Author Origin: Metis/Anishnaabe, based out of Toronto
Page Count: 231
Genre: Fiction
Difficulty: medium
Grade Level: 10+
Key Talking Points: indigenous culture, indigenous history, colonialism, the environment, memory and it's role in history/culture
Sensitive Subject Matter: sexual assault, murder, violence, death/tragic loss
Summary: In the not too distant future of our world, after we've laid waste to our natural resources and polluted our planet and our bodies with disease, and after we've exhausted our energy warring with each other over it, the Caucasian population of the planet forgets how to dream. When it's discovered that indigenous people are still whisked to other worlds at night in their sleep, they become a valuable commodity. Rather than trying to learn why these people are different, society returns to the horrors of the residential school system to capture and hold the indigenous, young and old, and harvest the dreams from their very bones. Mass murder for a profitable ware. Test tubes filled with dreams, sold to the highest bidder.
The story follows Francis, nicknamed French, as he's on the run from the school recruiters, the new breed of boogie-men that materialize out of no where, blowing whistles of alarm, with big white trucks to haul any indigenous person away that they find. French and his rag-tag family are heading to a mystical North where they hope they will be able to live as a community once again, free from fear. Along the way, they face threats in many forms, not the least of which is the unforgiving wilderness of this post apocalyptic planet. Each member of the group has memories and loss that they are running from, but there will come a point where they will be forced to decide whether to continue to run, or to resist.
*
Normally, a book with such a compelling concept at the core would be very plot driven. However, I found this text a lot more about the characters and the everyday sort of relationships and activities involved in life in a little community. Big things definitely do happen, but they come and go, and the main thing you remember is how the characters dealt with the emotional fall out of what happened.
Teacher Note: This book is an extremely accessible entry into the topics of colonialism and the historical abuse of indigenous people in Canada. Even though the non-indigenous are the villains of the story, the depiction of their flawed logic and horrific actions is so roundly developed that it does not alienate a non-indigenous reader. This is important, especially for young readers, to allow space for discussion.
The protagonist, French, goes through a lot of character growth and he struggles with self-awareness surrounding his actions. The way he describes many of his more complex emotions is not only endearing to an adult reader, it would also make him very relatable to a young reader, specifically male. One reason why he's so relatable is through his narration. The language in this text is fresh and creative, with turns of phrase that make you wish you'd thought of them yourself. I often found that the way an emotion was described made me smile because it is just so perfect to how it actually feels to experience. As a narrator, French is young but with maturity, hopeful but not naive. He is still a sixteen year old boy, only trapped in a world that needs him to grow up fast to stay alive.
Language itself is also a cornerstone of the text, as French and the other indigenous youth in the group savor each morsel of their native tongue they can scavenge from the elders among them. This is a stark reminder of the deep wounds of the residential school system, but once again is hopeful as they try and rebuild what was taken from them with such joy.
Final Thought: Normally, when I see a book with so many awards and recognitions on the cover, I think "this better be good." And sometimes, even as an experienced reader with a love for literature, I am turning pages wondering what the heck the big deal is. As for this book, I'd heard a lot of talk about it, a lot of hype, and, based on some of my previous reading relating to indigenous people and their history, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was it going to be serious? Was it going to be heavy? Break my heart? Bring me down? But instead, as I cracked the cover I found a beautifully hopeful voice telling a story that did break my heart, but also made me smile and laugh and not want to put it down. It made me want to do better, to be better, and to help my students also learn from the mistakes of our past and present. There is so much potential in our planet and our society here in Canada, and this book is a strong reminder of what paths we don't want to take, while also showing us, in clear and resounding tones, the reasons why.
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
Summary: In the not too distant future of our world, after we've laid waste to our natural resources and polluted our planet and our bodies with disease, and after we've exhausted our energy warring with each other over it, the Caucasian population of the planet forgets how to dream. When it's discovered that indigenous people are still whisked to other worlds at night in their sleep, they become a valuable commodity. Rather than trying to learn why these people are different, society returns to the horrors of the residential school system to capture and hold the indigenous, young and old, and harvest the dreams from their very bones. Mass murder for a profitable ware. Test tubes filled with dreams, sold to the highest bidder.
The story follows Francis, nicknamed French, as he's on the run from the school recruiters, the new breed of boogie-men that materialize out of no where, blowing whistles of alarm, with big white trucks to haul any indigenous person away that they find. French and his rag-tag family are heading to a mystical North where they hope they will be able to live as a community once again, free from fear. Along the way, they face threats in many forms, not the least of which is the unforgiving wilderness of this post apocalyptic planet. Each member of the group has memories and loss that they are running from, but there will come a point where they will be forced to decide whether to continue to run, or to resist.
*
Normally, a book with such a compelling concept at the core would be very plot driven. However, I found this text a lot more about the characters and the everyday sort of relationships and activities involved in life in a little community. Big things definitely do happen, but they come and go, and the main thing you remember is how the characters dealt with the emotional fall out of what happened.
Teacher Note: This book is an extremely accessible entry into the topics of colonialism and the historical abuse of indigenous people in Canada. Even though the non-indigenous are the villains of the story, the depiction of their flawed logic and horrific actions is so roundly developed that it does not alienate a non-indigenous reader. This is important, especially for young readers, to allow space for discussion.
The protagonist, French, goes through a lot of character growth and he struggles with self-awareness surrounding his actions. The way he describes many of his more complex emotions is not only endearing to an adult reader, it would also make him very relatable to a young reader, specifically male. One reason why he's so relatable is through his narration. The language in this text is fresh and creative, with turns of phrase that make you wish you'd thought of them yourself. I often found that the way an emotion was described made me smile because it is just so perfect to how it actually feels to experience. As a narrator, French is young but with maturity, hopeful but not naive. He is still a sixteen year old boy, only trapped in a world that needs him to grow up fast to stay alive.
Language itself is also a cornerstone of the text, as French and the other indigenous youth in the group savor each morsel of their native tongue they can scavenge from the elders among them. This is a stark reminder of the deep wounds of the residential school system, but once again is hopeful as they try and rebuild what was taken from them with such joy.
Final Thought: Normally, when I see a book with so many awards and recognitions on the cover, I think "this better be good." And sometimes, even as an experienced reader with a love for literature, I am turning pages wondering what the heck the big deal is. As for this book, I'd heard a lot of talk about it, a lot of hype, and, based on some of my previous reading relating to indigenous people and their history, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was it going to be serious? Was it going to be heavy? Break my heart? Bring me down? But instead, as I cracked the cover I found a beautifully hopeful voice telling a story that did break my heart, but also made me smile and laugh and not want to put it down. It made me want to do better, to be better, and to help my students also learn from the mistakes of our past and present. There is so much potential in our planet and our society here in Canada, and this book is a strong reminder of what paths we don't want to take, while also showing us, in clear and resounding tones, the reasons why.
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
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