Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Zia by Scott O'Dell

2 reviews

michaelion's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I think my opinion of this book is a little swayed by the actual story of the woman renamed Juana Maria, and the appropriation of her and other Native stories by white authors, and on top of that being a Californian who's ancestors are not indigenous to this (Californian) land. This book and the previous are very sweet, and even more so somber. In my non-Native opinion the subject matter was handled decently, but only in the sense that the author didn't do a full "There's two sides to every story!" as some of the depictions in this book about the Natives, the missions, and the Anglo settlers were a little more accurate than a white author would typically write. (

Sidenote: why were the missionary gringos and the Anglo gringos calling each other gringos as if they weren't milked from the same European cow? 😭

) 

Honestly the main reason I read these books was because I didn't have the typical elementary upbringing as most California kids, so I was curious. This book shocked me for how direct it was explaining some of California's history. For many kids I'm sure this is the most they'll ever learn about post-Mexico pre-statehood, but even still it shocked me that this is in some kid's curriculum.

I don't have any more notes. Very good kids book. Pretty good book overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Xenophobia, and Confinement

Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Abandonment

I tag drug use and drug abuse because Gito drugs the priest during the party to get them to sleep longer and they "wake up with a headache".

wolfiegrrrl's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This sequel to Island of the Blue Dolphins is a sad glimpse into what living at the Santa Barbara mission would have been like. Scott O'Dell does a good job of making it clear how each character feels about their situation and why; and even though the story is told through the lens of an opinionated young teen, his writing allows the readers to pick at a deeper truth behind the words so as to not sway anyone to one side of a multi-faceted issue. The way the characters interact with each other is telling enough and it certainly provides a lot to think about.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Grief, Racism, Colonisation, and Confinement

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Violence, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail