I Can Make This Promise

Holy cow, I did not see that coming.

I mean, I was excited to read a book about a Native child in Seattle. More excited when I found that it's a debut novel from a Upper Skagit author, and that it's talking about local tribes. Even more excited when it's a contemporary heroine, and the story confronts microaggressions heads-on. It's a great book -- would be a great book if that was all. But that's not all. This tells a history that I had no idea existed. This tells a point of view that pulls every part of the book together, and delivers that experience powerfully.

Yep, I'm being vague. Go read it. And then join me in waiting for Christine Day's next books to come out. An author to watch and appreciate.

This book had me crying a bit at the end.
I found Edie to be a compelling character. She felt she was getting left in the dark by her parents when she finds a box in the attic labeled Edith with head shots (that look a lot like her) and letters. She wants her parents to explain, but she has to find the right way to get there.
It's also clear she has questions about her identity. She's part Native, but she doesn't know her nation. Her mom was adopted into a white family. There are just a lot of questions she can't answer.
Then there is some friendship drama and growing pains.
I found this book to be quiet, powerful, lovely, and hopeful despite the heartbreaking secret at its core.
It gives some insight into the policies that hurt Native show more American kids and families for a long, long time. Explores tribal heritage in the Seattle area.
The adults in Edie's life love her and each other so much, and still they struggle with when is the right time to let her in on this part of their family story. show less

So this book (audiobook) is amazing. It is a great middle school novel that touches upon friends drifting apart, the awkwardness of braces, and most importantly it tackles topics related to identity (the dreaded and inappropriate question of "What are you?" Where are your people from?") culture and some historic moments of how indigenous people have been treated by the government within the last 50 years. It was heart-wrenching and a great way to introduce middle schoolers to the notions of microaggressions, bullying based on race, the Adoption Era vs. post-Indian Child Welfare Act, and much more. The protagonist deals and copes with many changes over the course of a week (July 4 through the 12ish). She loves to draw if that is of show more interest to any potential readers.

As a white cis female woman, I do not know what any of the sentiments expressed in this book "feel" like as I do not or have experienced them - however, I will say this book in a very gentle and profound way improved my understanding of history, hardships, and emotional intelligence on the manner. I can say that I will recommend this book highly to anyone interested and if I have children - it will be a required read during their middle school years. show less

Edie is half Native American, but because her mother was adopted with no connection to her birth family, Edie doesn't know anything about them. But when Edie finds a box in the attic, she realizes that it's not true that her mother doesn't know anything about her birth family - so why has she been keeping it a secret? Edie's friend Serenity encourages Edie to ask her parents, but her friend Amelia urges her to go through the box herself - and then she wants to use it for the video project the three girls are doing together over the summer.

Edie's subtle attempts to get information out of her parents fail, and she becomes angry that they are lying to her. Eventually, her uncle insists that Edie ask her mother, and at last the whole story show more comes out, adding to what Edie had already learned from reading the letters and seeing the photos in the attic box. The story of Edie's mother's adoption - which could fairly be termed an abduction - is crushingly sad, but Edie's parents support her as they tell her as much as they know, and bring her to a special place that connects to her history.

See also: Far from the Tree by Robin Benway (YA), Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell

Quotes

I truly believe that what you put out into the world comes back. (letter from Edith Graham to Theo, 117)

Treaty of Point Elliott (187)

"But friendships only work if everyone remains kind to each other." (Serenity to Edie, 212-213)

"For many years, Native children were forcibly removed from their families and communities....Between the 1940s and 1970s, about one-third of Native children were separated from their families. Until Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978." (Mom to Edie, 229)

Resources from Author's Note:
http://www.savebristolbay.org/
documentary Reel Injun (2009)
documentary Princess Angeline (2010)
documentary Promised Land (2016)

Agent: Suzie Townsend at New Leaf literary (http://www.newleafliterary.com/people/suzie-townsend/) show less

CW: Forcible removal of babies from supposedly unfit American Indian mothers, grief over loss of loved ones

Well that was another exceptionally interesting middle school novel!

I never cease to be horrified at the appalling treatment of Indigenous peoples. I wasn't aware of some of the discriminatory policies covered in this novel ( I can't specifically mention them because they are spoilers). The other friendship drama parts of the story were very middle school and the target audience will relate well to these, however, in my opinion they did dilute the more important story. A good novel for middle schoolers exploring themes of injustice and identity.

"Suquamish/Duwamish girl uncovers her tragic family history in this contemporary tale of adoption.

Edie’s idyllic life in a Seattle neighborhood is upended when she realizes her parents have been telling lies. Biracial 12-year-old Edie has always known her mother was Native American but adopted into a white family. Due to this, her mother has claimed to be ignorant about her birth family and tribe. (Edie’s father is white.) While the ambiguities of Edie’s family history make her uncomfortable, she accepts the story until the day she searches the attic while working on a film project with her two best friends. They discover a box there with photos of a woman who looks exactly like Edie. Opening letters in the box, the friends show more realize the woman shares Edie’s name. Even as preteen tensions begin to pull her friend group apart, young Edie struggles as she seeks to discover the truth about her past without asking her parents directly. Preteen anxiety gives way to daunting maturity as she learns about the misrepresentation of Native Americans in film, the activism of the American Indian Movement, and the reason her parents decided to keep her family connections a secret for so long. The novel is enlightening and a must-read for anyone interested in issues surrounding identity and adoption.

Debut author Day (Upper Skagit) handles family separation in Native America with insight and grace." A Kirkus Starred Review, www.kirkusreviews.com show less

Edie is the daughter of a white father and a Native American mother. Edie doesn’t know much about her heritage despite the curious questions people ask her. Her mother, adopted as a baby by a white family, doesn’t talk much about her childhood or culture either. In the attic, Edie and her friends discover photos of a woman who looks just like Edie. There are also letters, postcards and a notebook. Edie secretly goes through the letters and postcards without telling her parents, hoping to find answers about her little-known background. Unique #ownvoices story featuring a history that many kids will not be aware of, of native children being separated from culture and family.