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A review by readrunsea
Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age by Darrel J. McLeod
4.0
I received an ARC from Milkweed Editions in exchange for an honest review; opinions are my own.
CW for sexual, emotional, physical abuse, suicide, alcoholism.
This book is truly a life story; narrated in first person by the author, the story is told from his perspective, but includes so many other characters who are deeply rendered with care and empathy. The other principle characters are McLeod’s mother, Bertha, and some of his siblings, including his sister Debbie and sibling Greggie (who was AMAB and later came out as a trans woman, changing her name to Trina).
The book starts out with an account of Bertha’s time in, and dramatic escape from, a Canadian residential school along with her sisters and cousins. This is an important setup, as it immediately establishes the theme of the ingrained, pervasive, and evil legacy and trauma of colonialism and white supremacy inflicted on Indigenous people of North America. McLeod writes about Catholicism throughout, first finding meaning in it, then rejecting it as white brainwashing, erasing Indigenous cultures through fearmongering, forced loss of language, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. This itself is very powerful, but it’s far from the only pillar of this story.
As he grows from a curious, loyal, and happy child in rural Alberta hearing stories from his grandfather and loving the outdoors, McLeod’s life blooms and withers in turns. As Bertha sinks deeper into alcoholism and McLeod, as well as many of his siblings and family members, endure sexual, emotional, and violent abuse, the family fractures in a lot of ways. McLeod drifts in and out of close contact with different characters, and meanwhile explores/struggles with his own sexuality and the gender transition of both his sibling and his cousin. He writes poignantly about how whiteness and Catholicism specifically drastically (negatively) changed how gender nonconforming, trans, and sexually fluid people are viewed and treated in Indigenous communities, even within the span of a single generation.
So much happens in this story, so I highly recommend reading it for that reason alone- for a story of life’s complexity and messiness and broad mosaic of realities. There were times I felt lost on time, which was a bit confusing, but overall I found it very compelling and well written. My favorite part was how symbolic and pervasive different birds were in the text, but that’s just one thing of many. I definitely recommend this book; it’s a great Pride month read (even though pride is every month).
CW for sexual, emotional, physical abuse, suicide, alcoholism.
This book is truly a life story; narrated in first person by the author, the story is told from his perspective, but includes so many other characters who are deeply rendered with care and empathy. The other principle characters are McLeod’s mother, Bertha, and some of his siblings, including his sister Debbie and sibling Greggie (who was AMAB and later came out as a trans woman, changing her name to Trina).
The book starts out with an account of Bertha’s time in, and dramatic escape from, a Canadian residential school along with her sisters and cousins. This is an important setup, as it immediately establishes the theme of the ingrained, pervasive, and evil legacy and trauma of colonialism and white supremacy inflicted on Indigenous people of North America. McLeod writes about Catholicism throughout, first finding meaning in it, then rejecting it as white brainwashing, erasing Indigenous cultures through fearmongering, forced loss of language, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. This itself is very powerful, but it’s far from the only pillar of this story.
As he grows from a curious, loyal, and happy child in rural Alberta hearing stories from his grandfather and loving the outdoors, McLeod’s life blooms and withers in turns. As Bertha sinks deeper into alcoholism and McLeod, as well as many of his siblings and family members, endure sexual, emotional, and violent abuse, the family fractures in a lot of ways. McLeod drifts in and out of close contact with different characters, and meanwhile explores/struggles with his own sexuality and the gender transition of both his sibling and his cousin. He writes poignantly about how whiteness and Catholicism specifically drastically (negatively) changed how gender nonconforming, trans, and sexually fluid people are viewed and treated in Indigenous communities, even within the span of a single generation.
So much happens in this story, so I highly recommend reading it for that reason alone- for a story of life’s complexity and messiness and broad mosaic of realities. There were times I felt lost on time, which was a bit confusing, but overall I found it very compelling and well written. My favorite part was how symbolic and pervasive different birds were in the text, but that’s just one thing of many. I definitely recommend this book; it’s a great Pride month read (even though pride is every month).