From School Library Journal
Grade 3-8–Weber's memoir of growing up in the early 1900s brings readers into the thoughts and surroundings of her eight-year-old self with humor and sincerity. When her grandmother died, her father took her to live with him at Crown Point Indian Agency on the Eastern Navajo Reservation. At the school there, she witnessed boys being beaten with a horsewhip, which haunted her. "I carried a mortal shame, fear, and hurt away with me." Just as she started to feel at home at Crown Point, she was sent to the faraway Phoenix Indian School, where her father was educated. However, she and her new friends became survivors ("we learned early–laughing was best.") Her memories of the ridiculous teachers and underground games are expressed in a conversational voice that begs to be read aloud. Readers will identify with her predicaments, whether they are learning about a different culture or recognizing their own. The voice does shift occasionally throughout the book to one that seems oddly outsider, and a homecoming ceremony involving Sacred Yellow Corn Pollen is not fully explained. But then Weber's evocative voice resurfaces. The recollections are illustrated with black-and-white photos of unidentified contemporary children posed in the New Mexico landscape as if they were part of the story, which sometimes makes an odd contrast, though they are beautiful. For its unique voice, consider this collection as supplementary material on the Indian boarding school experience, or as a captivating read-aloud.–Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. Weber grew up in the early twentieth century on the Crown Point Navajo Reservation,^B and she attended a government boarding school for Native American children. She recounts childhood experiences in both places: the games of lizard she played with her friends on the mesa; the thrill of participating in festivals; the friendships and jokes that allowed her to survive the dehumanizing school. Her immediate, first-person voice reads like spoken word, with broken sentences, pauses, and even poetry, and the unusual cadences may slow some readers. The black-and-white photographs are arresting images, but the reproductions are often grainy and dark, and there's an odd disconnect between the contemporary children and landscapes pictured in scenes and the text. But many readers will enjoy the intimate view of a Native American childhood of the time, and they will easily connect with Weber's universal memories, especially those of her strong friendships and the empowering, subversive humor (including a few fart jokes) at the expense of adults. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
