Shirley - by Joanne Robertson (Paperback)

About the Book

L'histoire vécue de l'expérience de Shirley (Fletcher) Horn au pensionnat indien de Shingwauk.

Book Synopsis

Shirley n'a que cinq ans quand l'agent des Indiens l'emmène vivre dans un pensionnat autochtone.

Elle adore apprendre, mais elle n'est pas là de son propre gré. Dès le premier jour où elle gravit la longue volée de marches en pierre de l'école, la vie est difficile et les règles sont innombrables. Séparée de ses frères et soeurs, elle est livrée à elle-même.

Shirley est très courageuse, mais elle n'a personne pour la rassurer le soir quand elle a peur. Personne pour la border et la réconforter. Shirley tient bon malgré sa tristesse. Elle se fait des amis et vit des aventures. Et surtout, elle attend impatiemment l'été, car elle pourra alors retrouver sa famille et le bonheur d'être à la maison.

Review Quotes

★ "Short, often poetic, chapters cover different key memories from Shirley Fletcher Horn's experience. Each chapter has a correlating mixed media image of photography and hand-drawn illustration.... This work is a collaboration between two First Nation women: the titular Shirley Fletcher Horn, former Chief of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, and Robertson, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation. The book melds both of their backgrounds in art and activism. They took great care in tailoring the difficult and generationally traumatic subject of residential schools in an appropriate and respectful format for school age children. VERDICT This biography is an honest depiction of the cruelty in Canada's First Nation residential schools from the perspective of a survivor. An important addition to every library's juvenile biography section and classroom."

"Short vignettes offer poignant snapshots of Horn's childhood, from being separated from her siblings and enduring illness without appropriate care to the cutting of her hair for disobedience and forbidding elders from using the Cree language around her. Balancing these cruel and painful memories are moments of joyful resistance and survival, such as building camaraderie during chores, proudly defending her tiny self from bigger would-be bullies, and, when dared by a friend, pretending to faint during church to the delight of her classmates. Illustrations using historical photographs and digital overlays reinforce these experiences of mixed emotions and reconciliation."

"...Horn maintains a mischievous sense of humor that helps the subject and her peers survive: 'Daring each other to feel alive, we made our own joy, ' unadorned text states, recounting time spent swinging on barn ropes or hiding snakes in a pocket. Saturated cartoon illustrations portraying key moments are superimposed over historical b&w photographs of Horn's journey, culminating in a somber tribute to both the pain and joy she experienced throughout her youth."

"Through powerful words and illustrations, this book honors Shirley's lived experiences at residential school while also highlighting her advocacy in ensuring that residential school histories are remembered and taught. Shirley offers an accessible entry point into a complex topic while centering Survivor voices. This book is a moving resource for educators and families committed to truth-telling and learning."