Book Information
- Imprint: James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers
- Publication Date: 3 September 2019
- Copyright Year: 2019
- ISBN: 9781459414174
- Page Count: 176
- Dimensions: 5.5" x 8.5"
- Interest ages: 13-18
- Reading level: Grade 4
Purchasing Information
Powwow Summer
by Nahanni Shingoose
Part Ojibwe and part white, River lives with her white mother and stepfather on a farm in Ontario. Teased about her Indigenous heritage as a young girl, she feels like she doesn't belong and struggles with her identity.
Now eighteen and just finished high school, River travels to Winnipeg to spend the summer with her Indigenous father and grandmother, where she sees firsthand what it means to be an "urban Indian."
On her family's nearby reserve, she learns more than she expects about the lives of Indigenous people, including the presence of Indigenous gangs and the multi-generational effects of the residential school system. But River also discovers a deep respect for and connection with the land and her cultural traditions. The highlight of her summer is attending the annual powwow with her new friends.
At the powwow after party, however, River drinks too much and posts photos online that anger people and she has her right to identify as an Indigenous person called into question.
Can River ever begin to resolve the complexities of her identity — Indigenous and not?
About the Author
Reviews
Awards
Subjects (BISAC)
Subjects
Similar Titles
-
Not My Crew
Romero tries to acclimate to life at a school dominated by gangs, which want to drag him into their conflicts and violence.
$14.99, PaperbackInterest ages: 14-18Reading level: Grade 4Ace and the Misfits
New to Canada, Ace is battling ignorance, bullying, and a new culture. Now he seeks to regain his confidence and show himself he has the tools to make it in his new life.
$16.99, PaperbackInterest ages: 12-18Reading level: Grade 4Lexile Reading Level: HL710LRez Runaway
Raised on an Indian reserve, seventeen-year-old Joe Littlechief runs away when his devout Christian community discovers he is gay.$27.99, HardcoverInterest ages: 14-18Reading level: Grade 3Lexile Reading Level: 600LNot Talking About You
Not Talking About You portrays racism as it occurs amongst young Canadians today. It explores the impact on the target and on bystanders who have to decide how to react when they find a racist youth in their midst.
$9.99, PaperbackInterest ages: 12-16Reading level: Grade 5Lexile Reading Level: HL730L