Reviews

Dear Canada: These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack

oliviabrisebois's review

3.0

God this book was sad to read, knowing what happed at the schools when children went missing and the way they were abused. Definitely a dark part of Canadian history that should not be erased

victorianvalkyrie's review

challenging dark informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

serenedancer's review

3.0

I get that I've aged out of the target demographic so take that into consideration. But this book was mostly serviceable. Like I got what they were going for and lot of issues were touched on. But they weren't in depth enough. Maybe that would have been to hard for the target demographic but the violence of the schools wasn't truly shown. I know that not every school was extremely violent but still.

Also when they were talking about not being allowed stuff from home it was always other students telling her. Like you never saw the authority figures say anything. I'd have liked her to get in some kind of trouble for the things to show that it happened.

It may be a good introduction for kids into the idea of residential schools but they should learn more about it from other sources as well.

ajizhang's review

4.0

Obviously this is a book meant for kids, but I read it anyway to learn more about residential schools. It's hard to imagine that at the time this was set, my mom would have been 6. This "dark chapter" is certainly not very long ago, and Slipperjack's book helps explain how it still affects Indigenous people today.

chatnoir27's review against another edition

challenging reflective fast-paced

4.5

ashleyreadstoomuch's review

4.0

This is part of the Dear Canada series.  It was really well written and very interesting to read about.  It's a horrifying part of Canadian history and it's important that it isn't erased or forgotten.  That's why it's important to read books about the subject.  This one didn't necessarily talk about some of the more horrible things that happened at the schools but it didn't shy away from other harder subjects.

drunkgazma's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

hannahreads1070's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

jadenebean's review

4.0

Great for a young reader. The Historical Note section at the end is an important piece that adds context about Canada’s cultural genocide of Indigenous Peoples.

jasmineehare's review

4.0

This presented a less harsh picture of residential schools than I was expecting, but I think it is a great book for grades 4 to 8 to explore this topic in more depth. You get a good sense of some of the issues faced by children - losing their language and connection to culture, separation from their families, a disconnect from what they were learning in school.