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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
This is a book that every Canadian should read. A heartbreaking tale of family, residential schools, hockey, alcoholism and redemption.
This wasn't an easy book to read, when there are passages like this:
"When your innocence is stripped from you, when your people are denigrated, when the family you came from is denounced and your tribal ways and rituals are pronounced backward, primitive, savage, you come to see yourself as less than human. That is hell on earth, that sense of unworthiness. That's what they inflicted on us."
This book is raw and it tore my heart open.
Highly recommended read.
This wasn't an easy book to read, when there are passages like this:
"When your innocence is stripped from you, when your people are denigrated, when the family you came from is denounced and your tribal ways and rituals are pronounced backward, primitive, savage, you come to see yourself as less than human. That is hell on earth, that sense of unworthiness. That's what they inflicted on us."
This book is raw and it tore my heart open.
Highly recommended read.
This coming of age story is about a young boy, Saul Indian Horse, who is part of the Ojibway people in Canada and gets ripped away from everything he knows and loves to be whitewashed in a Indian Residential School. They crammed the school with Indian kids that they captured or tore away from their family, gave them "more suitable sounding names", taught them to reject their gods and ways, accept Christianity, and their "schooling" was essentially learning English and child labor.
Saul discovers hockey and the escape it gives from the harrowing experience of his own life. He is naturally skilled and driven and eventually scouted and asked to join more professional teams. After being attacked, name called, shunned, embarrassed, and provoked, he develops a deep seeded anger and loses the love of the game. He loses his path and wanders, sinking into the abyss of alcohol and anger and has to find himself once more.
First of all, I would just like to say that as a judger of book covers, this one tricked me! No indication that it was about hockey.
Ok, I'm half kidding. The cover actually doesn't divulge any of the interior contents at all. In fact, something much more sinister is resting within when you delve into the pages.
While you get the sense of a mostly happy Native American family and community at the beginning, it only gives you a taste of that feeling. Almost instantly it gets torn apart, landing Saul in a "school" that abuse, death, and rape runs rampant through the children that are forced to live there.
The writing is simple, but almost dry. Factual. Textbook almost. Thing one happened and then thing two happened kind of writing. Effective in it's own rights, but honestly not a ton of character development. I felt the most emotion when it described his feelings and emotions playing hockey. Once hockey was cast aside it was back to thing one and thing two.
Overall enjoyable but lacking slightly in the ability to transfer me there and have me experience the raw pain and devastation of the events that took place.
Saul discovers hockey and the escape it gives from the harrowing experience of his own life. He is naturally skilled and driven and eventually scouted and asked to join more professional teams. After being attacked, name called, shunned, embarrassed, and provoked, he develops a deep seeded anger and loses the love of the game. He loses his path and wanders, sinking into the abyss of alcohol and anger and has to find himself once more.
First of all, I would just like to say that as a judger of book covers, this one tricked me! No indication that it was about hockey.
Ok, I'm half kidding. The cover actually doesn't divulge any of the interior contents at all. In fact, something much more sinister is resting within when you delve into the pages.
While you get the sense of a mostly happy Native American family and community at the beginning, it only gives you a taste of that feeling. Almost instantly it gets torn apart, landing Saul in a "school" that abuse, death, and rape runs rampant through the children that are forced to live there.
The writing is simple, but almost dry. Factual. Textbook almost. Thing one happened and then thing two happened kind of writing. Effective in it's own rights, but honestly not a ton of character development. I felt the most emotion when it described his feelings and emotions playing hockey. Once hockey was cast aside it was back to thing one and thing two.
Overall enjoyable but lacking slightly in the ability to transfer me there and have me experience the raw pain and devastation of the events that took place.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation
dark
emotional
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
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
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
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
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes