Book # 8: Where the Rivers Meet by Don Sawyer (this book is published by Pemmican Publication, a company committed to the promotion of Metis culture and heritage)
Nancy Antoine is a Shuswap Indian high school senior determined to escape the bleakness and chaos of the small British Columbia town she lives in. 'And she sees the school as her way out, no matter what she has to endure.
But Nancy's resolve falters as tragedy adds to her confusion and anger. In desperation she turns to the traditions of her people, and with the love and patience of an elder she begins to prepare for the spirit quest -- her people's ancient ritual of self-discovery.
But will she be able to endure the rigors of this test? And if she does, can she find the strength and wisdom to fight the forces devastating her people?
This award-winning novel combines compelling glimpses into the plight of contemporary Aboriginal young people with the adventure of self-exploration, in a story of hope and discovery.
Chosen as one of CBC's YA books of the year, reviewer Kathy Lowinger commented, "This is a very powerful book...Pemmican brings the Native reality beautifully to the rest of Canada, and I think this is the most powerful book they have done. Really well worth the read."
This book was a very hard book to read, but it is so well worth the time.
The one thing that bugs me the most is that I have no clear indication when this story takes place. I strongly feel that it does not take place during the time it was published (2010), the most obvious fact being that the term Indian is used, which is something I NEVER hear, and have not for a very long time. But then, I'm in Eastern Ontario, not British Columbia.
The first thing I noticed while reading this novel is that Nancy, our heroine, is very angry with the world around her. This includes where she lives, and the people she encounters. And I mean everyone. There is the warranted hatred of the white people, but she also casts negative opinions on her own people, and had negative comments about both the KIND white people and the native's that conformed and did the best to succeed. Every teacher had a negative description except one (who happens to be Asian). She judges her boyfriend, her father, her friends. Everyone. She's simply put, a very angry girl.
But as you continue to read, her story progresses. She goes on a life changing adventure, and the author does a very good job of describing her thought process throughout it all. When her adventure is complete, the descriptions of the people around her have ultimately changed. What she had endured had taught her to stop being so angry at the world. It taught her to want to change it to make it better.
Behind the ultimate story of racism within our communities against Native Americans - which, let's face it, STILL goes on today, all the time - is an underlying message that plenty of people, of all races, can understand, right here in Canada. The problem that Nancy sets out to fix is not one based on race any longer. It is one based on bringing our children down, forcing all of them to conform, and to force them to learn in a setting that is suffocating rather than uplifting.
Her ultimate showdown is something I see my friends talk about ALL the time. That our school system isn't teaching children how they need to be taught. And it's so totally true.
Like I said, this is an extremely hard read, but it is really well written, the messages (all of them) are super important, and it is worth the effort put into it. I recommend this to people who are willing to try to understand what life is like for the minority.
