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percys_panda_pillow_pet 's review for:
Julie of the Wolves
by Jean Craighead George
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is a book from my childhood that I greatly enjoyed, in addition to its sequels. I have many fond memories of it, and the book did seem to hold up to them. George's writing is beautiful and simple. I was engrossed once more from page one of Julie's story. I can definitely understand why it won the Newbery Medal. I don't regret buying these used to keep on my shelves as when I had originally read the series it was through the library.
However, as much as I was engaged in the story and its various twists of fate, I did notice some misinformation throughout. Some could be chalked up to outdated knowledge, like the idea of alphas, as George got her information from observing National Park wolf packs, and we now know that the hierarchy we see in somewhat captive wolves is probably fabricated from their captivity and not what real wild wolf packs are like. I also noticed, of course, some issues with suspension of disbelief, like Julie fighting off a wolverine, one of the most violent predators out there.
In my bid to be better as a white person consuming a book written by a white woman about "Inupiaq" culture, I did some research. As a child, it never would've occurred to me that the information within this book was inaccurate because I was a child and white. My privilege allowed me to overlook things that I didn't even have to worry about or even understand properly. I am glad I am now at an age where I am able to do research and make informed opinions about media such as this.
What I found was a site called American Indians in Children's Literature, which was founded to provide "critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books." There it was stated that Julie of the Wolves was not recommended and cited the review of Martha Stackhouse who is Inupiaq herself. I highly recommend reading through it as it is very to the point of what she found wrong within the book (I will link it below, as well as the previous site). Summed up, George not only misinforms the reader of Inupiaq culture but also makes up facts that have scientific basis on why she is wrong.
Finally, I just want to say, I think if you believe that you can consume books critically like this, then reading this should be no issue for you. I still greatly enjoyed the novel, keeping my fond memories, at the same time as acknowledging its flaws.
I will read Julie's Wolf Pack as soon as I acquire the second book, Julie, and will review those as well hopefully.
Notes: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2020/04/not-recommended-julie-of-wolves-by-jean.html
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/iks/hail/JulieWolves.html
However, as much as I was engaged in the story and its various twists of fate, I did notice some misinformation throughout. Some could be chalked up to outdated knowledge, like the idea of alphas, as George got her information from observing National Park wolf packs, and we now know that the hierarchy we see in somewhat captive wolves is probably fabricated from their captivity and not what real wild wolf packs are like. I also noticed, of course, some issues with suspension of disbelief, like Julie fighting off a wolverine, one of the most violent predators out there.
In my bid to be better as a white person consuming a book written by a white woman about "Inupiaq" culture, I did some research. As a child, it never would've occurred to me that the information within this book was inaccurate because I was a child and white. My privilege allowed me to overlook things that I didn't even have to worry about or even understand properly. I am glad I am now at an age where I am able to do research and make informed opinions about media such as this.
What I found was a site called American Indians in Children's Literature, which was founded to provide "critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books." There it was stated that Julie of the Wolves was not recommended and cited the review of Martha Stackhouse who is Inupiaq herself. I highly recommend reading through it as it is very to the point of what she found wrong within the book (I will link it below, as well as the previous site). Summed up, George not only misinforms the reader of Inupiaq culture but also makes up facts that have scientific basis on why she is wrong.
Finally, I just want to say, I think if you believe that you can consume books critically like this, then reading this should be no issue for you. I still greatly enjoyed the novel, keeping my fond memories, at the same time as acknowledging its flaws.
I will read Julie's Wolf Pack as soon as I acquire the second book, Julie, and will review those as well hopefully.
Notes: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2020/04/not-recommended-julie-of-wolves-by-jean.html
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/iks/hail/JulieWolves.html