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justabean_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Classic memoir of growing up in a Métis community in rural Saskatchewan in the 1940s and 1950s. This came out during the wave of activism around Indigenous rights in the 1970s, and gets cited a lot as the first Indigenous book that someone read (I think I found it on a list of groundbreaking works curated by the author Michelle Good, for example).
Even setting aside its status as a "first," the book is extraordinary. Campbell has a clear-eyed look at the dysfunction and substance abuse in the Métis communities she grew up in, explaining but never excusing it or minimising the harm it did, but the strongest impression of her childhood are memories of joy, family, humour and love of nature. It never feels bleak (save perhaps for the Vancouver section in the middle, which had a lot of substance abuse and mental health challenges), and she always tries to come back to those connections. Campbell spends a lot of time sorting through her feelings about her own identity, and a good deal of internalised racism, and how she grew in understanding and changed her mind about her people. I loved how much she talked about previous generations of community organising and activism in Cree and Métis communities.
It's such a compelling look at life and activism the middle of the 20th-century, and I'm hoping to read more Indigenous books from this era.
Even setting aside its status as a "first," the book is extraordinary. Campbell has a clear-eyed look at the dysfunction and substance abuse in the Métis communities she grew up in, explaining but never excusing it or minimising the harm it did, but the strongest impression of her childhood are memories of joy, family, humour and love of nature. It never feels bleak (save perhaps for the Vancouver section in the middle, which had a lot of substance abuse and mental health challenges), and she always tries to come back to those connections. Campbell spends a lot of time sorting through her feelings about her own identity, and a good deal of internalised racism, and how she grew in understanding and changed her mind about her people. I loved how much she talked about previous generations of community organising and activism in Cree and Métis communities.
It's such a compelling look at life and activism the middle of the 20th-century, and I'm hoping to read more Indigenous books from this era.
joelmeador's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
selinayoung's review
5.0
Every time a read/re-read this essential memoir I take away something new. This time a loud reminder that our people deserve and need more and are more than settlers are often willing to see.
amycoles's review against another edition
5.0
As someone who really judges books by their covers, this is something I never would have picked up on my own - you can definitely tell that it was published in the 80's; but it was required reading for my 20th century Canadian literature class, so I really had no choice. I am so glad I had to read this though, it was incredibly powerful and raw, without any dull moments. It really is amazing that this is a true story!
This biography does an amazing job disrupting the stereotype of Canada being a fantasy land of a united, free, happy, generous people. What I really love about it though, is the way Campbell doesn't look back on her life and critically reflect on it, but instead she just narrates it and lets the story speak for itself. It's reads as an action packed, raw journey of determination and perseverance. It really made me conscious of how powerful racial and circumstantial privilege really is in Canada; yet how ridiculous it is that this sort of privilege even exists.
Campbell's personal growth, especially in relation to Cheechum's philosophy on life, was really slow burning yet amazing to watch. There was the perfect balance of plot action (unfortunately for Campbell) and character development, making for an amazing read and a powerful story.
I also really appreciated how the first chapter of the book situated the story within a specific historical context. It really helped clarify the where the story is coming from, and would especially be beneficial to people who are not familiar with Canadian history. Though this chapter is a bit of a dry history lesson, it really is necessary and sets up the book well.
The only small problem I had with the book was the host of people introduced at the beginning. I got flustered with all the names of great great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and other family. I especially had a hard time remembering the race or nationality of specific family members. But in the grand scheme of the novel it really didn't affect my reading of the story too much since the story is told in chronological order and doesn't make reference to specific past family members too much. I just wish there was a family tree at the beginning of the book! It might even be worth it to create your own while reading this for the first time.
Overall I think this is a powerful story about colonization, racism, struggle, and Canadian culture. Even if you're not Canadian, I would highly recommend this book! Just be aware that because this is a book about struggle and perseverance, there are trigger warnings for domestic violence, drug use, alcohol use, and prostitution.
This biography does an amazing job disrupting the stereotype of Canada being a fantasy land of a united, free, happy, generous people. What I really love about it though, is the way Campbell doesn't look back on her life and critically reflect on it, but instead she just narrates it and lets the story speak for itself. It's reads as an action packed, raw journey of determination and perseverance. It really made me conscious of how powerful racial and circumstantial privilege really is in Canada; yet how ridiculous it is that this sort of privilege even exists.
Campbell's personal growth, especially in relation to Cheechum's philosophy on life, was really slow burning yet amazing to watch. There was the perfect balance of plot action (unfortunately for Campbell) and character development, making for an amazing read and a powerful story.
I also really appreciated how the first chapter of the book situated the story within a specific historical context. It really helped clarify the where the story is coming from, and would especially be beneficial to people who are not familiar with Canadian history. Though this chapter is a bit of a dry history lesson, it really is necessary and sets up the book well.
The only small problem I had with the book was the host of people introduced at the beginning. I got flustered with all the names of great great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and other family. I especially had a hard time remembering the race or nationality of specific family members. But in the grand scheme of the novel it really didn't affect my reading of the story too much since the story is told in chronological order and doesn't make reference to specific past family members too much. I just wish there was a family tree at the beginning of the book! It might even be worth it to create your own while reading this for the first time.
Overall I think this is a powerful story about colonization, racism, struggle, and Canadian culture. Even if you're not Canadian, I would highly recommend this book! Just be aware that because this is a book about struggle and perseverance, there are trigger warnings for domestic violence, drug use, alcohol use, and prostitution.
jburnford's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
It is a classic for a reason. Canadians need to read this book to understand the levels of poverty Métis road allowance people experienced in the 1940s. The book is painfully honest and incredibly powerful as a result.
briandice's review against another edition
4.0
Just when you think things can't get any worse for a mixed race Native/Caucasian woman, they do. Campbell's memoir is simply brutal - a series of cascading heartbreaks one after another. Growing up in a world where neither the whites nor the Indians want you around, the half-breeds of Canada in the mid 20th century existed in a purgatory that looked a lot more like hell. Chalk this up to one of those reads to remind me never to complain about anything I might think is really going wrong in my life.
10th book read of 500 Great Books by Women
10th book read of 500 Great Books by Women
aritany's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an essential read. Published as fiction, this memoir is a stunning, raw, honest account of Maria Campbell’s experience growing up in Saskatchewan. All Canadians should give this book a chance.
debbie_likes_to_read_books's review against another edition
3.0
Wow wow wow!!! I read this for my Can lit class and we still have to discuss this in class but like holy shit dudes. The struggle in the book, the way that Maria Campbell narrates her book was so captivating and hard to put down. Again because this is a memoir I am not really sure how to rate memoir’s because it feels like I am rating someone’s life but I give this book a solid 3.5 stars. I wasn’t expecting much going into this book, to be quiet honest I was just trying to finish most of my Can lit reading during the holiday’s but I wasn’t expecting to like how powerfully written Campbell’s memoir was.