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Jess861
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Saul is such a strong character. I don't think many would make it through what he goes through at such a young age and then all through childhood. To have such focus on a sport while he is being abused and his culture and way of life have been completely ripped away from him shows a strong will to survive.

Thoughts on Saul?

Pictured is a Birch Bark Canoe - one of the main forms of transportation for the Ojibwe.

Ruthiella My heart broke for him. I did like, however how the book opens with him already on a healing journey because reading the rest and not knowing if he‘d make it through would have been tough. now
Jess861 @Ruthiella I agree. I also like how Wagamese subtly hinted at the abuse but didn't confirm it until closer to the end. It really made you think again at the end of the book about everything he'd been through. now
Jess861 Birch was critical to the Ojibwe lifestyle. It is interesting to read about if you are interested. Another interesting fact is that Birch Bark Canoes were a great transportation form for the inland waterways. It is thought that the Europeans would not have been able to discover and explore much of the land without this type of transportation. The boats they had weren't made for inland waterways. now
3 likes4 comments
blurb
Jess861
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Another major part of the book is hockey. Saul manages to find an escape through hockey although it only masks the suffering he is going through. It isn't until much later in life that he digs deep into that past so that he can truly heal.

Thoughts on the hockey portion of the book? Did you know this book was originally only supposed to be about hockey?

Ruthiella I have to say, as beautiful as the writing was, it lost me with hockey ! 😂 I‘m not a sports person at all. now
Jess861 I enjoyed the hockey portion of the book as I find Wagamese can write about anything and it's still magical. I think a bit less hockey would have been ok with me though.

The fact that Saul finds an escape through hockey and then manages to bottle away his abuses for years is quite something. Sad that he didn't realize he was using hockey for something else as he did seem to love the sport.
now
Jess861 @Ruthiella I agree, a bit less hockey would have been ok with me! now
3 likes4 comments
blurb
Jess861
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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A Residential School is a big part of this book. Saul is sent to one after losing both his siblings to them, his parents to grief and his grandmother to the cold. Due to his hard work and skills in hockey he manages to find a way out but not until he has suffered from many abuses. This will require him to take his own healing journey.

Thoughts on Residential Schools and/or that aspect of the book? Crazy that 1996 was when the last one was closed!

Ruthiella Crazy that they closed so late and yet, not. They still exist in the US though attendance is not compulsory as far as I know. now
Jess861 I can't even begin to imagine having my kids ripped away from me and never seeing them again. These were babies! I also feel that this portion of the book shows exactly what happens when the Church is put in charge of schools. Absolutely disgusting! now
Jess861 @Ruthiella Really? I'm surprised they still exist at all. That is sad. now
3 likes4 comments
blurb
Jess861
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Constantly moving to try and keep your kids from being kidnapped - all while trying to preserve your culture, faith and beliefs. Multiple generations damaged by stealing and abusing kids, trying to destroy an entire peoples and pushing them to live on a Reserve. Many battling addictions due to their suffering.

These are all topics throughout the book - general thoughts on the book?

Ruthiella Books like this are important because they show that genocide is not only extermination camps but also an accretion of unfair policies and actions taken by those in power. now
Jess861 This books is such an important book for Canadian history. What happened and in my opinion continues to happen is absolutely disgusting. I can't even begin to imagine as to what it feels like to have entire generations destroyed by such horrendous actions. Every country seems to have a story like this - just enacted in different ways. May we learn to be better people from this book! now
Jess861 @Ruthiella - That is such a great way to put it. This comment is so accurate. Canada has a dark history that is hidden behind policies and red tape. Sadly, it still goes on today and I can only see it getting worse with the current political climate. now
Jess861 Pictured is an Ojibwe Spirit Horse - they are endangered and Canada's only Indigenous horse breed. now
3 likes5 comments
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bookandbedandtea
These Silent Woods: A Novel | Kimi Cunningham Grant
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February was a pretty good reading month. My favorite is tagged.

BarbaraBB I loved that one too. 3h
16 likes1 comment
review
Mattsbookaday
A Minor Chorus: A Novel | Billy-Ray Belcourt
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Pickpick

A Minor Chorus, by Billy-Ray Belcourt (2022 🇨🇦)

Premise: An Indigenous graduate student, jaded by the institutional game and the broader lack of effective action on Indigenous Reconciliation in Canada, returns to his home community to find the voice for the novel he knows he has within him.

Review: This is incredibly well-done and is thought-provoking in all the best, most challenging ways. Cont.

Mattsbookaday Yet it felt like a piece of sociology or political sci with a thin veneer of story thrown on top. That said, this offers a needed perspective I fear many Canadians are unable or unwilling to take to heart in these times of backlash.

Bookish Pair: Conor Kerr‘s Prairie Edge (2024 🇨🇦)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🧡 Indigenous Fiction

🇨🇦 Canadian Society

🌈 Queer Fiction

Medium: Audio
10h
1 comment
review
vlwelser
Fire Exit | Morgan Talty
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Pickpick

This author is interesting. He tells a good story. His text is non-linear. The subjects are not cheerful. I recommend it anyway.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I also had an #ARC from #Netgalley 😂 oops.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 6h
28 likes1 comment
review
Jas16
These Silent Woods: A Novel | Kimi Cunningham Grant
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Pickpick

I needed something completely different from my last reads and this book about a father and daughter living off the grid due to events in his past jumped out at me. After 8 years in the woods strangers cross their paths and their precarious world is threatened. I found this so engrossing as you learn what drove Cooper to choose such an isolated life and see Finch become more curious about what she is missing. A good distraction and a solid story.

AmyG I watch this show on HGTV…House Hunters. But the people look for homes in the most remote areas. I am fascinated why people want to live that way. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 3d
Jas16 @AmyG There are days where I would be pretty tempted… but I would last maybe a long weekend. 3d
KadaGul @Jas16 I want to be within walking 👣 distance of everything but still be a remote area 🤣🤣. 3d
Jas16 @KadaGul I can see that. I have to live somewhere walkable. 3d
Tamra I really enjoyed this one - intense! 3d
54 likes5 comments
review
Jess861
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

This book is just as good as a reread. Wagamese is masterful when it comes to writing - you are truly transported into the time and place of the book. He even makes hockey sound magical. I could have done with a little bit less hockey - but that's not a big deal. Truly terrible that any of this was allowed to happen but I'm so glad he wrote about it as it is important to remember and know this part of history.

#DoubleBookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2d
45 likes1 comment
review
CarolynM
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

What an extraordinary book! The outrage of the treatment meted out to indigenous people in the mid C20th is all the more affecting because it is depicted in such a matter-of-fact way. There are direct parallels with Australia. In contrast, the hockey scenes are sublime. I can‘t imagine such transporting writing about Aussie Rules 🤣 I‘m glad I‘m sufficiently hockey literate to be able to appreciate it. Looking forward to the discussion. #OhCanada

thecheckoutstack Ohhh this seems right up my alley, I just got into hockey this year with the Four Nations tournament! 4d
TreenaReads My favourite author! 4d
Jess861 So glad you enjoyed it! Can't wait to discuss! 4d
64 likes2 stack adds3 comments