Born With A Tooth

I love a good short story collection, and Boyden’s Born with a Tooth fits the bill perfectly. These 13 short stories were the fuel that launched Boyden’s award winning career.

Each of these stories (with one exception) is told from the perspective of a modern day First Nations person—man, woman, young, old. Boyden writes in a simple engaging way that gives you a sense of what it’s like to share in that person’s culture.

Of course, many of the themes are difficult. Land appropriation, residential schools, alcoholism, suicide, homelessness, and casinos are all part of Born with a Tooth. Boyden’s storytelling, even while relating a tragic story, uncovers unexpected glimpses of nobility and beauty, grace and life.

If you’ve read show more The Orenda, the last four stories in this collection will be especially interesting. In them, Boyden tells the same story through the eyes of four different participants. As in The Orenda, cultural misunderstanding is vividly illustrated. Each story will elicit empathy for its respective lead character.

Thanks to Brian Lachine for this great gift! show less

Boyden's collection of stories has a wide-range of point-of-view, but all take place in Northern Ontario. A real stand out story was "Legend of the Sugar Girl," a heart-breaking fable about the reality of the impact of residential schools on the body, diet, and culture of First Nations people. Mostly, I found myself missing the acute depth and clarity of the author's later work, but the seeds of his excellence are strewn across these narratives that often dip into bleak, hopelessness, but do not emerge without a ray of hope, however faint.

I don't usually enjoy short stories but I do love Joseph Boyden's books so I decided to give this one a shot. This included thirteen short stories of native life and spirituality. If only all short stories were as enjoyable as Boyden's!

Joseph Boyden's newest book, The Orenda, was in such high demand at my local library that I was approximately #800 on their waiting list. I wanted to read it before CBC's Canada Reads 2014 begins in March. In the meantime, I borrowed another of Boyden's books, Born with a Tooth.

It was only when I got home that I realized that it was a collection of short stories, which I generally dislike. Still, I needed to get an idea of Boyden's writing style and see if buying The Orenda would be a wise idea. It is currently only out in hardcover, so I wouldn't want to buy a $30 book that I might not enjoy! The ebook is also $17, which is a big gamble for something I can't resell when I'm done.

I fell in love with Boyden's style from the first few show more pages! After finishing the first story, too, I realized that I was in for an emotional journey. Only one short story in and Boyden had earned a new fan.

I really do not want to provide any spoilers here, so I will be careful with what I say. Here are the basics: the book has thirteen stories which are divided thematically into four directions of the compass. The stories are all about small First Nations communities in Ontario. Although they seem to be separate stories, by the end of the book, you will realize that the stories do exist in the same "universe". The last couple stories in particular really hit home this idea of a short story tapestry, where characters and ideas are woven together.

I suddenly feel that Half-Blood Blues, Year of the Flood and Annabel have some really strong competition (I disliked the final Canada Reads finalist, Cockroach)! Luckily, my hardcover copy of The Orenda arrived at the bookstore (and I only had to pay half price because I ordered it online). I really can't wait to read The Orenda and all of Boyden's other works. show less

Full disclosure - Boyden's book Three Day Road is on my Top Ten List. I saw him speak in Toronto and he is very charming and very cute! This book of short stories is his first book. The stories are divided into 4 sections with 4 different themes. They are brilliant. I usually need to intersperse short stories with a novel, but I read this book in one day, and although the stories are not connected, they flow beautifully.

He is now teaching in New Orleans and I so impatient for a new book!

Thirteen short stories, related in that they focus on First Nation life in Ontario. Of course I have my favorites, but all are beautifully written, pulling the reader in effortlessly. There's something here no matter what your mood: sadness, love, humor, tragedy, triumph and anger.

I have only read two of his books so far and Boyden is already becoming one of my favorite writers.

I have never been a fan of short stories but I love this author so I thought I would give it a try. I still don't care for short stories but the author didn't let me down.. Some of the stories in this collection were wonderful and some just didn't interest me at all but they were all written with the same unique Joseph Boyden style that I enjoy reading. If you enjoy reading about very Canadian concepts and places (specifically Ontario) or if you loved the style of this author's previous two books, then you should invest some time in this collection.