Indigenous Contemporary Issues
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A Matter of Conscience
● James Bartleman (Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Anishinaabeg; Ojibway;)
Text Content Territories: Indigenous Canadian;
Grade Levels: 10; 11; 12; University/College;
Other Categories: Adult Book, Books, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Indigenous Awareness, Indigenous Contemporary Issues, Indigenous Feminism, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Canadians, First Nations, Novels, Contemporary Fiction, Indigenous Stories / Narratives, Teen Books, Canadian Aboriginal Resource Lists - Secondary, Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 8 - 12 2018-2019, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Indigenous Awareness, Indigenous Contemporary Issues, Indigenous Feminism, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Canadians, First Nations, Novels, Contemporary Fiction, Indigenous Stories / Narratives
A novel of love and betrayal dealing with the biggest issues facing Canada's Indigenous peoples today.
In the summer of 1972, a float plane carrying a team of child welfare officials lands on a river flowing through the Yellow Dog Indian reserve. Their mission is to seize the twin babies of an Indigenous couple as part of an illegal scheme cooked up by the federal government to adopt out tens of thousands of Native children to white families. The baby girl, Brenda, is adopted and raised by a white family in Orillia.
Meanwhile, that same summer, a baby boy named Greg is born to a white middle-class family. At the age of eighteen, Greg leaves home for the first time to earn money to help pay for his university expenses. He drinks heavily and becomes embroiled in the murder of a female student from a residential school.
The destinies of Brenda and Greg intersect in this novel of passion, confronting the murder and disappearance of Indigenous women and the infamous Sixties Scoop.
"James Bartleman, a First Nation person himself, writes movingly … about the tragic reality of misogynistic racism and violence against Indigenous women and girls." — Sharon Stinson Henry, Chief of Chippewas of Rama First Nation
Forces us to confront uncomfortable truths as we seek a path to reconciliation. — Alan Bowker, author of A Time Such as There Never Was Before
Bartleman's strength as a writer is his compassion. He respects each of his characters and sets the stage for real-world discussions of Canada's past, present, and future. — Publishers Weekly
A Reader's Guide includes discussion of Sixties Scoop and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The Candian Indigenous Books for Schools list recommends this resource for Grades 10-12 English Language Arts.
Caution: Thi book could trigger some readers because of disturbing topics.