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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I took this book out from my library's newly launched Indigineous Collection and couldn't put it down from the moment I arrived home until I went to bed at 2 o'clock in the morning. Dumont describes living in reserves with humor, honesty, and affection. Her light hearted tone is well equipped to not only make these stories relatable to a readership with limited experience of her subject matter, but also to deal with some pretty difficult situations not yet fully understood by her young narrator. On top of this, similar to other reviewers, I found myself laughing outloud at several parts. I'd describe them, but I think any interested readers should pick this up and experience these moments first hand.
5/5
5/5
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it, and could easily have kept reading for another couple hundred pages. Very funny, especially the title story. This kind of format also really works for me -- a series of short stories about the same set of characters, not organized chronologically. As the reader, you get snapshots into their lives rather than a whole comprehensive narrative plotted out. Highly recommend!
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
sad
fast-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:
No
funny
reflective
An often funny and occasionally serious collection of interconnected slice-of-life stories about growing up on a First Nations Reserve in Saskatchewan. For the David Sedaris fans.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I loved this short story collection! They are interconnected, and I absolutely loved the narrator Dawn. I loved watching her grow up and her stories about her large and often wild Native, Canadian family. Her inner voice was very funny. I appreciated the author’s addressing issues of being on a reserve and in a white world at times, but it was overall very coming of age and enjoyable.
Nobody Cries at Bingo attracted me because it meets my standard criteria of "Random Library Finds": it has a cool cover, it is Canadian, it is autobiographical, it features Indigenous themes.
I feel that Dawn Dumont is maybe the Canadian [a:Sherman Alexie|4174|Sherman Alexie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333515890p2/4174.jpg] in that they both use humour to portray seemingly difficult/harsh life situations of a specific (Indigenous) minority group. This I like because it is a wonderful reprieve and change of perspective from the traditionally dramatic and heartbreaking representations of First Nations reserve life.
Nobody Cries at Bingo is essentially a collection of short stories/anecdotes from Dumont's life growing up in rural Saskatchewan. Through humour, she details life on the reserve largely from the perspective of her childhood. Once one reaches the older ages of young Dawn (teenage plus) Dumont discusses the affects of colonialism in a more blatant way. She really started to lose me, however, because of the lack of editing that occurred during the Wedding chapter. The editor did not catch the discrepancies in ages and other minor details which really threw me for a loop.
After awhile, as much as I enjoyed her stories, I did become a bit bored at the fact that there was no grand, overarching subplot. I think that this is just me, however, and should not be used as an active argument for people to not read the book. It's just not what I was ~feeling~ at the moment, that's all.
3/5 - would recommend for a nice, light, summer read.
I feel that Dawn Dumont is maybe the Canadian [a:Sherman Alexie|4174|Sherman Alexie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333515890p2/4174.jpg] in that they both use humour to portray seemingly difficult/harsh life situations of a specific (Indigenous) minority group. This I like because it is a wonderful reprieve and change of perspective from the traditionally dramatic and heartbreaking representations of First Nations reserve life.
Nobody Cries at Bingo is essentially a collection of short stories/anecdotes from Dumont's life growing up in rural Saskatchewan. Through humour, she details life on the reserve largely from the perspective of her childhood. Once one reaches the older ages of young Dawn (teenage plus) Dumont discusses the affects of colonialism in a more blatant way. She really started to lose me, however, because of the lack of editing that occurred during the Wedding chapter. The editor did not catch the discrepancies in ages and other minor details which really threw me for a loop.
After awhile, as much as I enjoyed her stories, I did become a bit bored at the fact that there was no grand, overarching subplot. I think that this is just me, however, and should not be used as an active argument for people to not read the book. It's just not what I was ~feeling~ at the moment, that's all.
3/5 - would recommend for a nice, light, summer read.
I previewed this book because I was considering using it with one of my academic upgrading classes (the Grade 10 equivalent). After preview, I definitely will use it—if not the whole book, then at least parts of it. This is basically the memoir of Dawn Dumont, an Indigenous woman who grew up on a reserve in Saskatchewan in the 1970s and 1980s. We learn about her and her family, and their relationships with each other, with the other people on the reserve, and with the non-Indigenous people in the surrounding area. A lot of this book is really funny, and at the same time it is poignant. This is less of a novel-like memoir and more like a series of linked stories. My main issue with it is the very abrupt way it ends; I would have liked to know more about what happens to Dawn and her family after she grows up and goes to law school. But perhaps that is another book; this one is mostly about her childhood. She tells hilarious stories about her own foibles and those of her siblings and parents, but also examines the anti-Indigenous racism that permeates her public school experience. Dumont has a strong voice and a good ear for amusing dialogue.
Read this one for our first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and really enjoyed it. It was a collection of stories about growing up on a reservation in Saskatchewan through the eyes of a young pre-teen to older teenaged girl. Dawn Dumont is definitely on my radar now and I will keep my eyes open for shows and podcasts featuring her.
Loved this book of short stories!!!! So many moments that made me snort out loud. Great narration and perspective.