A review by alertnerd
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Jonny Appleseed tells the story of Jonny, a Two-Spirit, Oji-Cree cybersex worker as he attempts to earn enough money to return to the reservation for his step-father’s funeral. Leading up to his return to the rez, Jonny takes us on a journey recounting stories of the women who raised him, the men he fetishizes himself for, and his first love.

I don’t even know where to start with this one. It is equal parts heartbreaking, uplifting, romantic, and emotional. Joshua Whitehead describes Jonny’s traumatic events, sweet moments with his kokum, his complicated relationship with his first love, Tias, almost in a stream of consciousness style. It really feels like we’re reading Jonny’s journal and he’s sharing memories as they come to him. This makes everything feel very real and like Jonny’s not just a character in a book.

The story is nonlinear which can make it a little confusing at times, but this just adds to the richness of the story. I believe if this story was written in chronological order, it wouldn’t have been as compelling.

This is the first book I’ve read by Joshua Whitehead and I’m looking forward to reading more in the future.