In Search of April Raintree

by Beatrice Mosionier, Katherena Vermette (foreword)

Memories. Some memories are elusive, fleeting, like a butterfly that touches down and is free until it is caught. Others are haunting. You'd rather forget them, but they won't be forgotten. And some are always there. No matter where you are, they are there, too.

In this moving story of legacy and reclamation, two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless in a broken system, April and Cheryl are separated and placed in different foster homes. Despite the distance, they remain close, even as their decisions threaten to divide them emotionally, culturally, and geographically. As one sister embraces her Métis identity, the other tries to leave it behind.

Will the sisters’ bond survive as they struggle to make their way in a society that is often indifferent, hostile, and violent?

Beloved for more than 40 years, In Search of April Raintree is a timeless story that lingers long after the final page. This anniversary edition features a foreword by Governor General’s Award–winning author Katherena Vermette, and an afterword by University of Regina professor, Dr. Raven Sinclair (Ôtiskewâpit), an expert on Indigenous child welfare.

Genres: Fiction, Indigenous

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2023

About the author

aka Beatrice Culleton
aka Beatrice Culleton Mosionier

Reviews

[Susan Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. It thoroughly kept my interest throughout the book. I would highly recommend it.

[erin_leigh_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Mosionier is an absolutely heartbreaking and powerful story about the life of Métis woman April Raintree. Although the story is a work of Fiction, it is loosely based on the life of author Beatrice Mosionier and many other indigenous children whom were forcibly removed from their family homes. My heart ached for all that April endured and suffered. At the age of 5, April and her little sister Cheryl were removed from their family home and placed in foster care as their parents were alcoholics and unable to care for them. The separation was traumatic as not only were the girls separated from their parents but also from one another.

Placed in separate foster homes the girls paths are very different. April tries to assimilate and hide her Métis roots whereas Cheryl was proud to be Métis and fully embraced it. April is tormented by her second foster family while Cheryl has more compassionate care givers. Both sisters face huge obstacles but their love for one another and their determination keeps them going.

I honestly have found this review difficult to write. There is so much I want to say about what I read but it’s hard to express. Both April and Cheryl faced so many unspeakable horrors; violence, neglect, shaming and immense sadness. My heart ached for them both. I had to take many breaks while reading this book. I needed to process all I’d read. It appalls me how some humans can mistreat and abuse others. Especially children. In Search of April Raintree was such a profound story. It really touched me and opened my eyes even wider to the abuses and indignation many Indigenous people have suffered.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in the early 1980s and is by a Canadian First Nations author. The story is about two mixed blood sisters that get placed in the foster care system because of their parent’s alcoholism. Cheryl the younger sister looks like her First Nations bloodline while April the older sister looks Caucasian. These differences cause them to have different outlooks on life and is an insightful view into a mixed race family as well as children dealing with their family history of substance abuse.

[Janel McCorrister · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart hurts. This story touches on child welfare, Métis identity, and the image of Indigenous people. It’s a story that’s all too true. If you’ve ever wondered “why are those natives like that?” This book will give you an answer.

[Kim Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible story! It is heart-rending, but something that needs to be read. For people to truly understand the experience of Indigenous people, they need to hear stories. This is a work of fiction, but it recounts very real situations; tragic situations. But truth is not always pretty.

[Sara Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few parts are hard to read but overall it is a great story.

[Ming Louie Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awakening of identities of two sisters. Each in different foster homes with different attitudes and outlooks of who and where they came from. The writing is powerful and evokes emotions which triggers empathy towards our two protagonists. Honest and real, with an tragic ending which slapped me in the face.

[CASS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second pass at this story; the first being in Grade 11 English class. Reading with a more mature lens, picking up on details I didn’t the first time, felt cyclic and calming. I will forever cherish and recommend this story.