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Dear Canada: These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack
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.
melanna's review
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. This is a kids book. But an important kids book. I was sent it from scholastic and the little free library organization for my little free library but knew I wanted to read it first. My 10 year old beat me to it and then affirmed that I needed to read it.
Oh my heart. This is a dark part of Canada’s history. We’re so known for being “nice.” But this kind of treatment of people is not nice (and from what I have read this is a pretty tame school compared to some). No child should be separated from their parents and what they know as home. And I’m glad that this is recorded through diary entries so that we can preserve what it actually felt like to be that child. I kept thinking “what if this was my kids?” My empathy is off the charts today and I’m so angry on behalf of these kids.
Oh my heart. This is a dark part of Canada’s history. We’re so known for being “nice.” But this kind of treatment of people is not nice (and from what I have read this is a pretty tame school compared to some). No child should be separated from their parents and what they know as home. And I’m glad that this is recorded through diary entries so that we can preserve what it actually felt like to be that child. I kept thinking “what if this was my kids?” My empathy is off the charts today and I’m so angry on behalf of these kids.
pagesofmilkandhoney's review
4.0
I'm pretty sure that it was the Dear Canada books that got me into history and thus, pushed me into the future of getting a degree in it. This book is so important. So, so important. For those who do not know, recently Canada has been focusing on Truth and Reconciliation with the Indigenous People. Our history is filled with the horrors and tragedies of stealing children from their homes, forcing them to live and learn in horrendous residential schools, forbidden from speaking their language and harshly punishing them if they did anything to remind themselves of their previous lives. They were emotionally, psychologically, physically, and even sexually abused. From as young of an age as 5 years old, they were ripped from their homes and subject to this life. With often very little knowledge of life outside the residential schools, they were once again kicked out once they reached a certain age to fend for themselves in a world they had often not known since they were young. We would like to pretend that this did not happen, pretend that the schools may have done good to those that came from poor backgrounds. But this does not erase the fact that this did happen. This book takes place in the late sixties. My parents were born in the late sixties. The last residential school in Canada closed in the late nineties. I was born in the nineties. This is not old, or ancient. This is recent.
This book is simply written, like all Dear Canada books are. The horrors are often not mentioned, but merely implied. Violet's innocence often makes us, as readers, shielded from the things that truly happened. But this book is good, and I am incredibly happy that Dear Canada has finally written a book on this perspective. I remember learning about the residential schools as a kid, and even then I could recognise the horror of forcing young children into these lifestyles. I wish I had this book then.
This book is simply written, like all Dear Canada books are. The horrors are often not mentioned, but merely implied. Violet's innocence often makes us, as readers, shielded from the things that truly happened. But this book is good, and I am incredibly happy that Dear Canada has finally written a book on this perspective. I remember learning about the residential schools as a kid, and even then I could recognise the horror of forcing young children into these lifestyles. I wish I had this book then.
meredith_w's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
frain04's review
3.0
I understand this is a book for children/middle graders and it’s a good introduction for sure and at the end it actually does get a bit more in depth to the horrors of residential school but I definitely felt like this book lacked a lot of substance. The actual horrors of residential schools could have been addressed more. The things Violet went through were sad and lonely for sure, and it’s mentioned that her mother and some others really suffered, but the reader doesn’t actually get to experience even a fraction of how horribly the Natives were treated and what atrocities happened at residential school. The only thing the book really seems to touch upon is the separation and the loss of culture, but even so it’s glossed over a bit. Not too bad for a child’s introduction though.
soulwinds's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars for These are my Words.
Thoughts and plot
Dear Canada series continues to bring history to life for children with These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack. This book tells the story of 12 year old Violet (Pynut) and her experience at a residential school.
While I the idea of a diary covering this topic, the story fell a bit short for me due to Violet's rather flat characterization. Maybe it's because I'm reading Dear Canada: Exiles form the War and I find Charlotte much more convincing emotionally. Violet just feels...flat. She tells you that she's scared. She tells you that she's angry, but you don't really feel what she's feeling, you sort of are told...if that makes any sense to anyone.
Residential schools were created to destroy Indigenous culture and force the people to conform. It was a horrible and disgusting thing to do and worst of all, they went for the most vulnerable because they were the most impressionable. Children. They aimed to drain children in every possible way, mentally, emotionally, and physically. They forbid them from speaking their language, practice their ways, perform their ceremonies and activities. They stripped them of their names if they were not 'proper' names and often gave them number. Children were often abused, physically, mentally, sexually...
The first couple of entries were probably the most powerful of the whole book, showing how Indigenous children like Violet were treated when they first arrived at the residential school. For example, Violet is given a number, #75. Unfortunately, the power of the first entries did not carry through the whole book for me. Yes they weren't allowed to have anything, like paper dolls. They are hit and slapped and treated terribly. Their food was sub-par, their hair was cut, they were forced to wear particular clothing, and I know that this book was written for children, but the horrific events seemed to be tamed down and certain aspects excluded all together. I read the Dear Diary written to cover the Holocaust and while it too was tamed down, it was clear what was going on was horrific and traumatizing.
In Conclusion
While THESE ARE MY WORDS would be good for introducing middle grade readers to the history of residential schools in Canada, I feel like additional books and info would be needed to give a child an actual idea of what it would have been like. There are some other great novels and graphic novels that hit harder about what really went on in these schools. That said, I would still recommend that this book be one of the initial books given to a younger reader on the subject.
And be sure to read the historical notes! The historical notes make mention of how the last residential school closed in 1998. That's 19 years ago.
Appropriate age group: Middle school and up
Status in my library: 2 copies already on the shelf
Thoughts and plot
Dear Canada series continues to bring history to life for children with These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack. This book tells the story of 12 year old Violet (Pynut) and her experience at a residential school.
While I the idea of a diary covering this topic, the story fell a bit short for me due to Violet's rather flat characterization. Maybe it's because I'm reading Dear Canada: Exiles form the War and I find Charlotte much more convincing emotionally. Violet just feels...flat. She tells you that she's scared. She tells you that she's angry, but you don't really feel what she's feeling, you sort of are told...if that makes any sense to anyone.
Residential schools were created to destroy Indigenous culture and force the people to conform. It was a horrible and disgusting thing to do and worst of all, they went for the most vulnerable because they were the most impressionable. Children. They aimed to drain children in every possible way, mentally, emotionally, and physically. They forbid them from speaking their language, practice their ways, perform their ceremonies and activities. They stripped them of their names if they were not 'proper' names and often gave them number. Children were often abused, physically, mentally, sexually...
The first couple of entries were probably the most powerful of the whole book, showing how Indigenous children like Violet were treated when they first arrived at the residential school. For example, Violet is given a number, #75. Unfortunately, the power of the first entries did not carry through the whole book for me. Yes they weren't allowed to have anything, like paper dolls. They are hit and slapped and treated terribly. Their food was sub-par, their hair was cut, they were forced to wear particular clothing, and I know that this book was written for children, but the horrific events seemed to be tamed down and certain aspects excluded all together. I read the Dear Diary written to cover the Holocaust and while it too was tamed down, it was clear what was going on was horrific and traumatizing.
In Conclusion
While THESE ARE MY WORDS would be good for introducing middle grade readers to the history of residential schools in Canada, I feel like additional books and info would be needed to give a child an actual idea of what it would have been like. There are some other great novels and graphic novels that hit harder about what really went on in these schools. That said, I would still recommend that this book be one of the initial books given to a younger reader on the subject.
And be sure to read the historical notes! The historical notes make mention of how the last residential school closed in 1998. That's 19 years ago.
Appropriate age group: Middle school and up
Status in my library: 2 copies already on the shelf
macklin's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An important book to introduce the topic of residential schools to younger readers. It was awful hearing about how mentally detrimental these schools are. How awful it must feel to lose your language.
kayli934's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great introduction to things that happened at Residential schools for young children. It stays clear of the really horrible things that happened but opens your eyes up to how the children must have felt being taken away from their homes and families and brought to places far away from home where they were unable to be themselves.
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