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Probably Ruby
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
7 posts | 7 read | 6 to read
For readers of Tommy Orange's There There and Terese Marie Mailhot's Heart Berries, Probably Ruby is an audacious, brave and beautiful book about an adopted woman's search for her Indigenous identity. Relinquished as an infant, Ruby is placed in a foster home and finally adopted by Alice and Mel, a less-than-desirable couple who can't afford to complain too loudly about Ruby's Indigenous roots. But when her new parents' marriage falls apart, Ruby finds herself vulnerable and in compromising situations that lead her to search, in the unlikeliest of places, for her Indigenous identity. Unabashedly self-destructing on alcohol, drugs and bad relationships, Ruby grapples with the meaning of the legacy left to her. In a series of expanding narratives, Ruby and the people connected to her tell their stories and help flesh out Ruby's history. Seeking understanding of how we come to know who we are, Probably Ruby explores how we find and invent ourselves in ways as peculiar and varied as the experiences of Indigenous adoptees themselves. Ruby's voice, her devastating honesty and tremendous laugh, will not soon be forgotten. Probably Ruby is a perfectly crafted novel, with effortless, nearly imperceptible shifts in time and perspective, exquisitely chosen detail, natural dialogue and emotional control that results in breathtaking levels of tension and points of revelation.
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Itchyfeetreader
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
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Pickpick

Told in non chronological order this is a story of a indigenous woman adopted at birth by white parents. Each chapter focuses on part of her story from someone else‘s perspective meaning it‘s at times a bit disjointed. Despite that I really enjoyed and found her story heartbreaking

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Kshakal
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
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Eggs Perfect 🤩 1y
33 likes1 comment
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Jolynne
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
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Pickpick

The story of a girl in which society failed in every possible way. The chapter of her birth was exceptionally heartbreaking.

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Kazzie
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
Pickpick

Great story! Told as a series of vignettes with significant people/relationships in her life, Ruby is a lovely complicated character

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Lindy
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
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Bailedbailed

Neither writing style nor audiobook narration pleased me. Dakota Ray Herbert may be a fine actor (haven‘t seen anything she was in) but she should have been told to avoid singsong chirpy voice inflections, especially in a gritty & raunchy story for adults. Lisa Bird-Wilson buries her characters in similes (betrayal sat behind his eyes like dull warm pudding) & I knew that switching to print wouldn‘t help much. 3 hours was enough. #Indigenous

31 likes1 comment
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Lindy
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
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#audiocrafting (tesuji shibori in progress)

PhyllisH I‘m looking forward to the results.😀 3y
Lindy @PhyllisH Almost there… I will tag you. 😊 3y
PhyllisH @Lindy 👍🏻😊 3y
29 likes1 stack add3 comments
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shawnmooney
Probably Ruby | Lisa Bird-Wilson
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Lindy I enjoyed your commentary on the covers, Shawn. Interesting that at least 2 of the ones you showed are very different from the Canadian editions: that of Fight Night and All‘s Well. 3y
24 likes1 stack add1 comment