Status
Available
Call number
Call number
FIC MOS c.2
Collection
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML: Two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless to change their fortunes, they are separated, and each put into different foster homes. Yet over the years, the bond between them grows. As they each make their way in a society that is, at times, indifferent, hostile, and violent, one embraces her M�tis identity, while the other tries to leave it behind. In the end, out of tragedy, comes an unexpected legacy of triumph and reclamation. Bespeak Audio Editions brings Canadian voices to the world with audiobook editions of some of the country's greatest works of literature, performed by Canadian actors..
Genres
Publication
HighWater Press (2016), Edition: Reissue, 256 pages
Original language
English
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member aimelire
One of my favorite books. It personalises the problem of problems within the aboriginal and métis cultures.
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I thought this was a powerful book and a very good choice for the reading challenge. It is written in quite a simple style so it is easy to read but the issues are complex and important. April Raintree and her sister Cheryl were removed from their parents by Children's Aid Society. The girls were
The foster home system was one theme that was explored fully. I found it very realistic and this realism was explained when I read at the end of the book that the author grew up in foster homes. I was glad to read that her experiences with foster homes were mainly positive but I know that many children were placed in less positive homes.
The problems of urban natives was also very thoroughly explored. I'm afraid that not much has changed on that front since this book was written. One thing that has changed in my observation is how many people are proud to say they are Metis. At work a few years ago I was in a training session where everyone was asked to introduce themselves and say something about their ancestral background. In a room of about 30 people at least 5 mentioned that they had some Metis heritage and they were proud of it. Maybe the vision Louis Riel had all those years ago is finally coming to fruition.
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put into separate foster homes. They are Metis but April looks white and always looked down on natives. Cheryl, on the other hand, looked Indian and was very proud of being Metis. The book follows April and Cheryl as they grow up. The foster home system was one theme that was explored fully. I found it very realistic and this realism was explained when I read at the end of the book that the author grew up in foster homes. I was glad to read that her experiences with foster homes were mainly positive but I know that many children were placed in less positive homes.
The problems of urban natives was also very thoroughly explored. I'm afraid that not much has changed on that front since this book was written. One thing that has changed in my observation is how many people are proud to say they are Metis. At work a few years ago I was in a training session where everyone was asked to introduce themselves and say something about their ancestral background. In a room of about 30 people at least 5 mentioned that they had some Metis heritage and they were proud of it. Maybe the vision Louis Riel had all those years ago is finally coming to fruition.
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LibraryThing member Dreesie
I downloaded this book on Hoopla simply because it was fiction read by Michaela Washburn. I really enjoyed her reading of [book:The Break|29220494].
It turns out that this book is from 1983, and is very well known in Canada--I am in the US and had never heard of it. Even though this book reads at a
This novel follows two Metis sisters, April and Cheryl Raintree, from their early childhood with their parents, through being split up and put into different foster homes (good and bad, 1 Metis), family meetings with their parents, schools, and then their experiences as young adults. These different experiences--and their different ages, Cheryl being younger has fewer memories of their parents than April--lead them to very different attitudes. April can pass as white if she chooses, and is ashamed of her Metis heritage. Cheryl could never pass as white and embraces her Metis heritage and plans to be a social worker. Both attitudes fail them as adults; just as April struggles to appreciate her culture, Cheryl cannot accept the problems her people have.
Mosionier is herself Metis and grew up in foster care. I wonder if any of the foster families depicted represent ones she lived with? How is this book viewed in the Metis community today, almost 40 years after it was first written?
Lots of trigger warnings on this one (the unedited version).
It turns out that this book is from 1983, and is very well known in Canada--I am in the US and had never heard of it. Even though this book reads at a
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very YA level, the content is very much adult--and there is an edited YA version.This novel follows two Metis sisters, April and Cheryl Raintree, from their early childhood with their parents, through being split up and put into different foster homes (good and bad, 1 Metis), family meetings with their parents, schools, and then their experiences as young adults. These different experiences--and their different ages, Cheryl being younger has fewer memories of their parents than April--lead them to very different attitudes. April can pass as white if she chooses, and is ashamed of her Metis heritage. Cheryl could never pass as white and embraces her Metis heritage and plans to be a social worker. Both attitudes fail them as adults; just as April struggles to appreciate her culture, Cheryl cannot accept the problems her people have.
Mosionier is herself Metis and grew up in foster care. I wonder if any of the foster families depicted represent ones she lived with? How is this book viewed in the Metis community today, almost 40 years after it was first written?
Lots of trigger warnings on this one (the unedited version).
Show Less
ISBN
1553796608 / 9781553796602