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The Outside Circle (2015)

by Patti Laboucane-Benson, Kelly Mellings (Illustrator)

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1108245,479 (4.15)1
Comic and Graphic Books. Fiction. Literature. HTML:

Winner, CODE's 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Literature

In this important graphic novel, two brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.

Pete, a young Indigenous man wrapped up in gang violence, lives with his younger brother, Joey, and his mother who is a heroin addict. One night, Pete and his mother's boyfriend, Dennis, get into a big fight, which sends Dennis to the morgue and Pete to jail. Initially, Pete keeps up ties to his crew, until a jail brawl forces him to realize the negative influence he has become on Joey, which encourages him to begin a process of rehabilitation that includes traditional Indigenous healing circles and ceremonies.

Powerful, courageous, and deeply moving, The Outside Circle is drawn from the author's twenty years of work and research on healing and reconciliation of gang-affiliated or incarcerated Indigenous men.… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
This graphic is hard hitting and is something that needs to be read. I am not Native American, but my oldest two children are 1/2 and I lived on the reservation with my first husband's family. I have heard their stories about life when they were young here in the United States. This book really shows how life can be when you are beat down and you pass it down from generation to generation. ( )
  LVStrongPuff | Nov 30, 2022 |
Descended from the Blackfish Lake Cree First Nation in Canada, Pete Carver's family is splintering in a spiral of drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence. When this young member of a street gang lands in prison, he is offered a chance to enter an innovative program to help indigenous people heal the generational trauma from centuries of racism, discrimination, and the forced assimilation of Native children at residential schools.

This dramatization is based on a real program that is working to reverse the tides of colonial policy that have caused "the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system and of Aboriginal children in government care" and "the intergenerational transmission of hopelessness, helplessness, and powerlessness."

While the actual storytelling can be a little awkward at times, I was moved by Pete's transformation and given hope that others could follow the same path. ( )
  villemezbrown | Apr 16, 2022 |
Fascinating exploration of the injustices done to people in the name of civilization. This is also a good book to examine what it means to be a man in today's world. ( )
  JoshEnglish | Mar 25, 2022 |
diverse adult/teen graphic novel (first nations youth Canadian history/Indian schools single moms/gangs/alcoholism/drug use and dealing/incarceration & alternative therapy/rehab for indigenous people)
good history lesson and representation, though it felt a bit didactic. ( )
  reader1009 | Jul 3, 2021 |
powerful stuff! i have to think about this review but i loved this a lot. ( )
  lydia1879 | Feb 1, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Laboucane-Benson, PattiAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Mellings, KellyIllustratormain authorall editionsconfirmed
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For Gabriel, Livia, Juniper, Violet, Keyano, and Forrest.
―Patti LaBoucane-Benson
For Christy, Vérité, and Mina.―Kelly Mellings
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Today is the first day of the Warrior Program. We are going to start today with a smudge and a prayer. It's important to make these offerings as we ask the creator for help.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Comic and Graphic Books. Fiction. Literature. HTML:

Winner, CODE's 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Literature

In this important graphic novel, two brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.

Pete, a young Indigenous man wrapped up in gang violence, lives with his younger brother, Joey, and his mother who is a heroin addict. One night, Pete and his mother's boyfriend, Dennis, get into a big fight, which sends Dennis to the morgue and Pete to jail. Initially, Pete keeps up ties to his crew, until a jail brawl forces him to realize the negative influence he has become on Joey, which encourages him to begin a process of rehabilitation that includes traditional Indigenous healing circles and ceremonies.

Powerful, courageous, and deeply moving, The Outside Circle is drawn from the author's twenty years of work and research on healing and reconciliation of gang-affiliated or incarcerated Indigenous men.

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