Bearskin diary : a novel

Format:

Book

Title:

Bearskin diary : a novel

Author:

GoldenEagle, Carol Rose, 1963- author

ISBN:

9780889713116

Publication:

Gibsons, B.C. : Nightwood Editions, [2015]

Physical Description:

255 pages ; 23 cm

Summary:

Taken from the arms of her mother as soon as she was born, Sandy was only one of over twenty thousand Aboriginal children scooped up by the federal government between the 1960s and 1980s. Sandy was adopted by a Ukrainian family and grew up as the only First Nations child in a town of white people. Ostracized by everyone around her and tired of being different, at the early age of five she tried to scrub the brown off her skin. But she was never sent back into the foster system, and for that she considers herself lucky. From this tragic period in her personal life and in Canadian history, Sandy does not emerge unscathed, but she emerges strong--finding her way by embracing the First Nations culture that the Sixties Scoop had tried to deny. Those very roots allow Sandy to overcome the discriminations that she suffers every day from her co-workers, from strangers and sometimes even from herself.

Subject(s):

Indian women -- Canada -- Fiction.

Indigenous women -- Canada -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	GoldenEagle, C.	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

Raw and honest, Bearskin Diary gives voice to a generation of First Nations women who have always been silenced, at a time when movements like Idle No More call for a national inquiry into the missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Carol Daniels adds an important perspective to the Canadian literary landscape.

From this tragic period in her personal life and in Canadian history, Sandy does not emerge unscathed, but she emerges strong--finding her way by embracing the First Nations culture that the Sixties Scoop had tried to deny. Those very roots allow Sandy to overcome the discriminations that she suffers every day from her co-workers, from strangers and sometimes even from herself.

Author Notes

Carol Daniels is a journalist who became Canada's first Aboriginal woman to anchor a national newscast when she joined CBC Newsworld in 1989. Her work has since earned several awards, including the 2009 National Aboriginal Achievement Award. Her poetry and short fiction have been included in several anthologies. This is her first novel. Find out more at www.caroldaniels.ca.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

[DEBUT] Daniels's debut novel is deeply rooted in her personal experience as an Aboriginal woman in Canada. Told in interlocking short chapters, it follows Sandy Pelly, a young woman grappling with her identity. As a child, Sandy was swept up in the Sixties Scoop, in which the Canadian government took over 20,000 First Nations children from their parents and placed them in foster care with white families. Sandy was fortunate that her Ukrainian foster family was a loving one and adopted her. Nonetheless, racism and discrimination are a constant in her life. Her new job in a newsroom isn't any different, but in facing bullying, racist coworkers, Sandy finds her own strength. She develops friendships with local Aboriginal people, which lead to a deeper understanding and integration of her heritage, and motivate her to investigate rumors of police abuse against Aboriginal women. Verdict In this timely presentation of key issues in the Canadian Aboriginal experience, Daniels's background as a journalist shows, both in the depth of detail and in the writing style. A solid pick for readers interested in native and/or women's issues, as well as admirers of Canadian fiction.-Melanie Kindrachuk, Stratford P.L., Ont. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.