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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
Just fantastic, I recommend this to anyone. Even though it’s Canadian focussed, Americans can learn from this too and apply it to their own history
This book is so important. It was a tough read because it is such a difficult subject. The story is told so well and it is incredibly written.
Richard Wagamese crafts a powerful story inside of Indian Horse that is not only heartbreaking, but thought provoking. Some history of boarding schools of Native Americans I already knew, but I found myself shocked over and over again when discussing abuse- physical, mental, and sexual.
Saul Indian Horse, the main character of the book, begins his life with his parents, brother, and grandparents, but slowly his family is destroyed as white men move in on them and eventually Saul is taken away to boarding school. Retelling the accounts of a small child in the midst of such abuse made the reader feel for Saul and also wondering how terrified he must be. The story continues to grow and moves past his day of boarding school that detest to a harsh life and constantly grappling with his time at boarding school and his talent of playing hockey.
Not wanting to give much away, Saul turns to hockey as a form of therapy and a way in which he bonds with others to form his own kind of family. Hockey not only dominates his life, but truly is Saul’s saving grace and a place where he forms a brotherhood. Though Wagamese breaks the readers heart towards the ending of the book, I felt that Saul was given a justified ending.
Saul asks in the middle of the book, “Where is God then?” truly culminating the essence of this novel and the tragedy many Native American families faced and still do. In boarding school, Saul was surrounded by white man values and throughout the book he faces how he forms his own identity as a Native American in now a white man’s world. Not only a powerful read, but one I feel is necessary to add into the list of senior reading before heading off to college. Showing this to students may be a reality to what really was happening in America and also such a personal way to tell such painful history, but history that truly happened. As a future teacher, I will want to incorporate this into the classroom and discuss the bigger question of “Where is God for Saul in this novel?”. Because I am still left wondering how one man can live out such horrible realities.
Saul Indian Horse, the main character of the book, begins his life with his parents, brother, and grandparents, but slowly his family is destroyed as white men move in on them and eventually Saul is taken away to boarding school. Retelling the accounts of a small child in the midst of such abuse made the reader feel for Saul and also wondering how terrified he must be. The story continues to grow and moves past his day of boarding school that detest to a harsh life and constantly grappling with his time at boarding school and his talent of playing hockey.
Not wanting to give much away, Saul turns to hockey as a form of therapy and a way in which he bonds with others to form his own kind of family. Hockey not only dominates his life, but truly is Saul’s saving grace and a place where he forms a brotherhood. Though Wagamese breaks the readers heart towards the ending of the book, I felt that Saul was given a justified ending.
Saul asks in the middle of the book, “Where is God then?” truly culminating the essence of this novel and the tragedy many Native American families faced and still do. In boarding school, Saul was surrounded by white man values and throughout the book he faces how he forms his own identity as a Native American in now a white man’s world. Not only a powerful read, but one I feel is necessary to add into the list of senior reading before heading off to college. Showing this to students may be a reality to what really was happening in America and also such a personal way to tell such painful history, but history that truly happened. As a future teacher, I will want to incorporate this into the classroom and discuss the bigger question of “Where is God for Saul in this novel?”. Because I am still left wondering how one man can live out such horrible realities.
My second time teaching this novel. My students were absolutely captivated by it, despite its difficult, sad subject matter. I will definitely use this book again.
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This is a very fast-paced novel. It's told from the point of view of Saul Indian Horse, a residential school survivor who has ended up in rehab for alcoholism. As part of his therapy at the treatment centre, he is asked to write an account of his life up to this point...and that is where the story begins.
In short, fast-paced introductory chapters, Saul outlines his family's history, his young childhood, and how his family's relatively peaceful existence was disrupted when government officials forcibly removed his siblings from their family of origin and took them to residential school. Eventually, despite the best efforts of his family, Saul is also taken to residential school, a place devoid of love and rife with abuse of all kinds. One thing saves him, and that is his introduction to the game of ice hockey.
Saul proves to have both natural talent for the game and also the tenacity and willingness to hone his skills until he is better than everyone he plays against. The rest of the narrative follows him through his rise and fall as a First Nations hockey player.
The narrative is compelling and historically accurate, unflinchingly clear but not gratuitous in its descriptions of the brutal abuse children really did endure in residential schools. The descriptions of hockey are lyrical and intense, and it is obvious that Wagamese has more than a passing interest in the game. It's a spare, simple story--not particularly complex, but the story it tells is told well. Although brutal, it's not unrelentingly grim or devoid of hope.
Overall, Wagamese is a good writer, but to be honest, his style is not one I am particularly drawn to. However, I think this would be a good assigned text, especially for more reluctant readers in a Grade 12 English class. It's definitely high interest/low(er) reading level. I think I will offer it as an option for my students this semester alongside Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce for an alternative that touches on some of the same themes in a more complex way.
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I've decided to assign this novel for my literature class this upcoming semester, so I decided I'd better start reading it. So far it's very good and extremely fast-paced; I anticipate I'll finish it pretty quickly. I think the students will enjoy it and get a lot out of it.
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A friend of mine lent me this novel--he said he could not put it down. When he lent it to a friend, that friend read it in a day and a half and lent it to another friend who raced through it as well. I am considering this as a suggested text for a literature course I'm developing, so given all this, I hope I am not coming into it with too-high expectations!
---
This is a very fast-paced novel. It's told from the point of view of Saul Indian Horse, a residential school survivor who has ended up in rehab for alcoholism. As part of his therapy at the treatment centre, he is asked to write an account of his life up to this point...and that is where the story begins.
In short, fast-paced introductory chapters, Saul outlines his family's history, his young childhood, and how his family's relatively peaceful existence was disrupted when government officials forcibly removed his siblings from their family of origin and took them to residential school. Eventually, despite the best efforts of his family, Saul is also taken to residential school, a place devoid of love and rife with abuse of all kinds. One thing saves him, and that is his introduction to the game of ice hockey.
Saul proves to have both natural talent for the game and also the tenacity and willingness to hone his skills until he is better than everyone he plays against. The rest of the narrative follows him through his rise and fall as a First Nations hockey player.
The narrative is compelling and historically accurate, unflinchingly clear but not gratuitous in its descriptions of the brutal abuse children really did endure in residential schools. The descriptions of hockey are lyrical and intense, and it is obvious that Wagamese has more than a passing interest in the game. It's a spare, simple story--not particularly complex, but the story it tells is told well. Although brutal, it's not unrelentingly grim or devoid of hope.
Overall, Wagamese is a good writer, but to be honest, his style is not one I am particularly drawn to. However, I think this would be a good assigned text, especially for more reluctant readers in a Grade 12 English class. It's definitely high interest/low(er) reading level. I think I will offer it as an option for my students this semester alongside Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce for an alternative that touches on some of the same themes in a more complex way.
---
I've decided to assign this novel for my literature class this upcoming semester, so I decided I'd better start reading it. So far it's very good and extremely fast-paced; I anticipate I'll finish it pretty quickly. I think the students will enjoy it and get a lot out of it.
---
A friend of mine lent me this novel--he said he could not put it down. When he lent it to a friend, that friend read it in a day and a half and lent it to another friend who raced through it as well. I am considering this as a suggested text for a literature course I'm developing, so given all this, I hope I am not coming into it with too-high expectations!
You will not enjoy reading this book. It's a sucker-punch to the gut. But you should read it, because it's a helluva good story, and it brings to light the terrible things that happened to First Nations children forced into Canada's residential school system.
150,000 were kidnapped from their families or otherwise forced to attend these schools. Diseases such as tuberculosis, not to mention suicide, lead to the deaths of at least 3,000, and probably 6,000 or more. Physical abuse was rampant, especially punishment for speaking native languages, and an estimated one in five suffered sexual abuse. The impacts of this horror - this cultural genocide - are still being felt today.
Indian Horse follows one of these children from boyhood into adulthood ... from his life with his Ojibway family keeping the old traditions and hiding from the white folks, to the destruction of his family and his life in a residential school, to his escape into the game of hockey, to his eventual flight from, and coming to terms with, his past.
150,000 were kidnapped from their families or otherwise forced to attend these schools. Diseases such as tuberculosis, not to mention suicide, lead to the deaths of at least 3,000, and probably 6,000 or more. Physical abuse was rampant, especially punishment for speaking native languages, and an estimated one in five suffered sexual abuse. The impacts of this horror - this cultural genocide - are still being felt today.
Indian Horse follows one of these children from boyhood into adulthood ... from his life with his Ojibway family keeping the old traditions and hiding from the white folks, to the destruction of his family and his life in a residential school, to his escape into the game of hockey, to his eventual flight from, and coming to terms with, his past.
Brutal and exquisite. I'm not the first to say this should be required reading for all Canadians, especially anyone interested in what happened in the residential schools. That makes it sound academic, though, and it absolutely was not. Wagamese's story is incredibly touching, personal, and identifiable. There are passages I know I will want to revisit. I'm looking forward to seeing the recent film, though as is unfortunately characteristic of Canadian films, I imagine it will take me some time and effort to track down a viewing.
I read this book its entirety during long train rides across China while on vacation. I was surprised at how quickly I made it through this. Highly recommend even if hockey doesn't interest you. Actually, especially if hockey doesn't interest you.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book in high school and still think about it all the time. It is a devastating, heartbreaking, and extremely important story
3.5 stars.
Simple, and simply beautiful. An important history lesson mixed with a straightforward redemption story told by an eminently likable protagonist. You root for Saul the whole way through, and it’s a testament to Wagamese’s lyrical prose that you get a feel for the immense, barren beauty of Northern Ontario as you sink deeper into Indian Horse’s darkest realities.
Simple, and simply beautiful. An important history lesson mixed with a straightforward redemption story told by an eminently likable protagonist. You root for Saul the whole way through, and it’s a testament to Wagamese’s lyrical prose that you get a feel for the immense, barren beauty of Northern Ontario as you sink deeper into Indian Horse’s darkest realities.
This book gutted me, and brought up a lot of emotions from the cobwebbed recesses of my mind. I'm learning as well how deeply moved I am by books about the place I am from (because nobody ever writes about it), namely: Northern/Nortwestern Ontario, Northern Minnesota, and (though to a smaller degree) Winnipeg. This book brought up a lot of feelings, and made me so deeply angry. I grew up with friends who were (iirc) Ojibway. It never really was a big deal. But just reading this reminded me of all of them and I just am so sad that they live in a world (and a country) that has done them so much violence, and continues to. It also made me remember how much I loved playing field/street hockey (I could never skate). I can hardly have any words for this book. I'm so deeply affected by it on so many different levels. So much nostalgia, love, and anger. It's such a difficult book that is so easy to read. Wagamese makes it look so easy to pull this off. I guarantee that it is not.