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Halfbreed
"I write this for all of you, to tell you what it is like to be a Halfbreed woman in our country. I want to tell you about the joys and sorrows, the oppressing poverty, the frustration and the dreams. . . . I am not bitter. I have passed that stage. I only want to this is what it was like, this is what it is still like." For Maria Campbell, a Métis ("Halfbreed") in Canada, the brutal realities of poverty, pain, and degradation intruded early and followed her every step. Her story is a harsh one, but it is told without bitterness or self-pity. It is a story that begins in 1940 in northern Saskatchewan and moves across Canada's West, where Maria roamed in the rootless existence of day-to-day jobs, drug addiction, and alcoholism. Her path strayed ever near hospital doors and prison walls. It was Cheechum, her Cree great-grandmother, whose indomitable spirit sustained Maria Campbell through her most desperate times. Cheechum's stubborn dignity eventually led the author to take pride in her Métis heritage, and Cheechum's image inspired her in her drive for her own life, dignity; and purpose.
157 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 1973
119 people are currently reading
4796 people want to read
About the author
Maria Campbell
48 books82 followersMaria Campbell (born 6 of 26 Apr 1939 near Athlone, Edmonton) is a Métis author, playwright, broadcaster, filmmaker, and Elder. Campbell is a fluent speaker of four languages: Cree, Michif, Saulteaux, and English. Park Valley is located 80 miles northwest of Prince Albert.
Her first book was the memoir Halfbreed (1973), which continues to be taught in schools across Canada, and which continues to inspire generations of indigenous women and men. Four of her published works have been published in eight countries and translated into four other languages (German, Chinese, French, Italian).
Campbell's first professionally produced play, Flight, was the first all Aboriginal theatre production in modern Canada. Weaving modern dance, storytelling and drama together with traditional Aboriginal art practises, this early work set a stylistic tone that her most recent productions continue to explore. Two of her plays have toured extensively within Canada and abroad to Scotland, Denmark and Italy. From 1985 to 1997 Ms. Campbell owned and operated a production company, Gabriel Productions. She has written and/or directed films by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), including My Partners My People, which aired on CTV for 3 years. She is coordinator and member of Sage Ensemble, a community theatre group for Aboriginal elders, and is actively associated with the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company in Saskatoon.
In addition to her work in the arts, Maria is a volunteer, activist and advocate for Aboriginal rights and the rights of women. She was a founder of the first Women’s Halfway House and the first Women and Children’s Emergency Crisis Centre in Edmonton. She has worked with Aboriginal youths in community theatre; set up food and housing co-ops; facilitated women’s circles; advocated for the hiring and recognition of Native people in the arts, and mentored many indigenous artists working in all forms of the arts. Maria sits as an Elder on the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Justice Commission, and is a member of the Grandmothers for Justice Society. Academically, she has focused on teaching Métis history and Methods in Oral Tradition Research. She has worked as a researcher, meeting with elders to gather and record oral historical evidence of many aspects of aboriginal traditional knowledge, including medical and dietary as well as spiritual, social, and general cultural practices.
(from Wikipedia)
Her first book was the memoir Halfbreed (1973), which continues to be taught in schools across Canada, and which continues to inspire generations of indigenous women and men. Four of her published works have been published in eight countries and translated into four other languages (German, Chinese, French, Italian).
Campbell's first professionally produced play, Flight, was the first all Aboriginal theatre production in modern Canada. Weaving modern dance, storytelling and drama together with traditional Aboriginal art practises, this early work set a stylistic tone that her most recent productions continue to explore. Two of her plays have toured extensively within Canada and abroad to Scotland, Denmark and Italy. From 1985 to 1997 Ms. Campbell owned and operated a production company, Gabriel Productions. She has written and/or directed films by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), including My Partners My People, which aired on CTV for 3 years. She is coordinator and member of Sage Ensemble, a community theatre group for Aboriginal elders, and is actively associated with the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company in Saskatoon.
In addition to her work in the arts, Maria is a volunteer, activist and advocate for Aboriginal rights and the rights of women. She was a founder of the first Women’s Halfway House and the first Women and Children’s Emergency Crisis Centre in Edmonton. She has worked with Aboriginal youths in community theatre; set up food and housing co-ops; facilitated women’s circles; advocated for the hiring and recognition of Native people in the arts, and mentored many indigenous artists working in all forms of the arts. Maria sits as an Elder on the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Justice Commission, and is a member of the Grandmothers for Justice Society. Academically, she has focused on teaching Métis history and Methods in Oral Tradition Research. She has worked as a researcher, meeting with elders to gather and record oral historical evidence of many aspects of aboriginal traditional knowledge, including medical and dietary as well as spiritual, social, and general cultural practices.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
March 24, 2016
Just when you think things can't get any worse for a mixed race Native/Caucasian woman, they do. Campbell's memoir is simply brutal - a series of cascading heartbreaks one after another. Growing up in a world where neither the whites nor the Indians want you around, the half-breeds of Canada in the mid 20th century existed in a purgatory that looked a lot more like hell. Chalk this up to one of those reads to remind me never to complain about anything I might think is really going wrong in my life.
10th book read of 500 Great Books by Women
10th book read of 500 Great Books by Women
April 12, 2020
What a powerful memoir. I gather that it has been on high school reading lists, but it was new to me. Published in 1973 when Maria Campbell was only 33, it recounts her life growing up on the road allowance in a large Métis family, struggling with the complexities of poverty, racism, shame, and misogyny. I thought it was amazing. What a remarkable, insightful woman.
It’s written in a simple, engaging style that, weirdly, reminded me of reading the ‘Little House’ books as a child, particularly when Campbell is recounting her childhood, complete with mule rides to school and her father heading out to his traplines. Except that the people whose stories are foregrounded in the Little House books of course were displacing and dehumanizing the indigenous peoples. 100 years later Maria Campbell’s people were vilified and criminalized for scraping out a subsistence living in the mid-20th century that bore some resemblance to the existence of white ‘pioneers’ of the previous century. And Maria, who could have passed for Laura Ingalls Wilder in some of the childhood anecdotes, faced a dark and uncertain future shaped by systemic racism by the time she was an adolescent. A strange cognitive dissonance.
I was happy to read the newer edition, which includes a terrible but important episode from Campbell’s teen years that was censored when the book was first published. The afterword and introduction are also interesting. It feels discouraging to see how much has remained the same, reading a book that was published the year before I was born. But I was heartened by the introduction, reviewing Campbell’s work, accomplishments, and changes she has seen since then.
It’s written in a simple, engaging style that, weirdly, reminded me of reading the ‘Little House’ books as a child, particularly when Campbell is recounting her childhood, complete with mule rides to school and her father heading out to his traplines. Except that the people whose stories are foregrounded in the Little House books of course were displacing and dehumanizing the indigenous peoples. 100 years later Maria Campbell’s people were vilified and criminalized for scraping out a subsistence living in the mid-20th century that bore some resemblance to the existence of white ‘pioneers’ of the previous century. And Maria, who could have passed for Laura Ingalls Wilder in some of the childhood anecdotes, faced a dark and uncertain future shaped by systemic racism by the time she was an adolescent. A strange cognitive dissonance.
I was happy to read the newer edition, which includes a terrible but important episode from Campbell’s teen years that was censored when the book was first published. The afterword and introduction are also interesting. It feels discouraging to see how much has remained the same, reading a book that was published the year before I was born. But I was heartened by the introduction, reviewing Campbell’s work, accomplishments, and changes she has seen since then.
November 13, 2021
"I believe that one day, very soon, people will set aside their differences and come together as one. Maybe not because we love one another, but because we will need each other to survive."
- Maria Campbell
Originally published in 1973, HALFBREED is Metis author Maria Campbell's unflinching memoir documenting her childhood and early adult life. Haunted by poverty, addiction, and tragedy, and taking place in the margins of a society laced with hatred, discrimination, and mistrust, Campbell's story of family ties and the search for identity is nevertheless marked by spare moments of love and joy, and defined by strength, resilience, and an indomitable spirit.
This definitive edition includes a new introduction written by Indigenous (Metis) scholar Dr. Kim Anderson, detailing the extraordinary work that Maria has undertaken since the books' original publication, and an Afterword by the author, reflecting on what has and hasn't changed for Indigenous people in Canada today. Restored are the recently discovered missing pages from the original text of this groundbreaking work.
Maria Campbell is a Métis writer, playwright, filmmaker, scholar, teacher, community organizer, activist, and elder. Halfbreed is regarded as a foundational work of Indigenous literature in Canada. She has authored several other books and plays, and has directed and written scripts for a number of films. She has also worked with Indigenous youth in community theatre and advocated for the hiring and recognition of Indigenous people in the arts. She has mentored many Indigenous artists during her career, established shelters for Indigenous women and children, and run a writers' camp at the national historical site at Batoche, where every summer she produces commemorative events on the anniversary of the battle of the 1885 Northwest Rebellion. Maria Campbell is an officer of the Order of Canada and holds six honorary doctorates.
4.7 rounded up to 5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
- Maria Campbell
Originally published in 1973, HALFBREED is Metis author Maria Campbell's unflinching memoir documenting her childhood and early adult life. Haunted by poverty, addiction, and tragedy, and taking place in the margins of a society laced with hatred, discrimination, and mistrust, Campbell's story of family ties and the search for identity is nevertheless marked by spare moments of love and joy, and defined by strength, resilience, and an indomitable spirit.
This definitive edition includes a new introduction written by Indigenous (Metis) scholar Dr. Kim Anderson, detailing the extraordinary work that Maria has undertaken since the books' original publication, and an Afterword by the author, reflecting on what has and hasn't changed for Indigenous people in Canada today. Restored are the recently discovered missing pages from the original text of this groundbreaking work.
Maria Campbell is a Métis writer, playwright, filmmaker, scholar, teacher, community organizer, activist, and elder. Halfbreed is regarded as a foundational work of Indigenous literature in Canada. She has authored several other books and plays, and has directed and written scripts for a number of films. She has also worked with Indigenous youth in community theatre and advocated for the hiring and recognition of Indigenous people in the arts. She has mentored many Indigenous artists during her career, established shelters for Indigenous women and children, and run a writers' camp at the national historical site at Batoche, where every summer she produces commemorative events on the anniversary of the battle of the 1885 Northwest Rebellion. Maria Campbell is an officer of the Order of Canada and holds six honorary doctorates.
4.7 rounded up to 5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
October 10, 2020
It took me a long time to read this because I kept putting it down. Maria's struggles were so painful that I was in agony for her. How she ever came out the other side from a life of neglect, poverty, abuse, drug addiction and prostitution is almost unbelievable. Nobody is spared in this memoir, including arrogant whites; racist governments; native men who abuse women; and natives who seek individual power rather than standing together. And the Métis, thanks to their informal lowest-of-the-low status, did not even receive land or treaty rights. However, never once does Maria consider herself a victim. Somehow she found the inner strength to rise above every challenge, and she is still fighting the good fight for her people today. Unfortunately, little has changed since she wrote this back in 1973.
November 9, 2014
This is an unflinching look at the injustices faced by the Mètis people of Western Canada, and one woman's struggle to escape the traps of poverty within that context. It can be hard to read because Maria Campbell really faced one difficulty after another after another... I am in awe of the grit and determination she shows in not giving in to despair and in telling her story so honestly. Definitely a book to pass on to everyone you know – an education in Canadian racism against aboriginal peoples. Published in 1973, but let's not kid ourselves that things have changed so drastically regarding the difficulties that Aboriginal people face.
October 1, 2008
This book was taught in every high school in Western Canada when I was a kid, and I have a dim memory of Campbell herself coming to give readings at my school. Somehow I missed reading it, in spite of my own parents having a copy. I think part of it was that my parents felt I was too young to be reading about Campbell's later involvement in drugs and prostitution.
I am intrigued by the natives' evolved self-classification into racial substrata - it mirrors the experiences of the slaves who came to North America and wound up mixing with whites. There are more levels than I can comprehend. This type of sorting happens all over the world among every race and I find it really foreign to my modern frame of reference. Why does it matter who your parents are, I ask myself?
I am intrigued by the natives' evolved self-classification into racial substrata - it mirrors the experiences of the slaves who came to North America and wound up mixing with whites. There are more levels than I can comprehend. This type of sorting happens all over the world among every race and I find it really foreign to my modern frame of reference. Why does it matter who your parents are, I ask myself?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2023
This book is an essential read. Published as fiction, this memoir is a stunning, raw, honest account of Maria Campbell’s experience growing up in Saskatchewan. All Canadians should give this book a chance.
October 22, 2020
3,4
Un testimoni dur que posa llum sobre la vida del poble indígena del Canadà. Com a obra funciona sobretot la primera part, quan tracte la seva infantesa i vida familiar. Després, malauradament, malgrat que hi ha punts interessants, el llibre sembla que es converteixi en un llistat d'esdeveniments vitals. M'ha faltat més detall, més reflexió, més unió de tots els fets.
Un testimoni dur que posa llum sobre la vida del poble indígena del Canadà. Com a obra funciona sobretot la primera part, quan tracte la seva infantesa i vida familiar. Després, malauradament, malgrat que hi ha punts interessants, el llibre sembla que es converteixi en un llistat d'esdeveniments vitals. M'ha faltat més detall, més reflexió, més unió de tots els fets.
April 11, 2019
3.5/5
I am part of a demographic whose greatest experience with the people of Maria Campbell consists of watching the drawn out voyeurism of CSI and other murder mysteries whose victims often hale from the much mythologized lands of indigenous reserves and associated, rampantly poverty stricken areas. It is vital, then, to actively seek out the narratives who commonly appear only in the media and only as a variant of migrant caricature or brutalized corpse, as my world allows indigenous nations to appear only as dehumanized hobby or long ago (assaulted) ancestor, a periphery that, as one is commonly taught in the US, had to die for the sake of the white present day. Campbell's life in mid-20th century Canada (for the most part) is different than it would have been had it centered in the US, but there are enough commonalities to learn from when it comes to Métis, First Nations, Native Americans, Halfbreed, Indians (most, if not all, treaties that the USA has with the people indigenous to its settler state only hold if the people go by this name), indigenous peoples, and whatever other blanket (a blanket much like the one Campbell speaks of as the breed of comfort white government offers in return for a mere smidgen of human sacrifice) most palatable to white thoughts and white tongues of any contemporaneous era. I don't know how long we have to go till Campbell's life is no longer the genocidal norm uniquely privy to her kind. That may be part of the point.
For me, the most cohesive part of Campbell's life started at the beginning and lasted to just after she married at the age of 15. I later found out that this would have been further shortened had my particular edition not been censored, as my edition does not have the two pages devoted to Campbell's account of being raped at age 14 by members of the RCMP. Afterwards, the flow of years become highly summarized and truncated, which wasn't surprising considering the marginalized worlds she was sucked in and out throughout that time, so many of her acquaintances sustaining her in return for various forms of exploitation and ending up dead and/or in prison along the way. It'd be easy to sensationalize such for a film, but it only attests to the hoops a young Halfbreed girl is forced to jump through before coming to a sustained way of life, with or without political consciousness, and how easily it is for so many to be wiped out along the way. The times have changed since this book's publication in 1973, as evidenced by my awareness of the term Métis long before I read this work, but the settler state of Canada and co. have not. So long as that is the case, there will be other Campbell's out there struggling against being hounded to death by the hatred of the Powers That Be of her gender and her kind. As attested to by the author, political work is its own special breed of hell, but as a white person, white, by listening to and amplifying the voices of those who are the experts on their own existence, do I really have to lose?
As I continue my way through the yet another work in the 500 Great Books By Women compendium, I am not exactly surprised by the variety, but it does remind me why I haven't yet forsaken this directory as a guide for y reading habits. Campbell's memoir is no absolute favorite, but it is a window into a world little published by those in the US of A, and so awareness of the kind that uplifts and respects such is vital for any kind of enduring faith in basic human compassion. I learned how swiftly and how fatally one can fall to a system that so brazenly commits theft, rape, and murder, that one becomes a mere object for the movers and pushers of the world one is supposed to appeal to the good will of for the sake of a human life. I have no doubt that Campbell's story is hardly unique, and the facts of sex work and drug trafficking and heroin addiction are simply that, instead of the sensationalized facet of a best-selling crime thriller or award winning drama. It's less sexy to view such issues as involving human beings who deserve respect and full, full, autonomy, but that is the political action that must occur, not the passing of SESTA/FOSTA and its extraterritorial ilk. I have a hard time imagining what that will look like, but being unable to come up with a foolproof plan for the humanity of tomorrow is no excuse for not sitting forth to try.
I am part of a demographic whose greatest experience with the people of Maria Campbell consists of watching the drawn out voyeurism of CSI and other murder mysteries whose victims often hale from the much mythologized lands of indigenous reserves and associated, rampantly poverty stricken areas. It is vital, then, to actively seek out the narratives who commonly appear only in the media and only as a variant of migrant caricature or brutalized corpse, as my world allows indigenous nations to appear only as dehumanized hobby or long ago (assaulted) ancestor, a periphery that, as one is commonly taught in the US, had to die for the sake of the white present day. Campbell's life in mid-20th century Canada (for the most part) is different than it would have been had it centered in the US, but there are enough commonalities to learn from when it comes to Métis, First Nations, Native Americans, Halfbreed, Indians (most, if not all, treaties that the USA has with the people indigenous to its settler state only hold if the people go by this name), indigenous peoples, and whatever other blanket (a blanket much like the one Campbell speaks of as the breed of comfort white government offers in return for a mere smidgen of human sacrifice) most palatable to white thoughts and white tongues of any contemporaneous era. I don't know how long we have to go till Campbell's life is no longer the genocidal norm uniquely privy to her kind. That may be part of the point.
For me, the most cohesive part of Campbell's life started at the beginning and lasted to just after she married at the age of 15. I later found out that this would have been further shortened had my particular edition not been censored, as my edition does not have the two pages devoted to Campbell's account of being raped at age 14 by members of the RCMP. Afterwards, the flow of years become highly summarized and truncated, which wasn't surprising considering the marginalized worlds she was sucked in and out throughout that time, so many of her acquaintances sustaining her in return for various forms of exploitation and ending up dead and/or in prison along the way. It'd be easy to sensationalize such for a film, but it only attests to the hoops a young Halfbreed girl is forced to jump through before coming to a sustained way of life, with or without political consciousness, and how easily it is for so many to be wiped out along the way. The times have changed since this book's publication in 1973, as evidenced by my awareness of the term Métis long before I read this work, but the settler state of Canada and co. have not. So long as that is the case, there will be other Campbell's out there struggling against being hounded to death by the hatred of the Powers That Be of her gender and her kind. As attested to by the author, political work is its own special breed of hell, but as a white person, white, by listening to and amplifying the voices of those who are the experts on their own existence, do I really have to lose?
As I continue my way through the yet another work in the 500 Great Books By Women compendium, I am not exactly surprised by the variety, but it does remind me why I haven't yet forsaken this directory as a guide for y reading habits. Campbell's memoir is no absolute favorite, but it is a window into a world little published by those in the US of A, and so awareness of the kind that uplifts and respects such is vital for any kind of enduring faith in basic human compassion. I learned how swiftly and how fatally one can fall to a system that so brazenly commits theft, rape, and murder, that one becomes a mere object for the movers and pushers of the world one is supposed to appeal to the good will of for the sake of a human life. I have no doubt that Campbell's story is hardly unique, and the facts of sex work and drug trafficking and heroin addiction are simply that, instead of the sensationalized facet of a best-selling crime thriller or award winning drama. It's less sexy to view such issues as involving human beings who deserve respect and full, full, autonomy, but that is the political action that must occur, not the passing of SESTA/FOSTA and its extraterritorial ilk. I have a hard time imagining what that will look like, but being unable to come up with a foolproof plan for the humanity of tomorrow is no excuse for not sitting forth to try.
The whites at the meetings were the kind of people who had failed to find recognition among their own people, and so had come to mine, where they were treated with the respect they felt they deserved.
June 7, 2020
This is my second read of this important book. It helps me learn the history of my own province that was never taught to me in school.
July 28, 2021
qué libro tan necesario.
February 23, 2019
As someone who really judges books by their covers, this is something I never would have picked up on my own - you can definitely tell that it was published in the 80's; but it was required reading for my 20th century Canadian literature class, so I really had no choice. I am so glad I had to read this though, it was incredibly powerful and raw, without any dull moments. It really is amazing that this is a true story!
This biography does an amazing job disrupting the stereotype of Canada being a fantasy land of a united, free, happy, generous people. What I really love about it though, is the way Campbell doesn't look back on her life and critically reflect on it, but instead she just narrates it and lets the story speak for itself. It's reads as an action packed, raw journey of determination and perseverance. It really made me conscious of how powerful racial and circumstantial privilege really is in Canada; yet how ridiculous it is that this sort of privilege even exists.
Campbell's personal growth, especially in relation to Cheechum's philosophy on life, was really slow burning yet amazing to watch. There was the perfect balance of plot action (unfortunately for Campbell) and character development, making for an amazing read and a powerful story.
I also really appreciated how the first chapter of the book situated the story within a specific historical context. It really helped clarify the where the story is coming from, and would especially be beneficial to people who are not familiar with Canadian history. Though this chapter is a bit of a dry history lesson, it really is necessary and sets up the book well.
The only small problem I had with the book was the host of people introduced at the beginning. I got flustered with all the names of great great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and other family. I especially had a hard time remembering the race or nationality of specific family members. But in the grand scheme of the novel it really didn't affect my reading of the story too much since the story is told in chronological order and doesn't make reference to specific past family members too much. I just wish there was a family tree at the beginning of the book! It might even be worth it to create your own while reading this for the first time.
Overall I think this is a powerful story about colonization, racism, struggle, and Canadian culture. Even if you're not Canadian, I would highly recommend this book! Just be aware that because this is a book about struggle and perseverance, there are trigger warnings for domestic violence, drug use, alcohol use, and prostitution.
This biography does an amazing job disrupting the stereotype of Canada being a fantasy land of a united, free, happy, generous people. What I really love about it though, is the way Campbell doesn't look back on her life and critically reflect on it, but instead she just narrates it and lets the story speak for itself. It's reads as an action packed, raw journey of determination and perseverance. It really made me conscious of how powerful racial and circumstantial privilege really is in Canada; yet how ridiculous it is that this sort of privilege even exists.
Campbell's personal growth, especially in relation to Cheechum's philosophy on life, was really slow burning yet amazing to watch. There was the perfect balance of plot action (unfortunately for Campbell) and character development, making for an amazing read and a powerful story.
I also really appreciated how the first chapter of the book situated the story within a specific historical context. It really helped clarify the where the story is coming from, and would especially be beneficial to people who are not familiar with Canadian history. Though this chapter is a bit of a dry history lesson, it really is necessary and sets up the book well.
The only small problem I had with the book was the host of people introduced at the beginning. I got flustered with all the names of great great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and other family. I especially had a hard time remembering the race or nationality of specific family members. But in the grand scheme of the novel it really didn't affect my reading of the story too much since the story is told in chronological order and doesn't make reference to specific past family members too much. I just wish there was a family tree at the beginning of the book! It might even be worth it to create your own while reading this for the first time.
Overall I think this is a powerful story about colonization, racism, struggle, and Canadian culture. Even if you're not Canadian, I would highly recommend this book! Just be aware that because this is a book about struggle and perseverance, there are trigger warnings for domestic violence, drug use, alcohol use, and prostitution.
April 3, 2008
Wow. Anyone who can read this book and not feel incredibly lucky themselves is either heartless and soulless or living a truly terrible life. In Half-Breed Maria Campbell, a Halfbreed who grew up in Saskatchewan, describes her childhood and early adulthood, living in poverty, dealing with racism and discrimination, trying to avoid the division of her family at the hands of the government, suffering abuse, turning to prostitution and drugs, and finally getting clean and finding hope in Native politics.
Her personal life story is extraordinary and heartbreaking, but the text goes beyond just telling her own story. She makes sure to position her memoir in the broader context of Halfbreed history. She opens by describing the way that her people have had to move from place to place as white people and their government settled on their lands, how they eventually tried to work within the Canadian system in order to preserve the land they did have but failed because they could not earn enough money to pay for upkeep, how a major political movement grew up and then died away in the face of divisions among the people. Campbell's life and the sense of hopelessness and failure most of her family, friends, and neighbors exist within is a direct result of this history.
Campbell concludes Half-Breed by looking to the future. The political movement she had been involved in becomes another failure, but she continues to believe that one day, and one day soon, things will change. She writes,
"For these past couple of years, I've stopped being the idealistically shiny-eyed young woman I once was. I realize that an armed revolution of Native people will never come about; even if such a thing were possible what would we achieve? We would only end up oppressing someone else. I believe that one day, very soon, people will set aside their differences and come together as one. Maybe not because we love one another, but because we will need each other to survive. Then together we will fight our common enemies. Change will come because this time we won't give up. There is growing evidence of that today." (184)
I wonder if she now, thirty-six years later, thinks that this has happened already or, is she, like her grandmother did for more than one hundred years, still looking hopefully toward the future.
Her personal life story is extraordinary and heartbreaking, but the text goes beyond just telling her own story. She makes sure to position her memoir in the broader context of Halfbreed history. She opens by describing the way that her people have had to move from place to place as white people and their government settled on their lands, how they eventually tried to work within the Canadian system in order to preserve the land they did have but failed because they could not earn enough money to pay for upkeep, how a major political movement grew up and then died away in the face of divisions among the people. Campbell's life and the sense of hopelessness and failure most of her family, friends, and neighbors exist within is a direct result of this history.
Campbell concludes Half-Breed by looking to the future. The political movement she had been involved in becomes another failure, but she continues to believe that one day, and one day soon, things will change. She writes,
"For these past couple of years, I've stopped being the idealistically shiny-eyed young woman I once was. I realize that an armed revolution of Native people will never come about; even if such a thing were possible what would we achieve? We would only end up oppressing someone else. I believe that one day, very soon, people will set aside their differences and come together as one. Maybe not because we love one another, but because we will need each other to survive. Then together we will fight our common enemies. Change will come because this time we won't give up. There is growing evidence of that today." (184)
I wonder if she now, thirty-six years later, thinks that this has happened already or, is she, like her grandmother did for more than one hundred years, still looking hopefully toward the future.
December 26, 2020
Maria Campbell has a strength not known to many. Living in poverty, raped, abused and beaten, she has survived. she has survived a life of racism and abuse, yet fought back against drugs and alcohol and has shared her story with Canadians. This is not an easy book to read but an important narrative which will help Canadians understand the racism, abuse and generational trauma to First Nations and Metis people. Kudos for her to have the strength to improve her life, help others and share her life in text.
February 5, 2017
I was very engaged with this book, the story-telling approach, amazed at how much Maria lived and loved and survived in so few years. I must now find out what she's been doing for the last forty years. An amazing story that helps to explain where where we've come to in indigenous relations. Her perspective as a woman involved in organizing expresses a fuller picture of what was happening politically.
February 27, 2020
This book was one of the pivotal books that opened my eyes when read it right after it was published. Thanks Emmkay for reminding me how much I love this brave trailblazer.
January 14, 2024
“I wanted to cry. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. I loved Smoky and wanted to be with him forever, yet when I thought of him and marriage I saw only shacks, kids, no food, and both of us fighting. I saw myself with my head down and Smoky looking like an old man, laughing only when he was drunk. I loved my people so much and missed them if I couldn’t see them often. I felt alive when I went to their parties, and I overflowed with happiness when we would all sit down and share a meal, yet I hated all of it as much as I loved it.”
Another day, another person's life story to delve into. This is probably the only time I will say this about not just a memoir but a book in general, but this needed to be longer bro. I feel like I’m lying to myself when I say that, but I honestly do think I wouldn’t have minded like fifty more pages, even if there is a lot of shit going on as is. Fun fact, the original manuscript was 2000 PAGES LONG YES but Maria Campbell’s editors reduced it to less than 200…I mean, I wouldn’t have survived 2000 pages…but still.
Maria Campbell's monumental 1973 memoir Halfbreed reads as a history book of sorts. Taking place in mid-20th century Canada, Campbell shares stories of her childhood and her life as a Métis woman. Between her tight-knit community in Saskatchewan to urban Vancouver, she tells us about
Métis culture and community, debilitating hardship, the prejudices of society, and more oh my!!
When I say Halfbreed reads as a history book, it’s because the book consists of stories that are told independently of a central “event” that would have prompted Campbell to write about her life in the first place. I’ll use Judy Fong Bates’s memoir The Year of Finding Memory as a comparison. Fong Bates’s trip to China is the “driving plot” of her book, and this journey serves as the background and her source of reflection to non-chronologically tell her life story. Halfbreed, however, does not have a central occasion; the book simply progresses as the years do, and the the stories Campbell tells follow a mostly linear, chronological sequence. Further, she begins her memoir with a brief history of Métis resistance and defeat in Canada before she actually talks about her own personal family history. This is such a good way of setting the foundation of the rest of the book, as Métis history constitutes both the past and present for Campbell’s life as she tells it. Like, this is the story of not just her yknow, it’s the story of a collective group, and there’s some profound significance in that.
Throughout the book Campbell talks at length about the immense struggles she and her family face being Métis. And her feelings of both love and hate, exemplified in the quotation above, are such raw and honest moments. Halfbreed is rich with Métis culture and I loved reading about their traditions, community structures, and holiday events. I laughed, I teared up, I cringed, I got pissed, I learned, you get it. Campbell does such a good job of making her community, the land and its people, feel genuinely alive in the pages. The pride and love she has for them is palpable, but she also shares the shitty parts of being Métis, like the commonplace violence and their identity in general: that feeling of existing on the margins. Campbell’s recollections of the shame, anger, hatred, and disdain she felt toward her own community are some of the most powerful moments in the book that really stuck with me. She articulates this complexity so so well and just wow wow wow.
Okay this is a very quick read. It’s both short and easy to digest. Let me clarify that this digestibility I’m talking about comes from how Campbell writes, not necessarily the content itself. She’s super concise and gets to the point of what she wants to say without super flowery prose. The subject matter, however, is heavy, and in a way, Campbell’s quick, short style is almost jarring in that she seems to breeze by some genuinely heart-wrenching shit. She doesn’t tend to dwell on a single anecdote or incident for longer than she needs; she tells the story and moves on to the next. I like this because it is so quick to read and her writing feels like you're actually there listening to her. However, I’m curious about what else she felt, especially during moments that are particularly straight up life changing or life shattering. This isn’t because I want to hear about how she suffered btw omg, it just felt crazy how fast we were moving on likeeee damn I need a minute to process this.
I was prepared for heavier topics to come up, but I was not expecting Campbell to be so fucking young during all of it. She was born in 1940, and when I saw her mention that the current year was 1960 after reading about all the soul-crushing stuff she had endured prior to that, I was fuckin astonished. I’m roughly the same age she was at the time of her talking about being on her own, having children, being broke and jobless, and dealing with addiction, and I still can’t fathom how she managed to get through it. And the thing is, she almost didn’t. That being said, this is one of those books where I wanted to like reach through time and the pages and act as a friend. With Campbell’s writing style, these darker moments aren’t written about in lots of detail, but they’re still devastating in their simplicity and frankness. The nice thing about reading older memoirs is that I know how the author is doing now in the “future.” The edition I have includes a new introduction from 2019, and bro I cannot explain how genuinely reassuring and comforting it is to know that her life is a lot lighter. Maria Campbell is so fucking cool and this sounds silly but I’m so proud of everything she’s accomplished, like she’s a big deal guys.
I’m dishing out a very unsure 3.5, like my feelings are conflicted. To be clear, I really enjoyed reading and I highly recommend the book!! I’m just a little indifferent about memoirs. Nevertheless, Halfbreed and Campbell really do deserve all their flowers. I get why this book is still studied in Canadian schools today, especially considering its recent updates: the aforementioned introduction, as well as an afterword from Campbell herself and (THIS ONE IS CRAZY) the TWO NEW PAGES THAT WEREN’T IN THE BOOK UNTIL 2019. Again, the original manuscript was 2000 pages, but these two specific pages that were cut contain a story that Campbell really wanted to keep in that involves a fucking diabolical incident between a young her and the RCMP. This story wasn’t publicly known, or at least part of her memoir, until 46 years after the book’s publication. I can only imagine what else is in that original manuscript if stuff like this was covered up. Anyway, history is rarely a thing of the past, check out this book, and Maria Campbell you will always be famous.
Another day, another person's life story to delve into. This is probably the only time I will say this about not just a memoir but a book in general, but this needed to be longer bro. I feel like I’m lying to myself when I say that, but I honestly do think I wouldn’t have minded like fifty more pages, even if there is a lot of shit going on as is. Fun fact, the original manuscript was 2000 PAGES LONG YES but Maria Campbell’s editors reduced it to less than 200…I mean, I wouldn’t have survived 2000 pages…but still.
Maria Campbell's monumental 1973 memoir Halfbreed reads as a history book of sorts. Taking place in mid-20th century Canada, Campbell shares stories of her childhood and her life as a Métis woman. Between her tight-knit community in Saskatchewan to urban Vancouver, she tells us about
Métis culture and community, debilitating hardship, the prejudices of society, and more oh my!!
When I say Halfbreed reads as a history book, it’s because the book consists of stories that are told independently of a central “event” that would have prompted Campbell to write about her life in the first place. I’ll use Judy Fong Bates’s memoir The Year of Finding Memory as a comparison. Fong Bates’s trip to China is the “driving plot” of her book, and this journey serves as the background and her source of reflection to non-chronologically tell her life story. Halfbreed, however, does not have a central occasion; the book simply progresses as the years do, and the the stories Campbell tells follow a mostly linear, chronological sequence. Further, she begins her memoir with a brief history of Métis resistance and defeat in Canada before she actually talks about her own personal family history. This is such a good way of setting the foundation of the rest of the book, as Métis history constitutes both the past and present for Campbell’s life as she tells it. Like, this is the story of not just her yknow, it’s the story of a collective group, and there’s some profound significance in that.
Throughout the book Campbell talks at length about the immense struggles she and her family face being Métis. And her feelings of both love and hate, exemplified in the quotation above, are such raw and honest moments. Halfbreed is rich with Métis culture and I loved reading about their traditions, community structures, and holiday events. I laughed, I teared up, I cringed, I got pissed, I learned, you get it. Campbell does such a good job of making her community, the land and its people, feel genuinely alive in the pages. The pride and love she has for them is palpable, but she also shares the shitty parts of being Métis, like the commonplace violence and their identity in general: that feeling of existing on the margins. Campbell’s recollections of the shame, anger, hatred, and disdain she felt toward her own community are some of the most powerful moments in the book that really stuck with me. She articulates this complexity so so well and just wow wow wow.
Okay this is a very quick read. It’s both short and easy to digest. Let me clarify that this digestibility I’m talking about comes from how Campbell writes, not necessarily the content itself. She’s super concise and gets to the point of what she wants to say without super flowery prose. The subject matter, however, is heavy, and in a way, Campbell’s quick, short style is almost jarring in that she seems to breeze by some genuinely heart-wrenching shit. She doesn’t tend to dwell on a single anecdote or incident for longer than she needs; she tells the story and moves on to the next. I like this because it is so quick to read and her writing feels like you're actually there listening to her. However, I’m curious about what else she felt, especially during moments that are particularly straight up life changing or life shattering. This isn’t because I want to hear about how she suffered btw omg, it just felt crazy how fast we were moving on likeeee damn I need a minute to process this.
I was prepared for heavier topics to come up, but I was not expecting Campbell to be so fucking young during all of it. She was born in 1940, and when I saw her mention that the current year was 1960 after reading about all the soul-crushing stuff she had endured prior to that, I was fuckin astonished. I’m roughly the same age she was at the time of her talking about being on her own, having children, being broke and jobless, and dealing with addiction, and I still can’t fathom how she managed to get through it. And the thing is, she almost didn’t. That being said, this is one of those books where I wanted to like reach through time and the pages and act as a friend. With Campbell’s writing style, these darker moments aren’t written about in lots of detail, but they’re still devastating in their simplicity and frankness. The nice thing about reading older memoirs is that I know how the author is doing now in the “future.” The edition I have includes a new introduction from 2019, and bro I cannot explain how genuinely reassuring and comforting it is to know that her life is a lot lighter. Maria Campbell is so fucking cool and this sounds silly but I’m so proud of everything she’s accomplished, like she’s a big deal guys.
I’m dishing out a very unsure 3.5, like my feelings are conflicted. To be clear, I really enjoyed reading and I highly recommend the book!! I’m just a little indifferent about memoirs. Nevertheless, Halfbreed and Campbell really do deserve all their flowers. I get why this book is still studied in Canadian schools today, especially considering its recent updates: the aforementioned introduction, as well as an afterword from Campbell herself and (THIS ONE IS CRAZY) the TWO NEW PAGES THAT WEREN’T IN THE BOOK UNTIL 2019. Again, the original manuscript was 2000 pages, but these two specific pages that were cut contain a story that Campbell really wanted to keep in that involves a fucking diabolical incident between a young her and the RCMP. This story wasn’t publicly known, or at least part of her memoir, until 46 years after the book’s publication. I can only imagine what else is in that original manuscript if stuff like this was covered up. Anyway, history is rarely a thing of the past, check out this book, and Maria Campbell you will always be famous.
December 4, 2024
Coup de coeur énorme pour ce récit authentique et assumé. Campbell est maintenant pour moi une autrice majeure de la littérature autochtone pour tout ce qu'elle a pu paver pour les auteur.ices d'aujourd'hui. Son texte, mené d'une main de maître, montre clairement les écueils systémiques auxquels elle a du faire face dès son enfance. Halfbreed est l'évidence même de la colonialité qui se perpétue encore aujourd'hui par le gouvernement canadien auprès des populations autochtones. Sans hésitation, Maria Campbell a partagé son expérience nuancée de son identité métisse et féminine à une époque où le monde était encore bien moins réceptif. Je pense que personne ne peut sortir de cette lecture sans réaliser l'ampleur de la nécessité d'écouter et agir selon les revendications autochtones : dans Halfbreed, on remarque le rôle que la législation joue, celui de la police ou du RCMP, du racisme systémique, du patriarcat qui s'y mélange, de la question territoriale, du support social, etc. Beaucoup d'éléments qui pourraient sembler "aider" sont ici mis en évidence comme autant d'embûches systémiques supplémentaires. Plusieurs passages à saveur politique à la fin du livre en font une lecture puissante et absolument nécessaire.
"'Here we are, the two of us, and we weren't any different from any other women. What happened anyway? Why do we have to fight so damn hard for so little?' I wondered then if good, straight women ever experienced the torment, the agony and loneliness we had to face, and if they did, how in hell did they cope?"
Un manifeste puissant du besoin décolonial et féministe pour toutes les femmes.
"'Here we are, the two of us, and we weren't any different from any other women. What happened anyway? Why do we have to fight so damn hard for so little?' I wondered then if good, straight women ever experienced the torment, the agony and loneliness we had to face, and if they did, how in hell did they cope?"
Un manifeste puissant du besoin décolonial et féministe pour toutes les femmes.
November 6, 2024
Un récit publié en 1973, mais trop peu lu et pas reconnu à sa juste valeur. À mes yeux l'un des livres les plus puissants sur l'expérience coloniale des Premiers peuples au Canada, côte à côte avec Je suis une maudite sauvagesse de la grande An Antane Kapesh. Le livre audio, narré magnifiquement par Cindy Gaudet de la communauté métis de Saskatchewan, est une expérience à part entière.
August 9, 2024
If half of the things that happened to her happened to me I woulda kms brev she’s so strong
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2025
"Cuando pienso en aquella época y en aquellas personas, comprendo que los pobres (sean blancos o nativos) atrapados en cierta forma de vida nunca puedan recurrir a los líderes empresariales o políticos del país en busca de ayuda. Por mucho que lo prometan, tales líderes nunca cambiarán las cosas, porque están involucrados y perpetúan en privado lo mismo que condenan en público".
La escritora y activista canadiense Maria Campbell nos relata en Mestiza las dificultades que su pueblo lleva padeciendo desde que el hombre blanco puso un pie territorio americano, sea este del norte, del sur o del centro. Si bien en Canadá los indios "registrados" no tenían una existencia tan difícil como al otro lado de la frontera, la de los mestizos era otro cantar. No eran ni blancos ni indios. Se consideraban una anomalía y como tal los trataban las autoridades y la sociedad. Acostumbrados a una vida nómada y a trabajos precarios, su única salvación era una red social y familiar fuerte y ahí es precisamente donde les dieron más fuerte desde los gobiernos de la época (años sesenta, más o menos), dividiendo a la comunidad, dando poder a unos para que se olvidaran del bienestar de los otros. Mestiza es un libro interesante, donde lo mejor es la primera parte, aquella en la que la autora habla de su infancia, la familia y su abuela Cheechum.
"Cuando me dieron el alta del hospital, me mudé con una amiga que tenía dos hijos y vivía de ayudas sociales. Marion era una india que participaba en algunas actividades nativas de Calgary. La acompañé a un par de reuniones, pero no repetí. Las personas de aquellos mítines me recordaban al indio del traje que había venido a nuestro campamento con una delegación de vecinos de St. Michele. Me parecían trajes de segunda mano que sus nuevos propietarios intentaban desesperadamente que les quedasen bien, sin conseguirlo. Los blancos de las reuniones eran esa clase de personas que no había logrado reconocimiento entre su pueblo y por eso acudía al mío, donde los trataban con el respeto que ellos creían merecer".
La escritora y activista canadiense Maria Campbell nos relata en Mestiza las dificultades que su pueblo lleva padeciendo desde que el hombre blanco puso un pie territorio americano, sea este del norte, del sur o del centro. Si bien en Canadá los indios "registrados" no tenían una existencia tan difícil como al otro lado de la frontera, la de los mestizos era otro cantar. No eran ni blancos ni indios. Se consideraban una anomalía y como tal los trataban las autoridades y la sociedad. Acostumbrados a una vida nómada y a trabajos precarios, su única salvación era una red social y familiar fuerte y ahí es precisamente donde les dieron más fuerte desde los gobiernos de la época (años sesenta, más o menos), dividiendo a la comunidad, dando poder a unos para que se olvidaran del bienestar de los otros. Mestiza es un libro interesante, donde lo mejor es la primera parte, aquella en la que la autora habla de su infancia, la familia y su abuela Cheechum.
"Cuando me dieron el alta del hospital, me mudé con una amiga que tenía dos hijos y vivía de ayudas sociales. Marion era una india que participaba en algunas actividades nativas de Calgary. La acompañé a un par de reuniones, pero no repetí. Las personas de aquellos mítines me recordaban al indio del traje que había venido a nuestro campamento con una delegación de vecinos de St. Michele. Me parecían trajes de segunda mano que sus nuevos propietarios intentaban desesperadamente que les quedasen bien, sin conseguirlo. Los blancos de las reuniones eran esa clase de personas que no había logrado reconocimiento entre su pueblo y por eso acudía al mío, donde los trataban con el respeto que ellos creían merecer".
March 4, 2023
This is not an easy memoir to read, but it's so important and it's also well written. And so much of what Maria is saying is still so relevant when considering there's so much work to do for Indigenous relations in so-called Canada.
February 22, 2015
"Halfbreed" is brief in its pages, but heavy in its heart. It's an autobiography I can and will champion for its revelation of Canada's systemic racism against Indigenous peoples, both in the past and in the present.
Maria Campbell was born to a Métis family on the Canadian prairies and grew up believing she was a worthless "halfbreed," and one of those "road allowance" people squatting on crown land. As her family faced extreme poverty and hardship, they also struggled to be accepted by both non-Indigenous communities and status Indigenous communities. Maria's family fought with their community to be recognized as its own culture and people, but they were consistently betrayed and degraded in the Canadian and provincial political systems. Maria's hard childhood turned into a harder transition to adulthood, marked by alcoholism and drug-use and the meeting of other wayward characters searching for stability, home, and family. Maria has since found her calling in Métis politics, fighting to establish a functional and less misunderstood relationship between the government and the "road allowance" peoples; I believe equally great work has been accomplished in the writing of this autobiography, bringing to light the realities of growing up as a "halfbreed" in Canada.
Maria Campbell's "Halfbreed" often earns the credit as the first published book from the Canadian Indigenous perspective. But it is, as it ever was, still relevant today. While great political advances have been made since 1973, the Métis identity still struggles socially to be recognized as a unique culture of its own by Canadians. And the general disrespect and racism of Canadians towards First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples is absolutely still a great issue. I believe, however, the extremely heavy burden of Native stereotypes may have a chance of being eliminated if every Canadian could pick up a book like "Halfbreed." They say you can't judge a person until you walk a day in their shoes, imagine what could be accomplished if we got to read their entire life in only 167 pages.
Maria Campbell was born to a Métis family on the Canadian prairies and grew up believing she was a worthless "halfbreed," and one of those "road allowance" people squatting on crown land. As her family faced extreme poverty and hardship, they also struggled to be accepted by both non-Indigenous communities and status Indigenous communities. Maria's family fought with their community to be recognized as its own culture and people, but they were consistently betrayed and degraded in the Canadian and provincial political systems. Maria's hard childhood turned into a harder transition to adulthood, marked by alcoholism and drug-use and the meeting of other wayward characters searching for stability, home, and family. Maria has since found her calling in Métis politics, fighting to establish a functional and less misunderstood relationship between the government and the "road allowance" peoples; I believe equally great work has been accomplished in the writing of this autobiography, bringing to light the realities of growing up as a "halfbreed" in Canada.
Maria Campbell's "Halfbreed" often earns the credit as the first published book from the Canadian Indigenous perspective. But it is, as it ever was, still relevant today. While great political advances have been made since 1973, the Métis identity still struggles socially to be recognized as a unique culture of its own by Canadians. And the general disrespect and racism of Canadians towards First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples is absolutely still a great issue. I believe, however, the extremely heavy burden of Native stereotypes may have a chance of being eliminated if every Canadian could pick up a book like "Halfbreed." They say you can't judge a person until you walk a day in their shoes, imagine what could be accomplished if we got to read their entire life in only 167 pages.
July 2, 2021
Coup de coeur !
Halfbreed, c’est un récit autobiographique qui ébranle, percute. L’autrice nous plonge dans ce qui a été son quotidien en tant que jeune fille Métisse. Elle nous fait entrer dans la maison où elle a grandit. Celle dans laquelle l’amour et l’entraide régnait. Avec sa famille, elle a vécu dans l’extrême pauvreté. Ils ont subit du racisme et de l’injustice à répétition. Ça crève le coeur.
En grandissant, ses choix l’amènent sur un chemin encore plus ardu. Relation abusive, violence, prostitution et dépendance à l’alcool et aux drogues font partis de son quotidien.
Mais au travers les obstacles qui se dressent sur son chemin, les sages paroles de son arrière-grand-mère Cheechum lui reviennent en tête. Elles lui donnent la force de changer sa vie.
Sincèrement, les mots de Maria Campbell vont m’habiter longtemps. Et aucun doute que certains des conseils, réflexions de Cheechum vont me suivre dans mon quotidien.
« Une caractéristique de notre peuple, c’est que nous ne cherchons jamais à accumuler des biens. Si on a quelque chose, on le partage avec tout le monde, peu importe notre bonne ou mauvaise fortune. »
Halfbreed, c’est un récit autobiographique qui ébranle, percute. L’autrice nous plonge dans ce qui a été son quotidien en tant que jeune fille Métisse. Elle nous fait entrer dans la maison où elle a grandit. Celle dans laquelle l’amour et l’entraide régnait. Avec sa famille, elle a vécu dans l’extrême pauvreté. Ils ont subit du racisme et de l’injustice à répétition. Ça crève le coeur.
En grandissant, ses choix l’amènent sur un chemin encore plus ardu. Relation abusive, violence, prostitution et dépendance à l’alcool et aux drogues font partis de son quotidien.
Mais au travers les obstacles qui se dressent sur son chemin, les sages paroles de son arrière-grand-mère Cheechum lui reviennent en tête. Elles lui donnent la force de changer sa vie.
Sincèrement, les mots de Maria Campbell vont m’habiter longtemps. Et aucun doute que certains des conseils, réflexions de Cheechum vont me suivre dans mon quotidien.
« Une caractéristique de notre peuple, c’est que nous ne cherchons jamais à accumuler des biens. Si on a quelque chose, on le partage avec tout le monde, peu importe notre bonne ou mauvaise fortune. »
February 7, 2023
This book is the truth. As Canadians we often see ourselves as better than other countries, and more specifically the USA. And while even if we are slightly more progressive these days it doesn’t mean that we can forget the ongoing racism, and oppression, as well as the dark history the Canadian government has tried their best to hide. This book doesn’t sugar coat the difficult truths of the lives of many Metis people.
This edition made significantly more sense than the last with the added scene. I don’t want to accidentally spoil the book so I’m not going to do a summary but trust me if you decide to read this book make sure to get the new edition.
Other than that I just want to say how much I love this book, and would 100% recommend. 5 stars all the way.
Also small note, the synopsis is very accurate to the book. It would probably be a good way to tell if you’d find the book interesting.
This edition made significantly more sense than the last with the added scene. I don’t want to accidentally spoil the book so I’m not going to do a summary but trust me if you decide to read this book make sure to get the new edition.
Other than that I just want to say how much I love this book, and would 100% recommend. 5 stars all the way.
Also small note, the synopsis is very accurate to the book. It would probably be a good way to tell if you’d find the book interesting.
January 10, 2019
"I believe that one day, very soon, people will set aside their differences and come together as one. Maybe not because we love one another, but because we will need each other to survive."
Powerful in its simplicity, but it is very disturbing too. Her personal journey is successful, but there is still a lot of healing to be done for her people. All of them.
Powerful in its simplicity, but it is very disturbing too. Her personal journey is successful, but there is still a lot of healing to be done for her people. All of them.
November 7, 2020
This book isn't always easy to read, but it's a classic of Indigenous literature and tells the story of one woman's life growing up Metis from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Maria's work has been influential on Indigenous literature in Canada, and Indigenous stories.
She is a true icon and has done so much.
Maria's work has been influential on Indigenous literature in Canada, and Indigenous stories.
She is a true icon and has done so much.
March 22, 2021
I don't want my 3 star rating to devalue Maria's life experience or to disillusion people of the importance of this book, so let me start by saying that, foremost, this is a book that everyone should read. It's regarded as one of the fundamental Indigenous books and I can both agree with that statement and understand its reasoning for saying so. Reading about Maria's life was both shocking and traumatizing, which was saddening to realize because it proves how much the government and school system has put a veil over the historical and current injustices that the governmental system and Canadian society has posed on Indigenous communities. We have a lot of work to do. But people like Maria give me hope and as I was reading her story, she demonstrated resilience and strength despite all of the hardships and challenges that she went through. She is an inspiring person and I'm curious to learn more about her other works and to learn more about her.
The reasoning for my 3-star rating was because I found the book too short, I felt like I still had a lot of questions and I wanted to learn more about Maria's role in activism and her experience with it. Although I do understand that this newer edition of the book was to remain true to the original text that was first published, which I understand and respect. In addition, I was yearning to hear more about her experience of being a "halfbreed", as a person of Indigenous and European descent, but this is because of my own selfish reasons as a person with parents of differing races and cultures, so I'm always eager to hear about other people's experiences. Therefore, my 3-star rating is solely based on my personal preferences and expectations, which isn't fair to the book, but now you know!
The reasoning for my 3-star rating was because I found the book too short, I felt like I still had a lot of questions and I wanted to learn more about Maria's role in activism and her experience with it. Although I do understand that this newer edition of the book was to remain true to the original text that was first published, which I understand and respect. In addition, I was yearning to hear more about her experience of being a "halfbreed", as a person of Indigenous and European descent, but this is because of my own selfish reasons as a person with parents of differing races and cultures, so I'm always eager to hear about other people's experiences. Therefore, my 3-star rating is solely based on my personal preferences and expectations, which isn't fair to the book, but now you know!
May 14, 2021
This might be short, but it is powerful. For any who grew up in Canada being told that Canadians aren't racist, this tells you something very different. For those who have mainly experienced "smiling racism" in Canada, this shows you that that isn't the only kind there.
Maria Campbell is well known in many circles now, but it took a lot of courage and strength for her to get there, and before that she went through many things sadly common for Métis, First Nations and Inuit Women in Canada, including when they left to move to the cities, etc. This covers her life until the second half of her twenties perhaps c. 30 (it was first published in 1973), up until she first starts her life of activism, etc.
Okay, yes, this man isn't first nations, but while I was reading this, I thought of this poignant song, which he wrote around the same time this book was written because he was horrified at what he saw when he visited Vancouver. He tells you why he wrote it just before he sings it. Might not be your kind of music, but it is still powerful, and even though it's a different group he sings about, I think it shows compassion, and given when it was written, keen observation for a white man, and it's not necessarily what you might expect. He talks about how he got to writing it before he plays it here. This is NOT to discount Métis music or First Nations' music, but I heard this song when I bought the CD that pays tribute to a man I grew up knowing (a logger).
FYI She is Métis and not Native American :) Native American is an American term for American aboriginal peoples, not a Canadian term. The terms I used above are the correct ones in Canada.
Maria Campbell is well known in many circles now, but it took a lot of courage and strength for her to get there, and before that she went through many things sadly common for Métis, First Nations and Inuit Women in Canada, including when they left to move to the cities, etc. This covers her life until the second half of her twenties perhaps c. 30 (it was first published in 1973), up until she first starts her life of activism, etc.
Okay, yes, this man isn't first nations, but while I was reading this, I thought of this poignant song, which he wrote around the same time this book was written because he was horrified at what he saw when he visited Vancouver. He tells you why he wrote it just before he sings it. Might not be your kind of music, but it is still powerful, and even though it's a different group he sings about, I think it shows compassion, and given when it was written, keen observation for a white man, and it's not necessarily what you might expect. He talks about how he got to writing it before he plays it here. This is NOT to discount Métis music or First Nations' music, but I heard this song when I bought the CD that pays tribute to a man I grew up knowing (a logger).
FYI She is Métis and not Native American :) Native American is an American term for American aboriginal peoples, not a Canadian term. The terms I used above are the correct ones in Canada.
November 19, 2021
A valuable and unflinching recounting of a Métis life. Effective in its communication of just how hard it is to be “alright” in poverty, let alone also navigating outright racism. Canada similarly shares the delusion of success by picking yourself up by your bootstraps, completely ignoring systemic issues. To say Campbell pushed through adverse circumstances would be a gross minimization of the obstacles.
Even more infuriating is that things haven’t changed all that much. Especially when she talks about Lethbridge, a town that benefits from indigenous money, yet condemns the population. Absolutely still the case. The country and certainly Alberta has not done better, nor even educated people on these matters such that people understand any of the issues central to indigenous people, but probably even more so with the Métis.
The only reason this wasn’t five stars from me was because the authors delivery of her book was actually not great on audio, and only accented the repetitive sentence construction and robbed the recounting of emotion, ironically; a sadly very common thing that occurs when authors narrate their own work. On the one hand, I am obviously glad they’ve been paid (they better have been) to perform the narration. On the other, oratory is a skill most people do not have.
Even more infuriating is that things haven’t changed all that much. Especially when she talks about Lethbridge, a town that benefits from indigenous money, yet condemns the population. Absolutely still the case. The country and certainly Alberta has not done better, nor even educated people on these matters such that people understand any of the issues central to indigenous people, but probably even more so with the Métis.
The only reason this wasn’t five stars from me was because the authors delivery of her book was actually not great on audio, and only accented the repetitive sentence construction and robbed the recounting of emotion, ironically; a sadly very common thing that occurs when authors narrate their own work. On the one hand, I am obviously glad they’ve been paid (they better have been) to perform the narration. On the other, oratory is a skill most people do not have.
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