Scan barcode
patalienearson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
5erinnicole's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
I picked this book up on a whim, after seeing it recommended on a local bookshop website. I didn’t expect to be so interested from the start, but when I first looked up from it 100 pages had gone by. This book told a deeply different story than my own, but held me spellbound nonetheless. The author is frank, honest, and reading this really feels like having someone in the room telling you everything as the remember it. Despite the hard topics covered I stayed engaged, and found so many new pieces of history that l never would have known otherwise. So glad that Ma-Nee advocated for her story to be told.
kchin's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
An important voice we must listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Child death, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Sexism, and Sexual assault
fallingletters's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally published 23 April 2018 at Falling Letters.
The subtitle of this aptly describes its content. Born in 1950 in a tuberculosis sanatorium, Chacaby was raised in a remote Ojibwa-Cree community in Ontario by her extraordinary grandmother, who was estimated to have been born in the 1860s. The first chapter describes her grandmother’s and family history. Chacaby’s story then proceeds in chronological order, with the chapters divided by life stages. In telling her story, Chacaby has fulfilled a wish “to record her experiences and understanding for a broad audience” (215). Chacaby’s unique perspective as a “poor, recovering alcoholic, visually impaired, and lesbian Indigenous woman” (215) makes this a book well worth your time.
My favourite aspect of the book is Chacaby’s clear narrative voice. I felt like I was listening to a close friend sharing her story with me over coffee. Chacaby speaks with the wisdom of someone who has spent a lot of time reflecting on her experiences. She knows how to tell a story. Even when speaking of the abuses that were inflicted on her, she does so in a frank manner, without going into too many details while also acknowledging the significance of such events. While Chacaby’s co-author Plummer did the work of adapting Chacaby’s words into a written narrative, she “tried to use Ma-Nee’s original terminology and exact words as often as possible” with her “main goal [being] to write a first-person narrative in simple, clear and correct English that would be familiar to Ma-Nee herself” (217).
The afterword by Plummer, explains the process of writing A Two-Spirit Journey . She also places the book within the tradition of told-to memoirs, something I wasn’t familiar with before reading this book. Under the subheadings “Western social science and Indigenous knowledge-sharing”, “multiple authorship and voice”, and “Ma-Nee’s story within the broader literature”, Plummer explains the relationship between researchers and Indigenous persons, and the process of one person adapting another person’s words into a readable narrative. The afterward adds an important dimension to the book, opening it up beyond Chacaby’s own personal experiences.
Chacaby did not attend residential schools but had her own awful experiences while living at home. She acknowledges:
The Bottom Line: In this book, Chacaby shares an incredible story, giving voice to perspectives which are rarely heard. Plummer sums up the value of this book when she writes, “[Chacaby’s] rare, first-person perspective provides insight into how racism, homophobia, violence, substance abuse, and poverty have shaped Indigenous women’s experiences in Canada” (231).
The subtitle of this aptly describes its content. Born in 1950 in a tuberculosis sanatorium, Chacaby was raised in a remote Ojibwa-Cree community in Ontario by her extraordinary grandmother, who was estimated to have been born in the 1860s. The first chapter describes her grandmother’s and family history. Chacaby’s story then proceeds in chronological order, with the chapters divided by life stages. In telling her story, Chacaby has fulfilled a wish “to record her experiences and understanding for a broad audience” (215). Chacaby’s unique perspective as a “poor, recovering alcoholic, visually impaired, and lesbian Indigenous woman” (215) makes this a book well worth your time.
My favourite aspect of the book is Chacaby’s clear narrative voice. I felt like I was listening to a close friend sharing her story with me over coffee. Chacaby speaks with the wisdom of someone who has spent a lot of time reflecting on her experiences. She knows how to tell a story. Even when speaking of the abuses that were inflicted on her, she does so in a frank manner, without going into too many details while also acknowledging the significance of such events. While Chacaby’s co-author Plummer did the work of adapting Chacaby’s words into a written narrative, she “tried to use Ma-Nee’s original terminology and exact words as often as possible” with her “main goal [being] to write a first-person narrative in simple, clear and correct English that would be familiar to Ma-Nee herself” (217).
The afterword by Plummer, explains the process of writing A Two-Spirit Journey . She also places the book within the tradition of told-to memoirs, something I wasn’t familiar with before reading this book. Under the subheadings “Western social science and Indigenous knowledge-sharing”, “multiple authorship and voice”, and “Ma-Nee’s story within the broader literature”, Plummer explains the relationship between researchers and Indigenous persons, and the process of one person adapting another person’s words into a readable narrative. The afterward adds an important dimension to the book, opening it up beyond Chacaby’s own personal experiences.
Chacaby did not attend residential schools but had her own awful experiences while living at home. She acknowledges:
“I know that it was wrong for children to be taken away from their parents. I also understand that some of them experienced horrible abuse and neglect in residential schools. But it is hard for me to feel lucky. I experienced molestation and beatings in Ombabika, both before and after the other kids were taken away. So it is difficult for me to know whether it was better to stay, or to have been taken away.” (57)Although Chacaby endured many hardships throughout her youth, today, as an elder, she has learnt to find peace within herself. She acknowledges therapy, counselling, Anishinaabe spiritual practices, and painting all as positive methods that help her cope with difficult memories and difficult times. Chacaby’s story is ultimately one of “resilience and healing against great odds” (231).
The Bottom Line: In this book, Chacaby shares an incredible story, giving voice to perspectives which are rarely heard. Plummer sums up the value of this book when she writes, “[Chacaby’s] rare, first-person perspective provides insight into how racism, homophobia, violence, substance abuse, and poverty have shaped Indigenous women’s experiences in Canada” (231).
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Ma-Nee has a very matter-of-fact narration style, one that works well for her life story. She talks about horrifying, traumatic events and uplifting joy very clearly, in a way that the reader understands the horror but doesn't become overwhelmed by it. It was interesting to read about how much Anishinaabe life has changed over Ma-Nee's lifetime, and how dilligently she is working to preserve the traditions her grandmother had taught her. I'm very glad to have read this book and learned something about a life experience that is radically different from my own.
killianmgov's review against another edition
5.0
I feel so privileged to have read Ma-Nee Chacaby’s story and that she decided to share her life and story with us. I also greatly appreciated the afterword which helped provide greater context for her story.
More to come when I have been able to process a bit more.
Until then here’s an excerpt that is still on my mind about a trip to DC in 1989 that Ma-Nee took when she saw the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display: “Looking at the quilt, I also thought about the countless Anishinaabeg [Ojibwe term Ma-Nee uses for all Indigenous peoples] who died in smallpox and measles epidemics after Europeans colonized the Americas. I wondered what a quilt for them would look like.”
More to come when I have been able to process a bit more.
Until then here’s an excerpt that is still on my mind about a trip to DC in 1989 that Ma-Nee took when she saw the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display: “Looking at the quilt, I also thought about the countless Anishinaabeg [Ojibwe term Ma-Nee uses for all Indigenous peoples] who died in smallpox and measles epidemics after Europeans colonized the Americas. I wondered what a quilt for them would look like.”
marie_maude's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
thelesbianlibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
5.0