers and institutions with a strong interest in educational awareness and activism on behalf of Indigenous peoples.—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

Warner (We Oughta Know: How Four Women Ruled the 90s and Changed Canadian Music) presents a broad overview of the career of Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Cree singer, activist, educator, and actor who was born in Saskatchewan in 1941. Sainte-Marie is known for her earnest pop songs from the 1960s through the '90s ( among them "Universal Soldier" and "Until It's Time for You to Go"), indigenous anthems ("Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"), and her years as a performer on Sesame Street in the 1970s. Quoting extensively from interviews with Sainte-Marie, Warner writes honestly about the racism Sainte-Marie experienced growing up; her opioid addiction in the 1960s; and her claims of being blacklisted, along with other indigenous people, by American radio stations in the 1970s. She documents Sainte-Marie's music collaborations (she recently recorded with Canadian throat singer Tanya Tagaq); her Native American school curriculum, the Cradleboard Teaching Project, which helps raise self-esteem; and her receiving an Academy Award for best original song ("Up Where We Belong," performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes). While Sainte-Marie's voice shines through—funny, sharply incisive, never bitter—some sections feel clunky due to an overreliance on direct quotes from lengthy, unedited interview transcripts. The book feels overlong, but it's nevertheless a heartfelt portrait. (Sept.)