kbhenrickson's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

While it's not an easy read, this is a book that I think every American and Canadian should read, especially if you are not an Indigenous person. The stories of the young people, their families and communities are heart-breaking, and the neglect, dismissal, and antagonism of the systems that were supposed to protect them are infuriating. For example how can any police and legal system routinely not call parents when their teenage children are reported missing or found dead - in the 2000s, no less? The author does a great job of humanizing the teens and their families and not sensationalizing what happened. She also masterfully weaves in the history of the oppressive systems in Canada - residential schools, colonialism, disparities in education funding - that underly all of the contemporary stories told in the book. The writing itself is as compelling as the stories, which are definitely going to stick with me.

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siobhanward's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 
This was a well-written and incredibly hard read (listen). Talaga took the time to create a portrait of each of the seven fallen feathers - who they were, what they were like, the things they liked to do. Every time a new person was introduced I found myself hoping that nothing would happen to them, even though I knew they would. This portrait of the challenges of Indigenous life in Thunder Bay is heartbreaking and felt so human. The interconnectedness of the community made it an even harder read. Everyone was trying so hard to keep these young people safe and were failed by so many systems, no matter what they did. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to learn more about Indigenous life in Canada, and in particular why people are fighting so hard for things like having the TRC calls to action implemented by all levels of government.

 

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dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

This book is so, so, so important. 

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corvoid's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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clarabooksit's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0


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keatynbergsten's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5


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breadwitchery's review

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challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.25


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