Scan barcode
nmcannon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I first heard of Ma-Nee Chacaby’s autobiography on Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian’s blog, when she featured it as a finalist for the 2016 Lambda Literary Awards. Since it’s a Canadian publication from a university press, I never expected to see it out in the wild. I suppose I should never doubt my local library! When I saw A Two-Spirit Journey on the shelf, I froze for a good second in shock before snatching it up.
Chronicling her life from childhood to ~2013, the autobiography isn’t light reading, but even the lowest of the low points are buoyed by Chacaby’s gentle, plain-speaking voice. She carries herself through truly harrowing experiences. Her indigenous lifeways are her lifeline. My heart bled and bloomed by turns. Once Chacaby reached adulthood, it was lovely to witness her happiness, though obviously recovery isn’t linear. What impressed me the most is how Chacaby, after escaping toxic situations, would dive right back in there to help others. Barely escaping with her kids from an extremely abusive marriage, she took on other people’s children via fostering and adoption. Working as a counselor returned her to the home insecure communities she was barely out of herself. For the historians in the crowd, I highly recommend A Two-Spirit Journey as a primary source for life in late 20thc. Canada, especially for people who share Chacaby’s identities.
In the back matter, Mary Louisa Plummer explains her methodology for the book. Her and Chacaby’s commitment to her voice and the stranger’s accessibility work together wonderfully. I felt honored to be able to listen to Chacaby’s story, like I was listening to a grandmother over tea. I want to read more autobiographies like Chacaby’s, and I’ve already had a promising start with Deborah A. Miranda’s Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir. Miranda’s experience sits comfortably side-by-side with Chacaby’s: the one informs the other. I also wish Chacaby a very pleasant All The Money. The shrinkage of social services over the course of the novel was awful. Despite how many lives she’d touched, despite how many people she’s helped, Chacaby lives on a pittance. But, importantly, she still lives.
Chacaby’s autobiography is very important reading for everyone, especially for anyone interested in learning about two-spirit indigenous lives. Chacaby and Plummer have given us a gift.
Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian’s blog post: https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/the-seven-canadian-and-indigenous-lambda-finalists-im-most-excited-about/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Grief, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Police brutality
Chacaby doesn't dwell on the horrible things that happened to her. She's very matter of fact. I would tag most of the content warnings as "Minor," but some occur with such frequency that I bumped them up to "Moderate" or "Graphic."mrsloudlibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
chaptersbydani's review against another edition
I want to come back for this. I just didn’t finish it before my library loan ended and I’m hitting a reading slump.
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Rape, Child death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Genocide, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Suicide
fastasashark's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know what to say, this was such a great book! When I read about or meet people like Ma-Nee Chacaby who have such an immense capacity for compassion and have such a rare gift for connecting with other people, I can't help but feel so much admiration and can't help but look up to them. This was such a great read on so many levels. Not sure how to do it full justice but I very much recommend this autobiography. It was also interesting to learn about the process of how it was retold and written in the afterword. For me this was definitely a book where I felt I learned a lot from hearing about another person's life experiences and the knowledge they have to pass on from those experiences, and it was also one that made me want to reflect on my own life.
disabledbookdragon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
thejuliebookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
5.0
At times harrowing and at times inspiring, A TWO-SPIRIT JOURNEY is a powerful recounting of the challenges, traumas, perseverance, and achievements of the life of a queer Indigenous elder and foremother.
This read is important though by no means easy. Chacaby’s story involves alcoholism and drug addiction, domestic violence, assaults of all types, homophobia, misogyny, anti-Indigenous racism, and other traumas. Though undeniably an academic text, it is written in a way that is accessible to a larger audience.
Chacaby recounts the abuse, the addiction, and the violence the plagued her childhood growing up in a remote Ojibwa community and that followed her throughout her life.
Her story is also one of persistence, determination, and overcoming great adversity. Chacaby is an activist, an artist, an elder. She was involved early on in the HIV/AIDS movement and was involved in the expansion of Alcoholics Anonymous to Indigenous communities.
This read is important though by no means easy. Chacaby’s story involves alcoholism and drug addiction, domestic violence, assaults of all types, homophobia, misogyny, anti-Indigenous racism, and other traumas. Though undeniably an academic text, it is written in a way that is accessible to a larger audience.
Chacaby recounts the abuse, the addiction, and the violence the plagued her childhood growing up in a remote Ojibwa community and that followed her throughout her life.
Her story is also one of persistence, determination, and overcoming great adversity. Chacaby is an activist, an artist, an elder. She was involved early on in the HIV/AIDS movement and was involved in the expansion of Alcoholics Anonymous to Indigenous communities.
becomingmari's review against another edition
4.0
Really good. Some really painful, hard to read parts, but a very well done job on an autobiographical memoir. I kind of wish there was more nuance or sharing of Two Spirit meaning and language - the latter part of the book felt very gendered to me? - but I'm not sure if that comes from translation and/or Ma-Nee's own viewpoint / experience. I still really enjoyed it.