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807 reviews for:
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City
Tanya Talaga
4.58 AVERAGE
807 reviews for:
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City
Tanya Talaga
4.58 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Every so often a book comes along that exceeds my expectations so greatly that it leaves me in awe. This book was one of those. Tanya Talaga tells the story of the deaths of several Indigenous teenagers who are far from their families and home communities, attending high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. While doing so, she also explores the inter generational trauma of residential schools, and how the continued impacts of colonial policy and political injustice shape the lives of Indigenous communities, families, Elders, and young people. The stories of Jethro Anderson, Curran Strang, Paul Panacheese, Robyn Harper, Reggie Boushie, Kyle Morrisseau, and Jordan Wabasse and their short, complicated, and tragic lives are brilliant illustrations of the lasting legacies of indifference and injustice for Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is clear by the end of this book that change is needed and that the way forward is clearly outlined but hindered by political ill-will and the conspicuous racism of education and justice policies. What astounds me at the end of this book is how clearly we as Settlers have been shown and told what will foster reconciliation and how blatantly and horrifically we ignore these repeated messages.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A journalistic account of how omnipresent and oppressive the colonial government of Canada and the racist institutions that uphold it are and continue to be for students from remote fly-in communities specifically but the stories here are a microcosm of the nation as a whole, especially as recommendations and calls to action whither away unfunded/ unimplemented. Most important quote for me (a white settler) is: “Cindy Blackstock argues that the group that has always throughout history let indigenous people down is the Canadian public,” and nothing could be closer to the truth. We (the Canadian public) are responsible for the devastating status quo.
The facts of this book are horrible and tragic, no doubt. What my one criticism is is that it maybe didn't give enough information to be a complete picture. In some ways I feel it was one-sided - but maybe that's all there was. In other ways I may just be ignorant as I'm not sure how the funding for reserves and schools and infrastructure is decided and even how it's decided for non-reserves and whether there in lies the challenge of them not being the same method so how can they be equal? All I know is things aren't right and I guess I felt the book needed to provide some more recommendations on how we all can make this better. Which maybe she didn't include as the best ones were possibly made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and she didn't want to restate them? Overall an important read that hopefully in and of stating the facts down will create some positive dialogue to incent change.
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
dnf pg. 205 - 53%
i just didn't have enough time to finish it before i had to return it
i just didn't have enough time to finish it before i had to return it