A review by palmkd
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

4.0

In this debut middle grade novel, we meet Edie who is Native American but knows next to nothing about her heritage. She also loves drawing and is having some relatable growing pains with her friends. Her mom was adopted by a white couple and has an adoptive brother, Uncle Phil, who is every bit a real brother to her mom and uncle to Edie. Her dad talks about his childhood regularly, but aside from knowing her Uncle, she knows nothing about her mom’s and feels like something is missing. One summer Edie and her friends find a box in the attic containing headshots of a woman who could be Edie’s twin. They find out her name is Edith and now Edie has all the questions and no answers.

The story addresses several topics in a great way, such as getting braces, growing apart from friends, parents making mistakes, and questioning who you are. It also addresses specific issues that Native Americans face, including one that I wasn’t aware of, but I’ll put in a spoiler tag below as it’s the mystery behind a lot of the book. Edie’s mom wanted to wait until Edie was old enough to understand, but in doing so she ended up not telling Edie hardly anything about her heritage which I don’t think was her intention, but just how it happened.

Overall, I think this was a powerful read which brings to life several issues in a direct and truthful manner. The story is still very hopeful and uplifting, despite the harsh and terrible reality that you learn about. Edie has a great group around her as she learns about her family and how to stick up for herself.

I read this via ebook and strongly recommend it. Please be sure to read the Author’s note after finishing the story.

This portion of my review will contain spoilers.

Spoiler

The harsh reality is when Edie’s mom was born, like literally just born and at the hospital, she was taken away from her mother by social workers. They deemed her and her family situation unfit for the child. Her mother didn’t have a say in this matter and this travesty was common practice. This is why many native families would avoid hospitals for any and all reasons as their children would be seized and never returned. The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 was put in place to protect Native families. The Author’s note shines some more light on the situation as well.