Tomson Highway

This beautifully composed book follows the lives of two Cree brothers from their birthplace in northern Manitoba, to their school years when they were forced to attend an abusive Catholic residential school, through their adult years as artists (one became a concert pianist, the other a dancer). The novel covers some pretty rough areas, but the storytelling is absolutely lyrical. I would expect a book that covers sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse and homosexual struggles to be completely show more depressing, but Highway's use of magical imagery and humour made this a wonderful read.

Recommended for: I highly recommend this book to mature readers who appreciate well-crafted prose and aren't squeamish about difficult subject matter. It will definitely make my top five reads for 2009. show less

I loved this book. I thought it was a fascinating portrayal of a way of life I neither have, nor will, never come close to experiencing. Tomson Highway tells the story of his early years and his time at residential school with honesty and a bit of humour. I loved the way he explained and talked about the Cree language especially.

There were many hardships living on the land, and abuse at the residential school; but this book is a more positive story of young Aboriginal life than we usually show more read about. I'm glad there is space for this kind of story to be told. It is no way retracts from the horrors of residential schools in particular or colonialism more broadly while sharing what was good about Aboriginal culture....what we should strive to maintain, or regain. show less

I’m absolutely in love with this book, and the author. It’s an addictive and captivating memoir in which he shares his first fifteen years of life experiences. It deals with his family and the community as a whole. Daily life and celebrations both. It deals with a residential school and it’s mostly written from a positive point of view which I’m not sure is due to the school, or rather the author’s philosophy of “from disaster make something spectacular”. It does lightly touch show more on certain issues like sexual abuse against minors, consequences for speaking in their native language, and the like. Mostly though we just get to be along for the ride and see the world through his eyes. I truly enjoyed all of it and it’s easy to understand why Tomson Highway is considered one of the best storytellers. His character shines through and it’s rare that I experience such a strong sense of who an author is. Rarer still is that checking out his videos online, whether in Cree, English, or other languages he speaks, the personality and speech is exactly what he captured on the pages. His joy and happiness is contagious. I plan on reading much more by this author. You might want to check out his skills in music too. Highly recommended. show less

Caribou Song / atíhko níkamon, illustrated by Brian Deines.

Joe and Cody were two young Cree boys, living with their parents and their pet dog Ootsie on the northern plains of Manitoba. One day, while following the caribou, the brothers performed a caribou song together, Joe playing the kitoochigan (accordion) and Cody singing. Their music summoned the caribou, and soon the boys were surrounded by a majestic herd of more than one thousand of these arctic deer...

Originally published in 2001, show more with artwork by Brian Deines, Caribou Song / atíhko níkamon was republished in 2013 with new illustrations from John Rombough. The edition I read was the original one, with the artwork of Deines, and it was bilingual, featuring the text in both English and Cree. It's interesting to note that the new edition is trilingual, featuring the story in English, high Cree and a local Cree dialect. Leaving that aside, I found the story here engaging, and appreciated its blend of matter-of-fact telling and almost magical storyline. There is something enchanting about the caribou's appearance, as if summoned by the song, and something very moving about the boys' mother's distress, before she realizes that they weren't crushed by the running herd. The accompanying artwork from Deines has a lovely, luminous quality, and adds to the reading pleasure. This is the first book I have read from Tomson Highway, a Cree author perhaps best known for his plays for adults, but I certainly hope it will not be my last! Recommended to picture-book readers looking for unusual outdoor adventure stories, and to anyone seeking First Nations/Native American stories for children. show less