Reviews

Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age by Darrel J. McLeod

sea_birdblue's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

akaspiderlily's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

Broke my heart and mended it in many different ways. Trying to fix what has been warped by so many outside forces, the reckoning with queerness, the oppression of religion and colonialism. The abuse. I thank the elders who impart their stories bravely. We need them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Homophobia, Suicide, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Rape, and Child abuse

Moderate: Child death, Deadnaming, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Incest, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Addiction

whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition

4.0

In the small town of Smith, Alberta, Darrel grew up with his mother and siblings. Growing up on his mother’s stories and Cree culture, he idolized and admired her. This laid the foundation for his love for her and what helped him get through the hardest parts of his life. This memoir took the reader on a journey through the good and bad he had with all of his family and how he’d overcome adversity of the trauma and the societal barriers thrown at him and how it led to the adventurous life he’s led. This was an emotional and at times hard-hitting memoir, full of hope and despair with a lot of story to tell. Just when the reader thought there couldn’t be more to this family, there was more. It was all really interesting and definitely thought-provoking, but for how short this book was, it felt like there was so much content that we only just scratched the surface of everything. It also made this memoir feel over-packed with info and things to keep track of. The reader appreciated and understood that all of it needed to be said and shared, but at times it felt very overwhelming to read it all. Saying that though, this was still very well written and told in a way that was full of hopefulness and optimism, even when it wasn’t always very promising what would come next. The reader really liked reading about the author’s mother and how connected he felt to her, even when it felt like there was no hope left with her, he still used his love for her to push on and continue to be the better person; it was really inspiring to read. In the end, this was heartening story that found a way to be uplifting despite all the tragedy.

greendreamr's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

zee's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.0

Mamaskatch explores McLeod's coming-of-age in a very frank but thoughtful approach. There are undercurrents of abuse and trauma, but also bright moments of success and growth. That being said, there is a LOT of heavy subject matter, but rarely is it dwelled upon; one gets the sense that despite all of the trauma in his life, McLeod was a very loving and gentle child. It isn't entirely linear in telling, and the author rarely specifies the year something takes place, nor his age, which makes it difficult to picture in the mind's eye as a result, but this is a tie-back to the way he notes his mother told stories. 

I really liked how the book shows how deeply McLeod's childhood and young adult years were intertwined with his mother and her story. The last few chapters are especially powerful.

Be VERY mindful of content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Medical content, Death, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Racism

Minor: Drug use and Domestic abuse

sophiestasyna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

njw13's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

sjdunlop's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

An honest and compelling memoir. 

kelcey_grace's review against another edition

challenging emotional

3.5

annetjeberg's review against another edition

4.0

So I started this book over a month ago, returned it to the library and ordered it again, just so I can finish it. It was a great read, totally would recommend it. Darrel McLeod has a unique voice, and though I do not share any of his struggles, he still made me feel like at least I get a bit what his difficulties are/were. A very likeable person too. Looking forward to part 2!