379 Book Talk

            The piece of literature that I chose for my book talk is called Indian Horse written by Richard Wagamese. The reason that I have chosen this book is because I was recently recommended it by my mother who had recently read it, and I decided to give it a try. This was my first-time hearing about this book. After reading it, I was left with a lot of self reflection and questions about my identity. This book does a really great job at making you delve deep into yourself and figuring out who you are. After reading this book, I looked into the curriculum at different grade levels but ultimately decided that it fit best with grade 10 English. This is the learning outcome and indicator that I chose:  

CR A10.1

• Comprehend and respond to a variety of visual, oral, print, and multimedia texts that address:
• Identity (e.g., Foundational Stories);
• Social responsibility (e.g., Destiny and Challenges of Life); and
• Social action (agency) (e.g., Human Existence)

Indicators:

1. View, listen to, read, and respond to First Nations and Métis resources and other texts that reflect diverse personal identities, worldviews, and backgrounds (e.g., appearance, culture, socioeconomic status, ability, age, gender, language, social structures, and decision making).
2.  Identify connections between self, texts, and culture.

I chose this outcome because it touches on worldview, self, identity, and Indigenous content. In this book, you discover worldviews of different peoples. For example, we see the worldviews of priests and nuns at residential schools, Saul and his family, Saul’s adoptive family, Saul’s hockey friends and teammates, and people Saul meets along his journey through life. It is important for students to understand what a worldview is and what is means to other people. I think that in order for them to understand certain things that go on in the book, they need to understand and be sensitive to the meaning of worldview to others. This book also touches on the theme of self identification and diversity. Saul goes through his life being stripped of everything he has ever known when placed at a residential school, and then he goes the rest of his life trying to understand the beliefs of his peoples, and figure out where he stands and who he truly is. Diversity is also represented with culture, religion, race, and class. I am a sucker for books that are based on true stories, and this one is just that. I think that it makes it easier for us to connect with stories when we know they are true. This is an amazing story of an Indigenous man who survived more than just residential schools. This is a great way for students to have a greater understanding about what First Nations peoples struggled with and still struggle with due to residential schools. It is a never-ending cycle and this book represents that perfectly. It also has an amazing message that no matter what deck of cards life deals you, you can make it through. Saul for the majority had a horrible life. There were times when he wanted to give up and that is represented in the book. Through everything he encountered, he pulled through and did not give up. This is a great lesson to teach students especially those in grade 10. They are going through a confusing time in their life where they are figuring out who they are, where they want to go, and dealing with their own issues and traumas. It is important for them to understand that just like Saul, it will take some time to figure out who you are. If you do not give up, you can make anything of yourself. This book does deal with difficult topics, but I think that it is important to talk about hard topics, and I believe that the younger you talk about things and bring awareness, the better. I would personally recommend this book to everybody. This was one of the best books I have ever read. I think there is a movie that was made as well. I would love to watch it and see how it compares to the book. I think that all students would like this book, but it might be the chosen book for those who like true stories, or those who like the thrill of not knowing what will happen next. I finished this book in two days. For someone who is dyslexic and takes a long time to read, that is an accomplishment. I just could not put the book down. I tried to do something inventive with my book talk. I have created a box with the outside mirroring St. Jerome’s residential school. Inside the box I have placed items that represent something important or significant in Saul’s life. I chose the residential school as the box because it shows how everything that happened in his life, happened because of being sent to this residential school. Who knows who Saul would have become or where he would have gone if his life did not go on the path that it did.