Kirkwood Public Library: Shannon's Hot Takes, September 2021: Differences Are (Not) Bad!

Press release from the Kirkwood Public Library:

Shannon McLean

Oct 5, 2021

Welcome back to Shannon’s Hot Takes! As I attempted to title September’s blog, I thought about the three very different titles that I am reviewing, and at first couldn’t think of anything they had in common. An Argentinean werewolf tale, a residential school graphic novel, and a Nigerian-inspired fantasy–what could they possibly have in common that would make a witty title? But then I realized that each of them, in their own way, addresses how people can be afraid of those who are different from them, and how that can lead to hatred, persecution, and death. I did not consciously set out to read three things with this theme in common last month. But that this theme keeps cropping up, in perhaps unexpected places, gives me hope. Hope that the publishing world will keep releasing books by #OwnVoices authors, and that through fiction or non-fiction, those who read them will be changed by seeing through another’s eyes. Our differences should be treasured, and I believe what makes us great.

I checked out the physical copy of each of these books, but I do note in the individual review if they are available digitally through Hoopla or Overdrive. Please let me know in the comments if you have read, or plan on reading, any of these titles!

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, Colours by Donovan Yaciuk

Sugar Falls is a graphic novel that relates the story of Cree Elder Betty Ross’s experience at the Cross Lake Indian Residential School in Canada. Residential schools for Native American and First Nation peoples have been in the news a lot lately–as they should–and so I thought this would be a perfect time to write about the 10th anniversary edition of this novel that was just released. Daniel, a white boy, is given a school assignment to interview an elder about their residential school experiences. He asks his friend April, who is Cree, if she can help him, and she asks her grandmother to speak with him. Betty relates her abandonment by her mother as a small child, being adopted into a loving family, learning and cherishing the Cree language and culture from her father, and then her cruel separation from them to attend the imposing school across the lake. It is run by the Catholic Church, and the abuses the Native children had to endure there is just incomprehensible. But she does endure, keeping in her spirit the words of her father and never losing sight of her Cree identity.

Author David A. Robertson is an award-winning Cree author, and interviewed Elder Betty Ross himself to document this story. It is short, but powerfully told. The illustrations by Scott B. Henderson are beautiful, focusing a lot on the facial expressions of the characters. I also liked that the colors were vibrant during the parts of the story where Betty was with her family, or in the present when she was telling her tale. The sections where she was at the school are subdued and beige, like the clothing they were forced to wear there. Everything comes together to create an emotional, visceral experience.

This is not an easy read, but it is a vital one. It shows the resilience and strength of the indigenous peoples of North America. They have survived despite the attempted genocide of their bodies and their culture. They are still here, and their demands for recompense for the past are valid. Remember, this did not happen that long ago. Elder Betty Ross and many others like her are still with us. Everyone should read this book.

Sugar Falls is available on Overdrive in ebook format: https://mlcstl.overdrive.com/mlcstl-kirkwood/content/media/6207165

This is an adult fantasy title that I think could be enjoyed by older teens 16 and up. It does have mild sexual content and some violence and gore.

This press release was produced by the Kirkwood Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.