Borders

by Thomas King, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)

A stunning graphic-novel adaptation based on the work of one of Canada’s most revered and bestselling authors.

On a trip to visit his older sister, who has moved away from the family home on the reserve to Salt Lake City, a young boy and his mother are posed a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. Are you Canadian, the border guards ask, or American?

"Blackfoot."

And when border guards will not accept their citizenship, mother and son wind up trapped in an all-too-real limbo between nations that do not recognize who they are.

A powerful graphic-novel adaptation of one of Thomas King’s most celebrated short stories, Borders explores themes of identity and belonging, and is a poignant depiction of the significance of a nation’s physical borders from an Indigenous perspective. This timeless story is brought to vibrant, piercing life by the singular vision of artist Natasha Donovan.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Indigenous, Young Adult, Fiction, Comics, Realistic Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Thomas King was born in 1943 in Sacramento, California and is of Greek and German descent. He obtained his PhD from the University of Utah in 1986. He is known for works in which he addresses the marginalization of American Indians, delineates "pan-Indian" concerns and histories, and attempts to abolish common stereotypes about Native Americans. He taught Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, and at the University of Minnesota. He is currently a Professor of English at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. King has become one of the foremost writers of fiction about Canada's Native people.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This! I always feel like books like these should be essential reading in school because they explore narratives that push the boundaries of what we traditionally call "history." I'm disappointed that it took me so long to read it because it was a really interesting and eye-opening story. 4.5 stars

Borders follows a mother and son as they attempt to cross the border between the US and the Canada. When they reach the border, the border crossing guard asks if they are American or Canadian and the mother responds with "Blackfoot." What ensues is a simple, yet interesting story about how this mother and son duo endure the lack of understanding that comes from the guards. What is so dynamic about this graphic novel is that it doesn't spell it out for you. There is no explanation as to why the mother keeps saying that they are Blackfoot when they live in Canada. In fact, it took a second before it clicked that the borders that colonizers have established should have no bearing on how Indigenous communities move from nation to nation. This book will be challenging for young readers because King pushes the reader to grow, learn, and understand without his direct assistance. If you want to know more you have to challenge yourself and be investigative. It's almost like King has presented us with a scenario and then says "what does all of this mean? What are you taking away from this? Figure out the answer, but don't expect me to just give it to you." Time and time again we tell people to stop relying on marginalized communities to teach you about their experiences. If you're truly interested, you'll do the work yourself. Ya'll, this book is that statement manifested and I LOVE IT. Even as an adult reader, I was challenged. There were things that I didn't know. I understood the alluding to the negative effects of colonization, but I wasn't aware of the specific details like the treaty that was established to allow Blackfeet to travel freely across the border. Here is the article I read for context: http://www.bordering110.com/maritza-d...

Overall, this was a great read! This is another book I wish I would have picked up sooner, but I'm to have read it. If you're looking for a really interesting story that's going to challenge you I would recommend this. The artwork by Natasha Donovan was great. I've seen some of her stuff before in Surviving the City which I also loved so I was expecting nothing less. The colors were beautiful, deep, and rich and really brought the story together.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I worry that comics for kids are starting to too often rest on their laurels. In the old days, a children’s librarian’s attitude towards having a comic in their collection would probably lead to them screaming, “Burn it with fire!!!” These days, the attitude has shifted to quite the opposite reaction. 20th century librarians were convinced comics would warp the mind and turn kids into juvenile delinquents. 21st century librarians are convinced that they’re the ultimate lure for reluctant readers and act as a gateway reading drug. The truth is, of course, in the middle. There’s no mind warping, but there’s also no golden solution to reader reluctance. What cannot be denied are sales, though. Comics for kids are selling better than ever. Logic would dictate that this would mean that we’d be seeing a wide swath of different kinds of styles and storytelling. But as we live in a capitalist society, what usually happens is that when something works well then a whole bunch of other people run to copy it. Here’s a fun game you can play: Go into a children’s room, go to the comic section, and find a contemporary, realistic story about a BIPOC boy. The New Kid by Jerry Craft is a good place to start. Now what else can you find? Go on. I’ll wait. And wait. And wait. Because while you might be able to rustle up one or two more (sans manga) the simple fact of the matter is that even with comic sales at an all time high, the stories being told are looking awfully similar to one another. Enter Borders. No one’s calling this the first Indigenous authored and illustrated comic, because I’m sure others have come out before. Even so, this is certainly the first one I’ve ever seen from a major publisher and it’s written by an author I’ve admired for more than a decade. Based on a short story, Borders doesn’t spell things out for young readers. Smart but serious, this is one book that’ll have them thinking long after they put it down.

Our narrator is a Blackfoot kid living with his mom in Alberta. His older sister, Laetitia, used to live with them, but after a lot of conflict with her mom she decided to move to Salt Lake City, Utah. At first her mom is angry about this move but one day she tells her son that they’re going to drive to visit Laetitia. Peppered with flashbacks to the relationship between the two women, we watch as the mom is asked at the border to state her citizenship. “Blackfoot”. No amount of pressure from either the Americans or the Canadians causes her to change this answer. As a result, mother and son find themselves stuck in a no man’s land between the two borders. And what ensues is a story of courage, resilience, and a great deal of pride.

My earliest encounter with the works of Thomas King came in the form of a Technicolored subversive picture book by the name of A Coyote Columbus Story. One of the rare books willing to not just poke fun at Christopher Columbus but depict him as an out-and-out clown (I always like to put it on display on Indigenous Peoples’ Day), it’s a clever amalgamation of the coyote myth and history. Mr. King primarily writes for adults, but since that discovery I was able to occasionally read some of his other coyote-related books for kids ( Coyote Sings to the Moon, Coyote’s New Suit, A Coyote Solstice Tale, and Coyote Tales). Had you asked me, I guess I’d say I was waiting for an ineffable something else to come out. I could not have predicted that it would be this. Borders began its life as a short story. I’ve heard it called “much-anthologized” even. That said, I don’t know if it was originally written for adults or children. Perhaps it’s one of those truly rare books that work for people of all ages, hitting them in different places. Could be.

Artist Natasha Donovan may be known to some for the art she created for the YA comic Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett. For my part, I know her best thanks to the Mothers of Xsan series she created with author Brett Huson. Mind you, the intricate and highly detailed style used in picture books like The Grizzy Mother is vastly different from the understated art of Borders. Here she presents the main characters with large brown eyes and serious faces. What’s going to strike readers the most, though, will be the mom and son’s expressions when they’re in the thick of the border interrogations. At no point does the mother look anything but completely in control of the situation. It makes for this really interesting dichotomy between what’s happening on the page and what your expectations are.

I’m not easily shocked, but clearly I’ve clearly grown complacent over the last few years. There were parts in Borders that initially baffled me, and I’m not afraid to admit it. The trend in children’s literature right now is to explain, explain, and over explain again. Any book with any kind of element that even slightly brushes up against the real world is required to include nonfiction backmatter. It’s standard practice and must make teachers’ lives easier, I’d wager. This book? Don’t even bother looking. There’s nothing in the back. Which wouldn’t be so surprising, were it not for the fact that this story doesn’t spell anything out for the reader. When the boy and his mom are interviewed repeatedly and she refuses to name either America or Canada as their land, you keep trying to anticipate what will happen. You expect the police to start yelling. For tempers to grow hot and for the mom to at some point deliver a monologue that explains her position perfectly. While we’re at it, you also expect that since she and her kids are Blackfoot, there will be some section in the book that outlines information about the Blackfoot, either historically or today. Maybe the mom will tell stories from the past that her grandmother told her. Again, nothing doing. Thomas King isn’t here to educate you. You want to know more about the Blackfeet? Go look it up. This book works on the assumption that you’re a mature enough reader to be able to feel frustration. Kids who read this book are going to be asking why the mom doesn’t just give up and say she’s Canadian. It would be easier, right? But it’s that frustration that fuels the story along. If you’re white like me, you might find yourself mentally begging the mom to give in and give up. And when she doesn’t, you realize (even if you hadn’t before) that what she did was completely right. But, again, the book’s not gonna spell that out for you. You need to discover it on your own.

Maybe the key to this book comes when the narrator says, “Pride is a good thing to have, you know. Laetitia had a lot of pride, and so did my mother.” The conflict between the daughter that leaves and the mother that wants her to stay sits in the background when the border issues arise. Even so, they’re interconnected. Funny that “Pride” is seen as a good thing but to “be proud” is considered a problem. You can be a proud person, but you shouldn’t be proud. Between the mom and Laetitia, pride is both their best quality and the quality that tears them apart. You could read this book and see Laetitia as being in the right and the mom’s pride being in the wrong. That said, when she has to stand up to the authorities on the border, it’s that same pride that carries the story to its happy end.

Graphic novel book clubs are quite the thing in libraries these days. A lot of the time they pick titles can be very girl-protagonist-heavy with plots worth discussing but not especially challenging. Borders challenges. It’s bound to inspire heated conversations between readers over why the mom did what she did, the greater implications, and whether or not YOU would have the guts to do the same thing. Kids could talk about what was accomplished by the end of the story, and what it meant for everyone involved. The sheer amount of topics you could discuss in tandem with this book boggles the mind. This is a story that stands out and apart from all those other comics being published right now. It assumes a certain level of intelligence on the part of the child reader. It’ll frustrate some, baffle others, and completely fascinate the lot of them. A complete original, and that’s a rare thing in this business. A rare thing indeed.

For ages 9 and up.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I read it in one sitting.

I loved the authors’ dedication in the front of the book and while I of course knew the book’s title I did not know what it was about until I was reading. The wording of the dedication is: “For the Blackfoot, who understand that the border is the figment of someone else’s imagination.”

The author and illustrator are both Native North Americans. The author is of Cherokee (and of Greek) descent and the illustrator is Métis.

I’m glad that I didn’t know or didn’t remember the plot of this story.

I laughed and wanted to cry. This situation is a catch-22 crazy thing. I loved the warmth of the relationships. I loved the narrator boy and his sister and their stubborn and proud mother.

This is a great book for showing how standing up for what you believe in can be important and can eventually work out.

I’m glad that this was fiction but it made me think about how things like this could happen.

This is a graphic novel and the illustrations and wonderful. I loved the facial expressions, the colors, the details. They told the story as much as the words did, as all great graphic novels should do.

This is a children’s novel but I heartily recommend it to all readers ages 9 and up. It’s thought provoking and would be a perfect discussion book for families, classrooms, groups of friends, etc.

Many thanks to Gundula for alerting me to this great book. I’m glad I didn’t miss the experience of reading it.

ETA: Great primer for activists and future activists, young and older.

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely spectacular in every way is Thomas King's (text) and Natasha Donovan's (artwork) 2021 graphic novel Borders (and yes, I do now definitely also want to read King's 1993 short story by the same name, which serves as the textual base for Borders).

Presenting a delightful and powerful combination of narrative and accompanying images, with Borders Thomas King and Natasha Donovan successfully, thought-provokingly but also very simply and easy enough for anyone from above the age to nine or so to understand demonstrate both textually and visually that for many Native Canadians/Americans, the international border between Canada and the United States of America actually means nothing, is something completely artificial, because for them, their tribal affiliations are what truly counts and they consider themselves Blackfoot, Cree, Micmac, Navajo etc. and thus very often not Canadian or American. And yes, I certainly and definitely do understand why the mother keeps claiming at the Canada/US border that she is Blackfoot, and I also very much celebrate that she does not back down when asked her nationality, when asked by border officials if she is Canadian or American, even though she ends up stranded in a kind of No Man’s Land between both countries for many days until her quiet, polite but also stubbornly obstinate act of rebellion of only saying that she is Blackfoot attracts the necessary media attention and she and her son are finally able to drive across the Canada/US border to visit daughter Laetitia in Salt Lake City and to have the mother’s assertion that she is neither Canadian nor American but Blackfoot finally be accepted as legitimate by border officials.

And there is in my humble opinion just so much that makes Borders both wonderful and also an important piece of writing and artwork. Thomas King’s words are simple, sparse but intensely profound and without much if any verbal description showing just why the mother engages in that drawn-out standoff at the border. For she is proud of being Blackfoot and does not think she should be forced to consider herself as Canadian or American just because of a random and artificial line in the landscape, just because of a border she does neither respect or accept. And with regard to Natasha Donovan’s artwork for Borders, not only does Donovan illustratively show a wonderful visual celebration of landscape and place (for both the Alberta and Montana prairies as well as for Salt Lake City, Utah with its Mormon heritage and that the Great Salt Lake is considered a natural wonder), she also depicts the standoff at the border realistically and with in my opinion never any sense of aesthetic exaggeration (and with this I mean that in Borders all of Natasha Donovan’s characters both Indigenous and non Indigenous are depicted by her as realistically, that she for example illustrates the mother, her son and the daughter as never even stereotypically “Indian” and also with Natasha Donovan drawing those border officials not as inherently nasty and looking like vile and unfeeling nasty monsters, but as sympathetic looking individual just doing their jobs and not really knowing how to approach the mother insisting on being considered as Blackfoot for border crossing purposes).

Highly recommended for both pleasure reading and also for use in the classroom, and yes, Borders is also a perfect vehicle for discussion (regarding pride, belonging, family and definitely about the whole border scenario and that for many Native Canadians and Native Americans, the Canada/US border is not something they respect and that indeed they should not have to consider themselves as being either Canadian or American should they not desire this).

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying to cross the Canadian border with America a woman answers 'Blackfoot' when asked if she is Canadian or American. Border guards (on both sides) are confused and insist on 'Blackfoot American' or "Blackfoot Canadian' before they will let the woman and her son cross so she can visit her daughter in Salt Lake City. Eye-opening and tragically sad - this simple story is an example of how we continue to treat indigenous people everywhere.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

With limitless patience, pride, and dignity a strong-willed Blackfoot woman waits out her equally strong-willed daughter and the bureaucratic border guards of a U.S. and Canadian border crossing.

This is a rare graphic novel adaptation that actually seems to use every word from the short story on which it is based. And yet it still reads like a graphic novel and not an illustrated story. Quite the trick.

I need to seek out more work by Thomas King.

(Another project! I'm reading all the picture books and graphic novels from NPR's Books We Love 2021: Kids’ Books list.)

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous. I'm a little surprised seeing how many people tagged it as children's-but I suppose the text is relatively simple while the concepts are sophisticated. I do think teens/adults would be the best audience for this but it could work in a classroom setting, or certainly for some younger kids.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a simple, yet powerful story about colonization and identity. As we all know, First Nations people do not think of the land as something owned. Land simply is. Therefore, any official borders outside the reserves are a arbitrary and artificial colonist creations. To a member of Blackfoot Nation, the idea of American Blackfoot versus Canadian Blackfoot is patently absurd. 

The protagonist of the story tries to instill this into the constrained minds of the Border Patrol, who are unable or unwilling to expand their minds so that they can access the natural truth of the status of the people who were here first. 

The most salient line is:

"In the end she [the Border Patrol agent] told us that if my mother didn't declare her citizenship, we would have to go back to where we came from." 

The irony is stunning!

You'll have to read the story to see what happened next, but I will say this: just because you don't identify by other's boundaries, doesn't mean you don't belong.

[Sasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borders really changed my worldview on how ridiculous the citizenship system is. Like I know from my own family's and friends' experiences a lot of the bureaucratic red tape bullshit, but I never saw it through the lens of indigenous people of this land. This is an incredible, eye-opening graphic novel about family dynamics, power and pride, and a huge "fuck you" to the caucasity of these colonizers.

Here's a little snippet (click for full-size versions):




Please, please, please do yourself a huge favor and pick this up.

[iana · Rating 3 out of 5]

» read for English Language Arts 10.

this one hit a bit close to home; the identity, the struggle for others to understand it, seeing other people deal with it. although my heart wasn't into all of the story, it's conversation-worthy, one not nearly talked about and recognized enough by people.

[vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visually stunning graphic novel with a story that delivers a message subtly: truly this is my jam and all I ask for from books. Natasha Donovan illustrated Surviving the City (which I just found out has a second volume?!). Donovan's illustrations shine: the character's faces and expressions tell 80% of the story in my opinion. Plus there are beautiful sceneries depicted (those sunset scenes!). At the root of this story is a Blackfoot mother & son, trying to pass through the borders of the U.S. & Canada. They are not American or Canadian: they are Blackfoot. I was very curious to see how it would resolve. Simple, yet incredibly remarkable.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Really focusing on indigenous rights, this book is the story of an Indigenous family attempting to move between their home and America. When asked at the border what nation they belong to, the mother simply answers 'Blackfoot.' The border agents continue to press whether she is Canadian or American, but she continues only saying 'Blackfoot.' Their trip ends up taking days and they eat up all their food and sleep in their car. Eventually, the news crews hear of the situation and show up to get the story on TV. That's when things really begin to happen. There are very few words in this one, but the feelings and expressions are very obvious. Absolutely fantastic!! It was a finalist for Cybils this year, as well.

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic novel depicting what it means to have borders determine who we are and what we call ourselves.

When a boy and his mother set out to visit his sister in Salt Lake City, they find themselves between nations when they are asked at the border to declare their citizenship. When the mother replies, "Blackfoot" the border agents on either side (American or Canadian) can't accept the answer.

As the boy and his mother spend the night in their car in limbo. It isn't until their story gets the attention of the media that the two find a solution.

[Reading_seas0n · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely an excellent graphic novel!
I'm not proud that my first emotional reaction felt like I would have just given in and said Canadian when asked citizenship at the border. But I am not Indigenous, nor have I been subject to much of the awful history and both aggressive or passive-aggressive attitude that the government has/does take to indigenous lives and culture. This book was not made for me; it was made for indigenous people, I am just meant to sit and enjoy, and I did - it showed me I have much to do to be a better ally.

[Paige Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource for my English class!

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully told and illustrated.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on a library display for National Native American Heritage Month. It's a graphic novel based on a short story by Thomas King. The text is sparse with the focus mainly on Natasha Donovan's illustrations, a pleasing synthesis. The Niitsitapi, also known as the Blackfoot or Blackfeet Indians, reside in the Great Plains of Montana and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan (My dad's birthplace). I learned this, indirectly, from this book. For that, I am thankful. The Blackfoot consider geographical borders to be a figment of our imagination.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully drawn story of a boy who is Blackfoot and crossing the border from Canada to the US with his mother to visit his sister. The only problem is they want them to claim a country - US or Canada when they are Blackfoot. Instead of caving, the mother stands up for her nation and continues to until a news crew puts the pressure on the border to let them pass through.

Such a stunning tale of pride of ones culture and family values. I love the way this story was told and the relationships built as they waited to cross. A fantastic graphic novel.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

A very reflective and well illustrated graphic novel that is both challenging and hopeful. And, of course, it has the very distinct narrative style seen in Thomas King's writing. The story deals with the concept of borders as a construct and the importance of Indigenous heritage.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about taking pride in your ancestry and being true to oneself.

[Lexi Kruse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little story! There wasn’t too much to it but it was still very enjoyable. The message the story delivered about holding onto your pride and being true to yourself even when faced with adversity is important and a lesson everyone can hold on to.

Give this a read! 🧡

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, powerful story.

The simplicity of the text still carried so much weights throughout the story. Really made me think about the complexities of our world when it comes to citizenship.
Hope to read more books like this 🤍

[⚝ · Rating 4 out of 5]

very quick read with a powerful message. reminds me of home

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story really hits home. It is a middle grade book (and I haven't been in the middle grades for quite a while), so it was easy to read in a single siting. For me, the story and character relationships exceeded expectations. I'll be looking to add some other books from both the author and illustrator to my ever-growing, to-read list.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of understated simplicity. The narrator recalls an experience when he was 12 or 13 and reports on it matter-of-factly, without commentary or interpretation. The heart of the story is his mother making a quiet stand, without commentary or interpretation. And it speaks volumes, her actions making a point better than any carefully articulated argument. So does this telling of her story, both moving and sympathetic. It's a powerful parable disguised as a mild anecdote.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my class, but had the graphic novel as an option for one or two who wanted it. Beautiful illustrations and I love this story about a Blackfoot mother and son trying to cross the Canada/U.S. border as well as the questions it brings up about identity. It is a quick read so I highly recommend it to everyone!

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this in 30 minutes in library good book

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juvenile graphic novel adaptation of King's 1993 short story.

For me, was a great window into an issue in the world I wasn't familiar with.
Very engaging - I was eager to see how the story resolved.

One thing I'm a little hung up on is that even though this is marketed for kids, the kid in the story is mostly an observer. His mom is really the one making the decisions, being the actor.

I hope a lot of people read it, though. It's a story that deserves more visibility.

[Mark Medland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphic novels don’t need to be novels and King and Donovan get this. It’s a simple story about a complex situation. Minimal dialogue and text with gorgeous illustrations. The author and artist are in perfect balance not trying to fill every panel with text and allowing the art to do the storytelling as well. I wish other graphic novelists and illustrators would follow this lead.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borders was a thoughtful, tender look at family and identity. The bright colors of Donovan's art style added a richness to the story.