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list price: $21.99
edition:Audiobook (CD)
category: Fiction
published: Jun 2018
ISBN:9781978636859
publisher:
Brilliance Audio
imprint:
Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio
Description
Saul Indian Horse is in critical condition. Sitting feeble in an alcoholism treatment facility, he is told that sharing his story will help relieve his agony. Though skeptical, he embarks on a heartbreaking journey from the present - and into the woods of Northern Ontario, where his life began in a snowy Ojibway camp. The tale that follows is one of great pain and great determination from Richard Wagamese, an author who "never seems to waste a shot" (New York Times).
After being taken forcibly from his family, Saul is placed in an abusive boarding school determined to expunge his Ojibway traditions and knowledge. But he finds salvation each morning at dawn, practicing hockey alone on the school's makeshift ice rink. Saul's gift is undeniable: He quickly rises from his school's all-Ojibway team to the white-dominated regional circuit. As his skills improve and he gains notoriety, however, each of his victories on the ice is met by racism and hate. As the years pass, Saul must reconcile his passion - the game he loves, that allowed him to escape poverty - with the harshness of a world that will never make him entirely welcome.
Unfolding against the bleak loveliness of Northern Ontario - all rock, marsh, bog, and cedar - this is a singular story of resilience from a beloved storyteller.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 15
- Grade:
- 10
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Annotations
Indian Horse
Books that make an impact on you are few and far between but this book definitely hit the mark for me. I loved the writing, the imagery, the characters. Absolutely everything about it.
Librarian review
Indian Horse
In this novel, Wagamese writes beautifully about the life-crushing racism towards First Nations people in the 1960s. Saul Indian Horse has grown up in the bush, with the teachings of his grandmother. After his brother and sister are taken away, his grandmother hides him, then dies trying to take him to safety. Saul calls residential school “hell on earth” but grows numb to the horrors around him, learning to become invisible. Hockey becomes his outlet, his passion and his saving grace but his outstanding talent can’t compete with the prejudice of white society. After landing in a treatment centre, Saul realizes he must journey back through his repressed memories and emotions. Aided by his great-grandfather’s mystical vision, Saul’s broken spirit begins to heal.
Wagamese is Ojibway from Northern Ontario.
Caution: Includes references to abuse and alcohol use.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2012-2013.
Librarian review
Indian Horse
In this novel, Wagamese writes beautifully about the darkest aspects of life-crushing racism towards First Nations people in the 1960s. Saul Indian Horse has grown up in the bush, with the teachings of his grandmother. After his brother and sister are taken away, his grandmother hides him, then dies trying to take him to safety. Saul calls residential school “hell on earth” but grows numb to the heartbreaking horrors around him, learning to become invisible. Hockey becomes his outlet, his passion and his saving grace but his outstanding talent can’t compete with the prejudice of white society. After landing in a treatment centre, Saul realizes he must journey back through his repressed memories and emotions. Aided by his great-grandfather’s mystical vision, Saul’s broken spirit begins to heal.
An award winner, Wagamese is Ojibway from Northern Ontario.
Caution: Includes references to abuse and alcohol use.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2012-2013.
