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aimiller 's review for:
The 13:Ashi-niswi
by Lorin R. Robinson
Before I get into my review, I want to acknowledge that I received this book through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing, and I'm grateful to the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.
I'll say right now that I had extremely low expectations for this book, and it in some ways exceeded those expectations by not being as explicitly racist as it perhaps could have been. That being said, it was uh... still fairly gross. Though Robinson cites a number of Ojibwe sources as having help him craft the book, and it's clear he spoke one Ojibwe person, it's not clear if he spoke to them about this story, or asked permission to tell it in this venue, nor is it clear if he had any sensitivity readers, as none are thanked. He did his research but the way it's presented in the book, it's clear who this story is for and who is supposed to benefit from its retelling: white children. That's extra horrific to consider when we think that for white children to get this message, it's just chill to depict the brutal killings of 13 Ojibwe children and some Dakota children as well. (And let's not get started on the convoluted representation of the Dakota people. It's a nightmare.)
On a more quibble-y note, the romance felt so forced that I literally rolled my eyes. I don't know if it's a product of the age-range the book is intended for (I see stuff like it happen a lot with MG books) but it was still annoying.
There are plenty of books by Native authors that have a stronger connection to the communities represented and do a better job of teaching complex lessons to children than this one, so I'd say seek those out. Hell, Joseph Bruchac's Arrow Over the Door is also basically aimed at white children and does a better job.
EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that the book was not intended for a MG audience, but rather upper YA and adult. Though my reading of the book as aimed at a middle grade audience colored my initial reading, I stand by my earlier points about the violence, regardless of who this book is aimed at.
I'll say right now that I had extremely low expectations for this book, and it in some ways exceeded those expectations by not being as explicitly racist as it perhaps could have been. That being said, it was uh... still fairly gross. Though Robinson cites a number of Ojibwe sources as having help him craft the book, and it's clear he spoke one Ojibwe person, it's not clear if he spoke to them about this story, or asked permission to tell it in this venue, nor is it clear if he had any sensitivity readers, as none are thanked. He did his research but the way it's presented in the book, it's clear who this story is for and who is supposed to benefit from its retelling: white children. That's extra horrific to consider when we think that for white children to get this message, it's just chill to depict the brutal killings of 13 Ojibwe children and some Dakota children as well. (And let's not get started on the convoluted representation of the Dakota people. It's a nightmare.)
On a more quibble-y note, the romance felt so forced that I literally rolled my eyes. I don't know if it's a product of the age-range the book is intended for (I see stuff like it happen a lot with MG books) but it was still annoying.
There are plenty of books by Native authors that have a stronger connection to the communities represented and do a better job of teaching complex lessons to children than this one, so I'd say seek those out. Hell, Joseph Bruchac's Arrow Over the Door is also basically aimed at white children and does a better job.
EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that the book was not intended for a MG audience, but rather upper YA and adult. Though my reading of the book as aimed at a middle grade audience colored my initial reading, I stand by my earlier points about the violence, regardless of who this book is aimed at.