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cmjustice's review against another edition
4.0
Moving account providing context and valuable reference.
manglitter's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a beautiful story of a woman and her people. Ruby Peter was a a Cowichan elder who narrates the story of her hard life as an Indian native and hard work in order to protect the ancient language of her people: Hul’q’umi’num’ and their traditions and culture.
I loved it so much, it was so interesting to read and to learn more about those people that faced hardships in different ways, we feel bitter for what happened to them. I loved to read about her childhood and her mother who was an exceptional person that taught her a lot and then, as she became the elder, she taught everything to the youngsters. In this book, Helene Demers worked only on transforming Ruby's audiorecordings into a text without adding any of her commentaries, it's pure Ruby's words in this book and I really loved that.
I hope that there were more books either for kids or adults and documentaries about the native Indians' culture for the future generations. There is a lot of things that I learnt from this book and I hope that a lot of people will take the time to read this beautiful book.
This was such a beautiful story of a woman and her people. Ruby Peter was a a Cowichan elder who narrates the story of her hard life as an Indian native and hard work in order to protect the ancient language of her people: Hul’q’umi’num’ and their traditions and culture.
I loved it so much, it was so interesting to read and to learn more about those people that faced hardships in different ways, we feel bitter for what happened to them. I loved to read about her childhood and her mother who was an exceptional person that taught her a lot and then, as she became the elder, she taught everything to the youngsters. In this book, Helene Demers worked only on transforming Ruby's audiorecordings into a text without adding any of her commentaries, it's pure Ruby's words in this book and I really loved that.
I hope that there were more books either for kids or adults and documentaries about the native Indians' culture for the future generations. There is a lot of things that I learnt from this book and I hope that a lot of people will take the time to read this beautiful book.
fallona's review against another edition
5.0
I received an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley.
It feels strange to assign a star value and write a review for this book. It is a printed form of an oral history, and is alive with Sti'tum'atul'wut's voice--it is very easy to imagine being told the story verbally while reading it.
It's worth reading, and it's absolutely fascinating. I'm glad that she shared her story, and that the story is being shared with the world at large through the medium of this book. But assigning a rating is rather like rating someone's lived experience, and that feels strange.
It feels strange to assign a star value and write a review for this book. It is a printed form of an oral history, and is alive with Sti'tum'atul'wut's voice--it is very easy to imagine being told the story verbally while reading it.
It's worth reading, and it's absolutely fascinating. I'm glad that she shared her story, and that the story is being shared with the world at large through the medium of this book. But assigning a rating is rather like rating someone's lived experience, and that feels strange.
teachreadinspire's review against another edition
5.0
This is a complicated book for me to review. I wanted so badly to like it but I just couldn't connect. I'll start with some neutral information about the book. The story is about an Indigenous Elder, Ruby, from British Columbia who is dictating her oral history to her daughter and another author. Indigenous Elders are knowledge keepers and their stories are essential elements of their cultures. Ruby tells of residential and Indian day schools, longhouses, potlatch bans, the indian act and more. She also shares elements of her culture such as Mask dances, rites of passage and funeral/mourning procedures. The novel is written in a unique way, in keeping with oral histories which are typically passed down from an elder to a younger person orally through storytelling, the novel was written through dictation. The story reads very much like a conversation with a grandparent.
In theory, this is the perfect book for me, I love learning about cultures, especially Canadian Indigenous cultures, I enjoy a great story from a grandparent, but I didn't love this book. I think that because of the way it was written, while I completely support what the authors were trying to accomplish, was at times a bit difficult to follow and while some chapters were very interesting, others were more mundane. There was a fair amount of repetition and some confusing timelines, which added to the slow pace.
I think this book is such an important piece of history and cultural information. I am so glad that it was written and wouldn't change anything about it. However, I think it is important that readers understand what kind of book they are picking up so that they can look to this book for what it is meant to be. This is not a mainstream novel, it wont make it to the top of all the reading lists for 2021, but it is definitely a worthwhile piece of literature that deserves to be available for audiences through the future. Losing an elder can be like losing a culture, especially when we consider the atrocities the Canadian government has created when imposing the Indian act. But Ruby and her community are resilient and by working until her death to pass on her knowledge, Ruby has made it impossible for her culture to be lost.
I'm so appreciative of Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book!
In theory, this is the perfect book for me, I love learning about cultures, especially Canadian Indigenous cultures, I enjoy a great story from a grandparent, but I didn't love this book. I think that because of the way it was written, while I completely support what the authors were trying to accomplish, was at times a bit difficult to follow and while some chapters were very interesting, others were more mundane. There was a fair amount of repetition and some confusing timelines, which added to the slow pace.
I think this book is such an important piece of history and cultural information. I am so glad that it was written and wouldn't change anything about it. However, I think it is important that readers understand what kind of book they are picking up so that they can look to this book for what it is meant to be. This is not a mainstream novel, it wont make it to the top of all the reading lists for 2021, but it is definitely a worthwhile piece of literature that deserves to be available for audiences through the future. Losing an elder can be like losing a culture, especially when we consider the atrocities the Canadian government has created when imposing the Indian act. But Ruby and her community are resilient and by working until her death to pass on her knowledge, Ruby has made it impossible for her culture to be lost.
I'm so appreciative of Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book!
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
5.0
Oral Histories tend to ramble, because that is the nature of what they are. Oral histories are not all nicely tied up with a bow. The authors of this book wrote down the oral history of Ruby Peter, and this is rather like sitting down to talk to an old friend. The story rambles, goes back on itself, and continues forward in great strides.
If you are thinking that you are going to be reading a book about an elder of the Cowichan people, you are, but it will not be like most biographies you have read. It is not polished. It is the way the story is told, and that is it. The authors said they felt that was the best way to present it.
Ruby is a Thi'tha, the equivalent of a shaman, but her story of how she got there is, as she said, was by listening to her elders.
She talks about how residential school destroyed so many native peoples. She tells how she was lucky enough to go to day school, so was not separated from her culture the way the others were.
She does not go into detail of how her magic works, which is just as well. Why should we be allowed to know something scared. What she does go into detail is how important it is to listen. That the elders have much to say. She relates a cautionary tale, akin to Little Red Riding hood, about how you should not talk to strangers.
Very easy to read. Very conversational. Very interesting. Highly recommend it.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
If you are thinking that you are going to be reading a book about an elder of the Cowichan people, you are, but it will not be like most biographies you have read. It is not polished. It is the way the story is told, and that is it. The authors said they felt that was the best way to present it.
Ruby is a Thi'tha, the equivalent of a shaman, but her story of how she got there is, as she said, was by listening to her elders.
She talks about how residential school destroyed so many native peoples. She tells how she was lucky enough to go to day school, so was not separated from her culture the way the others were.
She does not go into detail of how her magic works, which is just as well. Why should we be allowed to know something scared. What she does go into detail is how important it is to listen. That the elders have much to say. She relates a cautionary tale, akin to Little Red Riding hood, about how you should not talk to strangers.
Very easy to read. Very conversational. Very interesting. Highly recommend it.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
macaronoui's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautiful insight into Ruby's life. More a stream of consciousness than a well structured story but that didn't really take away from the story.
Ruby's life was truly amazing and it was very interesting to read about what Native Americans have gone through. And how despite all the difficulties she still managed to become an elder in her community and give back so much. The idea that one person can achieve this is truly inspiring. A very interesting insight into the Native American community. Highly recommend this book.
Ruby's life was truly amazing and it was very interesting to read about what Native Americans have gone through. And how despite all the difficulties she still managed to become an elder in her community and give back so much. The idea that one person can achieve this is truly inspiring. A very interesting insight into the Native American community. Highly recommend this book.
meaghanreadshfx's review against another edition
5.0
I think that this book is culturally and linguistically important. In current times, as we discover more and more of the terrors of residential schools and exactly how much has been taken away from Indigenous people's in Canada and beyond, What Was Said to Me is another important book which highlights the importance of Indigenous voices and culture and the struggle to maintain that culture. This book is an amazing read and I hope everyone adds it to their bookshelf not only to educate themselves but to learn and empathize with Indigenous people.
ballgownsandbooks's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
This book is rambling and repetitive and at times confusing, and that's exactly the point. It's Sti'tum'atul'wut (Ruby Peter)'s story told in exactly her own words, as if she were telling you herself as different recollections come to her, and you can absolutely hear her voice and feel her personality coming through in a way that's much more personal than intentionally-written prose.
I have a hard time rating autobiographical work in general, and it feels even less appropriate to review this in the usual sense, given that even the 'writing style' and the flow of different anecdotes haven't been deliberately structured, but I will say that this is an incredibly important story that I'm glad is being shared. I learned so much about Cowichan ways and traditions, and there are so many lessons in Ruby's life that we can all apply to our own. The whole book is packed full of wisdom, and I highly recommend it!
I have a hard time rating autobiographical work in general, and it feels even less appropriate to review this in the usual sense, given that even the 'writing style' and the flow of different anecdotes haven't been deliberately structured, but I will say that this is an incredibly important story that I'm glad is being shared. I learned so much about Cowichan ways and traditions, and there are so many lessons in Ruby's life that we can all apply to our own. The whole book is packed full of wisdom, and I highly recommend it!