Firekeepers Daughter By: Angeline Boulley ENG 3U0 Mariyam Ali Meeting One - Review Revealer [My Two Relevant Book Review Excerpts] Excerpt #1 ● "Featuring prolific use of Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), this wonderfully tribally specific story offers powerful messages about what it can mean to be an Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman):'complex and sometimes exhausted, but mostly brave,' Hitting hard when it comes to issues such as citizenship, language revitalization, and the corrosive presence of drugs on Native communities, this novel will long stand in the heart of both Native and non-Native audiences" Excerpt #2 ● “This debut novel is gripping from the start, letting the reader know that they're in for a wild ride. Boulley, herself an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, writes from a place of love for her community and shares some key teachings from her culture, even mixing languages within the context of the story. She doesn't shy away from or sugarcoat the very real circumstances that plague reservations across the country, and she tackles these through her biracial hero, who gets involved in the criminal investigation into the corruption that led to this pain.” A few things to talk about to spark discussion about the book and my excerpts: 1. ● Do the reviews support your belief about the book or force you to re-examine your own perspective? The reviews support my beliefs about the book because when I chose this book, I was intrigued by the summary, and looking at the reviews, further adds more to my knowledge by learning that this book tackles the very real situations that plague reservations around the country. Furthermore, as stated in the excerpt, Angeline Boulley handles them through her biracial hero, who becomes embroiled in the criminal investigation into the corruption that leads to this suffering. 2. ● What do the reviews add to your understanding of the book? I better understand that this book is about Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and what it means to be Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) I learned that Angeline Boulley is the author of this book and a Sault Ste member. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians writes from a position of love for her community. It offers some essential teachings from her culture, even combining languages within the setting of the story. ● 3. ● Do you agree with the reviewers? Yes, I agree with the reviewers because I got an idea of what this book was going to be about from the summary, and from reading the reviews, I learned it's going to discuss hard issues like citizenship, language revival, and the destructive influence of narcotics in Native communities, all of which are being introduced to the book as I read more chapters. Works Cited: ● Pino, Kristina. "Firekeeper's Daughter." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 12, 15 Feb. 2021, p. 55. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A654649993/ITO F?u=miss91533&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c82 50955 ● Firekeeper's Daughter. (2021, May-June). Bookmarks, 50. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A672441407/I TOF?u=miss91533&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xi d=31aefa10 Meeting Two - Character Revealer [My Two quotations revealing something about Daunis Firekeeper] Quotation #1 ● “It wasn't just generational trauma that got stored in our blood and passed along, but our resilience and language too.” (Boulley, 165) This quote reveals how Daunis has trouble fitting in her community/hometown and the nearby Ojibwe reservation. This quotation highlights the struggles she's faced with at times, as well as her thought process as she goes through them. Quotation #2 ● “My whole life, I've been seeking validation of my identity from others. Now that it's within my reach, I realize I don't need it.” (Boulley, 197) This quote tells us how Daunis, this entire time, has been looking for other people to affirm her identity even before the investigation began revealing that Daunis has identity issues; as she shares in this quote, she is having internal conflict with her identity. This quote also shows how her character develops throughout the book as she learns more about her identity during her journey in the Meth-X investigation and how over time, she no longer needs anybody but herself to confirm her identity once it's finally within her grasp, as stated in the quotation. Meeting Three - Connecter: [My Three quotations] Connection to self - Quotation #1 "When our loved ones die, the love stays alive in the present." (Boulley, 382) ● This quote connects to me because not too long ago, my grandfather passed away from brain cancer; being really close to him, it took me a few months to adjust to the loss but still, to this day, I have days I miss him and reconcile the old memories. On days I go about my regular life, my grandfather is still with me everywhere I go. Although it may seem cliche, I feel him rooting for me and being there every step of the way, which is why I remember him every day; even if I don't see him, my love for him is still alive in the present, and it made me relate to this quote as I can certainly agree with it. Connection to the Course - Quotation #2 “Sad that their innocent eyes are open to the trauma that still impacts our community today." (Boulley, 396) ● This quote connects to our course because, in this course, we learned about Residential schools and how they were operated similarly; in this quote, Daunis overheard her younger cousins discussing residential schools. It is evident that there was clearly a lot of intergenerational trauma due to all of the children who lost their lives, as is discussed in this book. As we talked in class about how the intergenerational trauma to this day, particularly among Indigenous peoples, still exists, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD etc. Connection to the World Quotation #3 "We love imperfect people. We can love them and not condone their actions and beliefs." Boulley, 396) ● This quote connects to the word because I believe we often find people in this world, but we don't necessarily agree with their actions and beliefs, such as religion. For example, I know many people who have very tight ties with their family and friends and love those individuals, but they don't always agree with their beliefs like to be successful in life, you must become a doctor, yet they still respect them for their opinions.
