Little Voice

by Ruby Slipperjack

A young Ojibway girl, struggling over the fact that her father has died, spends a summer in the bush with her grandmother and finds her own identity and voice.

Things have been hard for her family since her father's accidental death in a logging accident, and Ray has been unable to express her grief. In school, the green eyes she inherited from her father are unusual for a child from an Ojibway background in a northern Ontario town and get her noticed in ways she doesn't enjoy. At home, Ray believes that her mother, grieving herself and busy with Ray's younger brother and sister, no longer needs her. Ray becomes so withdrawn that at times she hardly speaks.

At the end of this beautiful and empowering story, which begins in 1978, the withdrawn green-eyed girl has found her voice and is not afraid to use it.

Genres: Canada, Indigenous, Juvenile, Native American

246 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Ruby Slipperjack was born in Whitewater Lake, Ontario, where she was raised on traditional stories and crafts. Slipperjack attended Shingwauk Residential School in Sault Ste. Marie and high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She earned her B.A. and B.Ed. from Lakehead University in 1989. Slipperjack is also an accomplished painter. Ruby is from the Fort Hope Indian Band in Ontario. Currently, she is a faculty member in the Department of Indigenous Learning at Lakehead University.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

Important message, but that writing style...yikes.

[Richard Van Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to read! The story follows “Ray”, a young Ojibwa woman growing up in Ontario from the summer of 1978 to the summer of 1982. Because Ray has green eyes, she is bullied and ostracized in her community. This changes when her grandmother, a midwife, takes her out on the land in her canoe and they portage and camp and find adventures together as Ray learns more about what it means to be a human being. As in all of Ruby’s novels, I felt innocent reading it. She brought me back to the bush, and she reminded me just how rich our traditional people are on the land and with each other. (Grades 6 and up)

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely portrait of a young Objiwa girl's gradual discovery of her identity that sensitively integrates the importance of First Nations language, culture, traditions and community

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the five book collection of "novels that celebrate the diverse cultures of" Canada, this volume, like others is written of a "tween" by someone of the same culture. The voice is strong and strongly that of the protagonist. It is clear that the author has been "in the same boat" as the protagonist. In this story, Ray, a 10 y/o, learns about her history makes choices which will lead her down a different path, and teach her the way of the Ojibwa people. Her grandmother, to whom Ray relates, calls her Neans which means Little Voice. Across the course of the story, Ray (aka Naens) learns to find and use her voice effectively be all that she could be--a coming of age story.

[Mark Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't big on this one. There was a lack of story and character growth, made worse by writing that was a little suspect.

[star_fire13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I read this for class. It was ok. I like that Ray benefited from the dual education. But I dunno. Overall I just wasn't buying it.

[Auryn Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the story was okay-ish, but the writing style was awful. I was hoping to have found a good Canadian book that wasn't historical fiction (pretty much all of the Canadian books I've read are historical fiction) but it was a disappointment, especially because the message would have been a good one of the story surrounding it was just as good.

[Adaela McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great way to learn about modern Native Americans.

[Megan Strahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skim-read as I had to read quickly for school. Great story, 4.5-5 stars.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet book for middle school kids, especially since Indigenous / First Nations history is so important for Canadian children to learn and understand. It may not be my personal heritage, but it’s a part of my country’s history and I like learning about other cultures and traditions.

[Hannah Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I don’t remember how often I have already read it.