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Black Apple
A dramatic and lyrical coming-of-age novel about a young Blackfoot girl who grows up in the residential school system on the Canadian prairies.
Torn from her home and delivered to St. Mark’s Residential School for Girls by government decree, young Rose Marie finds herself in an alien universe where nothing of her previous life is tolerated, not even her Blackfoot name. For she has entered into the world of the Sisters of Brotherly Love, an order of nuns dedicated to saving the Indigenous children from damnation. Life under the sharp eye of Mother Grace, the Mother General, becomes an endless series of torments, from daily recitations and obligations to chronic sickness and inedible food. And then there are the beatings. All the feisty Rose Marie wants to do is escape from St. Mark’s. How her imagination soars as she dreams about her lost family on the Reserve, finding in her visions a healing spirit that touches her heart. But all too soon she starts to see other shapes in her dreams as well, shapes that warn her of unspoken dangers and mysteries that threaten to engulf her. And she has seen the rows of plain wooden crosses behind the school, reminding her that many students have never left here alive.
Set during the Second World War and the 1950s, Black Apple is an unforgettable, vividly rendered novel about two very different women whose worlds an irrepressible young Blackfoot girl whose spirit cannot be destroyed, and an aging yet powerful nun who increasingly doubts the value of her life. It captures brilliantly the strange mix of cruelty and compassion in the residential schools, where young children are forbidden to speak their own languages and given Christian names. As Rose Marie matures, she finds increasingly that she knows only the life of the nuns, with its piety, hard work and self-denial. Why is it, then, that she is haunted by secret visions—of past crimes in the school that terrify her, of her dead mother, of the Indigenous life on the plains that has long vanished? Even the kind-hearted Sister Cilla is unable to calm her fears. And then, there is a miracle, or so Mother Grace says. Now Rose is thrust back into the outside world with only her wits to save her.
With a poet’s eye, Joan Crate creates brilliantly the many shadings of this heartbreaking novel, rendering perfectly the inner voices of Rose Marie and Mother Grace, and exploring the larger themes of belief and belonging, of faith and forgiveness.
Torn from her home and delivered to St. Mark’s Residential School for Girls by government decree, young Rose Marie finds herself in an alien universe where nothing of her previous life is tolerated, not even her Blackfoot name. For she has entered into the world of the Sisters of Brotherly Love, an order of nuns dedicated to saving the Indigenous children from damnation. Life under the sharp eye of Mother Grace, the Mother General, becomes an endless series of torments, from daily recitations and obligations to chronic sickness and inedible food. And then there are the beatings. All the feisty Rose Marie wants to do is escape from St. Mark’s. How her imagination soars as she dreams about her lost family on the Reserve, finding in her visions a healing spirit that touches her heart. But all too soon she starts to see other shapes in her dreams as well, shapes that warn her of unspoken dangers and mysteries that threaten to engulf her. And she has seen the rows of plain wooden crosses behind the school, reminding her that many students have never left here alive.
Set during the Second World War and the 1950s, Black Apple is an unforgettable, vividly rendered novel about two very different women whose worlds an irrepressible young Blackfoot girl whose spirit cannot be destroyed, and an aging yet powerful nun who increasingly doubts the value of her life. It captures brilliantly the strange mix of cruelty and compassion in the residential schools, where young children are forbidden to speak their own languages and given Christian names. As Rose Marie matures, she finds increasingly that she knows only the life of the nuns, with its piety, hard work and self-denial. Why is it, then, that she is haunted by secret visions—of past crimes in the school that terrify her, of her dead mother, of the Indigenous life on the plains that has long vanished? Even the kind-hearted Sister Cilla is unable to calm her fears. And then, there is a miracle, or so Mother Grace says. Now Rose is thrust back into the outside world with only her wits to save her.
With a poet’s eye, Joan Crate creates brilliantly the many shadings of this heartbreaking novel, rendering perfectly the inner voices of Rose Marie and Mother Grace, and exploring the larger themes of belief and belonging, of faith and forgiveness.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2016
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January 13, 2025
the subject matter of this book is super important and necessary to read but it kind of left me wanting more out of it
March 3, 2016
i am a little bit torn over this book. to be sure, this is a necessary story and i did like it, but i found the flow never clicked for me, and i was left wanting a bit more from the book and from Crate.
canada has a shameful, heartbreaking legacy in its residential school system. for years indigenous children were forcibly taken from their homes and placed into schools away from their families and traditions. often these schools were run by religious orders, with the goal to assimilate the first nations children to a white, christian way of life. of course, this was a spectacular and horrific failure. last year, the truth and reconciliation commission released their report on the impact of the government's residential school program - it found these actions were akin to cultural genocide.
so in this regard, Crate's novel could not be any more well-timed and necessary. i hope many people will pick up this book and gain some exposure to what this experience may have been like for a child. (i strongly recommend Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese as well, for fiction that shares a residential school experience. and you can access the truth and reconciliation commission's work here: http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitu...)
Crate is not, at all, letting anyone off the hook, but what she does, interestingly, is offer small glimpses of - in the best case - moments of compassion and kindness from non-indigenous characters. at its worst, she portrays horrific abuses, cruelty, racism, stereotypes, and white saviour mindsets. somewhere in the middle... Crate presents a feeling of ambiguity.
i was quite taken by some aspects of the book, but there was so much in the story that left me wanting. i did like rose and mother grace, and how their arcs worked together. but two of the most interesting characters for me - anataki, and sister cilla - were secondary, and did not go as deeply as i had hoped. (i would read a whole novel just focusing on each of them.) the novel also jumped 6 years in its early stages, and that transition was not such a smooth one in my reading. the ending is fairly open. i read that the character of rose has been with Crate for many years, originally being created in a much earlier and different writing project. learning this, it made me wonder if we could see rose again in a subsequent novel?
canada has a shameful, heartbreaking legacy in its residential school system. for years indigenous children were forcibly taken from their homes and placed into schools away from their families and traditions. often these schools were run by religious orders, with the goal to assimilate the first nations children to a white, christian way of life. of course, this was a spectacular and horrific failure. last year, the truth and reconciliation commission released their report on the impact of the government's residential school program - it found these actions were akin to cultural genocide.
so in this regard, Crate's novel could not be any more well-timed and necessary. i hope many people will pick up this book and gain some exposure to what this experience may have been like for a child. (i strongly recommend Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese as well, for fiction that shares a residential school experience. and you can access the truth and reconciliation commission's work here: http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitu...)
Crate is not, at all, letting anyone off the hook, but what she does, interestingly, is offer small glimpses of - in the best case - moments of compassion and kindness from non-indigenous characters. at its worst, she portrays horrific abuses, cruelty, racism, stereotypes, and white saviour mindsets. somewhere in the middle... Crate presents a feeling of ambiguity.
i was quite taken by some aspects of the book, but there was so much in the story that left me wanting. i did like rose and mother grace, and how their arcs worked together. but two of the most interesting characters for me - anataki, and sister cilla - were secondary, and did not go as deeply as i had hoped. (i would read a whole novel just focusing on each of them.) the novel also jumped 6 years in its early stages, and that transition was not such a smooth one in my reading. the ending is fairly open. i read that the character of rose has been with Crate for many years, originally being created in a much earlier and different writing project. learning this, it made me wonder if we could see rose again in a subsequent novel?
January 15, 2016
So glad I took a chance on this ARC that I downloaded via netgalley. Joan Crate's novel is poetic and compelling, describing vividly the emotional turmoil and life changing events of Rose Marie, a young Blackfoot girl on the Canadian prairies torn from her family by government decree to attend a residential school run by nuns.
From the opening pages you are drawn to Rose Marie's feisty spirit and are transported to the world of the prairies during World War II and in to the 1950'a. Your heart aches for the girls at St. Mark's Residential School and also for Mother Grace, the nun in charge of the school who is going through a crisis of faith and needing to find meaning in her life of service. Rose Marie is haunted by visions during her stay at the school and eventually begins to understand that there are secrets being hidden at the school - dark secrets that will not be resolved until she tells those in charge what she has discovered.
This novel never falters in pacing, authenticity or in holding the reader's interest. It was the first book I read in 2016 and I am so glad I took a chance on reading this work by an author that I had yet to read. I will be reading her other books in the near future.
From the opening pages you are drawn to Rose Marie's feisty spirit and are transported to the world of the prairies during World War II and in to the 1950'a. Your heart aches for the girls at St. Mark's Residential School and also for Mother Grace, the nun in charge of the school who is going through a crisis of faith and needing to find meaning in her life of service. Rose Marie is haunted by visions during her stay at the school and eventually begins to understand that there are secrets being hidden at the school - dark secrets that will not be resolved until she tells those in charge what she has discovered.
This novel never falters in pacing, authenticity or in holding the reader's interest. It was the first book I read in 2016 and I am so glad I took a chance on reading this work by an author that I had yet to read. I will be reading her other books in the near future.
May 19, 2017
This is the story of a Blackfoot girl who is sent to residential school. It is a beautifully written book, with striking imagery.
"Days shrank and nights stretched. A blizzard hit at the end of the hunting moon. ...the wind grew bigger and madder as it swept over the plain, slamming fists against the brick school and making threats through the chinks."
This story illustrates the harm that residential schools did, even to those students who were relatively well treated. The students lost their culture, their language, their connection to their families, their connection to their communities, their connection to the land, their sense of identity, their sense of purpose, and their sense of belonging. This is embodied when Sinopaki has two men courting her, one white and the other Blackfoot. She is uncomfortable with both. While one seems safe and more familiar, she is drawn to the other. These relationships symbolize the two worlds that Sinopaki is torn between, fitting into neither.
I think this book skirts around some of the more serious crimes of the residential schools, but it is worth a read. It is a good story, and an accessible one.
"Days shrank and nights stretched. A blizzard hit at the end of the hunting moon. ...the wind grew bigger and madder as it swept over the plain, slamming fists against the brick school and making threats through the chinks."
This story illustrates the harm that residential schools did, even to those students who were relatively well treated. The students lost their culture, their language, their connection to their families, their connection to their communities, their connection to the land, their sense of identity, their sense of purpose, and their sense of belonging. This is embodied when Sinopaki has two men courting her, one white and the other Blackfoot. She is uncomfortable with both. While one seems safe and more familiar, she is drawn to the other. These relationships symbolize the two worlds that Sinopaki is torn between, fitting into neither.
I think this book skirts around some of the more serious crimes of the residential schools, but it is worth a read. It is a good story, and an accessible one.
September 3, 2017
Riveting Novel about Canadian First Nations Residential School Oppression
Like a psychological thriller, see the astonishing multiple faces of each main character. Track, for example, the projected anger and grief of pious religious authorities, themselves harnessed by false and inhuman religious ideologies. View the layers of slavery – from the oppressors themselves to their hapless victims – beautiful, innocent First Nations children. Then, watch the wheel turn to a brilliant conclusion that honors the best accomplishment possible for any human being. Riveting, well-researched novel by a talented and insightful Canadian writer!
Eleanor Cowan, author of : A History of a Pedophile's Wife: Memoir of a Canadian Teacher and Writer
Like a psychological thriller, see the astonishing multiple faces of each main character. Track, for example, the projected anger and grief of pious religious authorities, themselves harnessed by false and inhuman religious ideologies. View the layers of slavery – from the oppressors themselves to their hapless victims – beautiful, innocent First Nations children. Then, watch the wheel turn to a brilliant conclusion that honors the best accomplishment possible for any human being. Riveting, well-researched novel by a talented and insightful Canadian writer!
Eleanor Cowan, author of : A History of a Pedophile's Wife: Memoir of a Canadian Teacher and Writer
July 13, 2017
I wanted to like this, but on the whole I didn't. Two stars because it could have been an important text about residential schools and their impact on indigenous culture. Only two stars because the characters were flat, plot was weak and it failed to realise its significant potential.
September 21, 2016
I liked this book - a lot. The horrors of residential schools was accurately and poignantly portrayed and the characters were multi-dimensional, and realistically portrayed in the context of the times. Not all of the perpetuators of this cultural genocide were evil. Of course, there were those who were abusive and took terrible advantage of the vulnerable children in their care. Others thought they were doing the right thing and perpetuated evil out of ignorance. The author does an excellent job of portraying this. Yet, there was something in the book that deeply disturbed me;, the part of the book where Rose goes to live in a rooming house and is wooed by two men. But, it goes far beyond wooing, to sexual harassment. One man is open in his harassment; the other is more subtle, presenting himself as a friend. Yet, in the end, he is the one who sexually assaults her, taking advantage of her inexperience with alcohol to have sexual intercourse with her. In the end, Rose chooses neither of these men, yet we are left with the feeling that the author has looked on them both in a favourable light. I found this section of the book disturbing. Once again, this was an accurate portrayal of sexual mores at the time but, unlike the residential school experience, there seemed to be no condemnation of men's behaviours and, indeed, very little examination of how Rose would have felt about what happened to her. To me, this was a huge flaw in an, otherwise, well-written and well-researched novel.
February 5, 2016
It got off to a slow start, but I stuck with this one because I was so intrigued by the historical setting: a school for indigenous Canadian children who are basically stolen from their parents to be "civilized."
This book does something quite impressive, making both Rose Marie a Blackfoot student and Sister Grace one of the nuns keeping her, sympathetic and complex. The early chapters are hard to read, as Rose Marie struggles in a new place where her teachers see her as someone not-quite-human in dire need of saving. Everything Rose Marie values about herself is no longer valued.
The second half of the book really gets moving, though, as Rose Marie gets older. There's much self-discovery through spirits and Crate grounds Rose Marie's religious experiences in both her native beliefs and the Catholicism she eventually adopts. I am reading a lot about religion lately and I'm rarely happy with how it's written, Crate does an impressive job.
This book does something quite impressive, making both Rose Marie a Blackfoot student and Sister Grace one of the nuns keeping her, sympathetic and complex. The early chapters are hard to read, as Rose Marie struggles in a new place where her teachers see her as someone not-quite-human in dire need of saving. Everything Rose Marie values about herself is no longer valued.
The second half of the book really gets moving, though, as Rose Marie gets older. There's much self-discovery through spirits and Crate grounds Rose Marie's religious experiences in both her native beliefs and the Catholicism she eventually adopts. I am reading a lot about religion lately and I'm rarely happy with how it's written, Crate does an impressive job.
March 29, 2016
I won this in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway...thank you!
WOW! This is an intense read! A story where the reader will experience a roller-coaster of emotions!
Within these pages, Joan Crate has brought to life the all the horrors experienced and perpetuated by children attending residential schools -- a dark time in Canadian history that can be a very hyper-sensitive subject, this is an intense tale that has been written with a straight-forwardness and factness that allows you to continue reading despite what transpires within the walls of this building.
This story of racism, intolerance, religious righteousness warring with First Nations culture, ideals and way of life, will trickle throughout your psyche long after you have put it down.
I give this read a 4 1/2 out 5 stars!
Recommended!
July 12, 2016
I struggled with this book. The first 2/3 were written in a style I would equate with young adult style - there was little raw emotion, Crate scratched at the surface but didn't dig deep.
As a lover of First Nation cultures with a strong understanding of the historical treatment of Canada's First Nation communities, perhaps I wanted more; hoped for more. This was a wonderful opportunity for Crate to dig deep into the historical aspects we have tried to hide, yet I found she just scratched the surface.
As a lover of First Nation cultures with a strong understanding of the historical treatment of Canada's First Nation communities, perhaps I wanted more; hoped for more. This was a wonderful opportunity for Crate to dig deep into the historical aspects we have tried to hide, yet I found she just scratched the surface.
February 6, 2016
This was an excellent read - there were many layers to unpack and the points of view of both Sinopaki/Rose Marie and Mother Grace made for excellent reading. A redemptive, if still a bit mysterious ending for Rose Marie's future. There were a number of difficult parts about the Residential School system to read - the sadness, sorrow, pain and suffering were very well written about however. A read to sit and think about after closing the pages for certain.
March 20, 2016
Part history, part character study, this book was a perfect blend. Rich in culture, religion, and the disturbing elements of Canada's recent past, this was an interesting exploration of residential schools, family, relationships, destiny, and faith.
March 27, 2016
While many others talk of the characters in Black Apple being the heart of this story, I disagree - I think this story runs deep long after the book is finished. A somber account of a despairing and shameful time in Canada's history.
September 21, 2016
I found this book very unrealistic and patronizing. I didn't believe the story and couldn't connect with the main character. I love Joan Crate's poetry, but find her fiction very thin. She wrote with an agenda, and therefore her heart doesn't speak.
September 30, 2016
At first it seemed like a contrived story about a topic that is getting a lot of media attention. But the further I got into the book, the more I saw that it was a different story and I like it. There was good depth in many of the characters.
March 18, 2016
A somewhat low key story about a child taken to residential school and her experiences until young adulthood. Thought provoking and bad experiences are not given the main forum.
July 3, 2016
Nice description of autumn.
"Autumn took hold of the town. The shaking trees put on cold costumes and danced until exhausted, then dropped their leaves on the ground. Sunset came sooner, and the evening air was nippy. ..."
As Rose Marie travels away from the residential school, a world, rebirth, awaits her.
"The road uncoiled beside ravines and coulees; deer leapt to reveal blue and green and blue. It had been so long since she had fallen under the spell of the land, and now the wheels spinning a long the white line slowly unravelled her memories—including a vague recollection of a small house in the midst of trees that trembled and danced. A-hiitoy-iistsi—was that the right name?"
Dreamlife and reality intersect; indigenous culture overrides white culture, no matter what the Catholic Church tried to do to take it away.
"Two pinpoints of light, two distant stars moving closer, their rays pricking her skin. She could just make out a shape.
'Mama?'
No, the eyes of some kind of animal. A wolf, its coat luminous. And behind the wolf, something else. No, someone else. A man, his every step a dance, his right foot graceful as a spruce bough sweeping the ground, his left foot, uneven rain. He came towards her, his long black hair swinging through the night.
'Papa?'"
Stunning. Brilliant. Painful.
"EACH NIGHT, THE sun trimmed a piece of dark cloth from its hem. Ice melted in the schoolyard, and streams trickled by day, freezing at night. Rose Marie's body diluted, seeping into the wood, brick, and plaster around her. Each season, it seemed, the school absorbed more of her."
This is what all women need to be taught. We are powerful, not weak, not other, not alien. Powerful.
"'And when a woman's not, you know, like going to have a baby,' Anataki continued, 'the baby-nest all comes out, like in blood between her legs, when the moon is in the right phase, at least the right phase for her, because it's different for each one of us, and that's why it's called your moon cycle.'
Rose Marie didn't know what to say.
'And when you have your monthlies,' Anataki continued, 'it cleanses you and puts you in harmony with the world. That's why women can't do sweats or ceremonies four days before and four days after the blood cleansing. We're way too powerful, can makes others sick, even.' She grinned. 'Now we can make new life. Powerful,' she said, striking her chest with a fist, her voice thick with pride, 'We're powerful, Rosie!'"
This is an amazing power that Rose Marie has, an ancient power, a body power, a deep-in-the-heart power. But it is a power with consequences, with a price; perhaps that's the case for all powers.
"When she was little and saw the spirits of trapped and snared animals fly out of their bodies, Papa said she had power. Mama said she could see the world in all directions—forwards and backwards. Now, she just wanted to see it the same way everyone else did."
The residential school can steal everything from these children but memories deep and abiding, which flow through touch, taste, body.
"Once they were sitting on the floor under Rose Marie's bed, Taki reached into the waistband of her skirt. 'I got something for your, Rose.' She pulled a packet wrapped in white hide.
'What is it?'
'Unwrap it and see.'
Rose Marie did, and inside she found a blob of bread twice as big as her hand.
'Imis-tsi-kitan, Rosie.'
Rose Marie brought it to her mouth, and that's when she smelled Mama's fingers wrapping dough around a willow stick and cooking it over a fire, the trees singing around them in sharp green notes, the creek gurgling, and, oh, she shoved half the piece in her mouth and closed her eyes, allowing the taste to fill her."
Crate gives insight into the religious teachings which informed the way the Catholic Church saw the residential schools, at least those who were trying to do good, in an untenable situation. No excuses, but important, and again, Crate shows the complexity of the situation, a very difficult thing to do when such a travesty took place. Crate portrays Mother Grace as an administrator who did not believe that her charges were less than, but she was still within the residential school system, and within the Catholic Church, which owes a debt to the people they hurt.
"The second Sunday in December, just before Mass, Mother Grace sat in her office, reflecting. Her desk overflowed with correspondence—bills, notices, and catechism lessons—but it seemed to her that God was directing her thoughts elsewhere, summoning her to examine her actions and beliefs. She decided to pray that the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit be strengthened within her: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. Those gifts would help her meet the challenges ahead."
Mother Grace, meaning well, but not acting honourably, ignores the abuse, although she does not personally do the abuse. But ignoring it makes you just as culpable. Crate shows this so well, and somehow is able to be sympathetic to characters (representations of reality) who are not always defendable.
"She should get up, but she felt poorly. She had a great deal of paperwork to take care of. She simply didn't have the strength. Nor the motivation. The problem would very likely resolve itself."
Rose Marie's spirit is strong, and she never loses it, even though she thinks she might have at some point. This is but one example of her true self that she holds on to no matter what.
"Rose Marie was discontented too. It was the fire worms or never being outdoors, of maybe the winter sun, all wrapped up in bandages of cloud. She scratched and fiddled in her desk, and finally, during counting, she slipped out of class and into the hall.
'Get back here!' Sister Joan yelled, her head popping from the door, arm waving.
Rose Marie started running for the big front door."
A friendship starts, and Crate shows also defiance, respect, bravery, and honour in Anataki's response to her re-naming.
"Waving off Sister Cilla's 'But I think you're mistaken—' Sister Margaret fixed her with a steely gaze. 'I believe I'm the senior supervisor here,' she said, then hollered over to Anataki, 'No more trouble, Anne.'
'—ataki,' the little girl whispered.
Rose Maried, a few feet away, heard her finish her name, her old name, the Blackfoot name she had decided, secretly, to keep. She looked into Anataki's face and saw a coyote dart behind her eyes. A coyote chasing a chicken. Quick. Then the chicken look was on her face again, dull and stupid.
She thought maybe she liked that girl, that Anataki."
Crate does not tell (the girls were sad), she shows ("sad dribbling out), so well. Stunning.
"'Let's try that again, girls. Now I lay me down to sleep.'
Rose Marie looked over at the next bed, and the bed after that, and all around her at all the heads with just-chopped hair. Some of the mouths in some of the heads were saying the prayer and some were open holes with sad dribbling out."
Crate writes of little moments, but they provide depth and meaning. Each word, every phrase, stands in for so much.
"'Arms up.'
The dark, heavy dress that was pushed over her head smelled of damp corners and dirty feet.
Rose crunched her eyes shut. There, behind her eyes, the sun had already set and the sky was dark."
A painful moment of loss and fear at being taken, beautifully and tragically written (echoed later in the bus ride at the end).
"The backseat squeaked under her bum. Rose threw all her weight onto her feet, half standing. The car turned suddenly and she tumbled back. The squeaking under her was terrible, the sound of a baby bird crying out for its mother and flapping its bony wings in her throat. The car rumbled onto that great grey road.
They drove faster, and the bird cried even louder, underneath and inside her. Its mama didn't hear, couldn't answer, wouldn't come. She kept swallowing so she wouldn't throw up."
Thus it BEGINS, as it always does in these stories, with theft.
"PAPA OPENED THE DOOR slowly. 'What do you want?' he said in English.
'I'm Father Alphonses,' a white man's voice said. Then came a stream of sound. Rose, cross-legged on the floor while Mama braided her hair, made out just a few of the words. 'School,' 'must,' 'law,' louder than the rest.
Mama stopped braiding. 'Lie down with Kiaa-yo,' she hissed, pushing Rose towards the nest of hides. Mama stood, pressing herself against the wall where the men couldn't see. Catching Rose's eye, she signalled her to pull the hide over her head."
October 4, 2017
Black Apple does wonders to describing how truly horrific residential schools were, without being overtly graphic. With all of the controversy going on about John A. MacDonald and allowing a school to be named after him after the cataclysmic events that were residential schools, one's perspective would change, or become far more solid. Joan Crates describes, in fascinating detail, the different emotional ranges that occur when the kids were sent to the schools. There are the kids who struggle to fit in because they are different and are also treated the worst because their spirit is so vibrant within them (much like Anataki and Sinopaki). There were the children that knew what was happening and were silent. And those who adjusted well. I think the most important part is seeing what happens to kids who try to remain strong and culturally connected. The little boy, Tommy Two-Horses (I think), hung himself because he could not deal with the abysmal activities occurring in those horrible schools. These schools were so horrible that a young man killed himself. This book really portrays the emotions behind the scenes. You don't ever get the emotions of the victims in the textbook. However, in this book, you get to see and feel how utterly heartbreaking it would have been to be a survivor, kin to, or even worse, one of the Unfortunate ones.
To me, the best "pearl of wisdom" was the reminder that my ancestors have had to go through so much to get us where we are today. We have such strong spirits; the younger generations have inherited inter-generational resiliency. Regardless of who tells me what I must do and who I must be, my spirit will guide me through it all. I am never alone, I have the love and strength of all of those before me and the hope of all of those behind me.
I thoroughly appreciated the topic of the book, and I enjoyed the reminder of the spirit, but there were some aspects I didn't like: Sinopaki sounding too "uneducated"; the repetition of Mother Grace being work-weary; and the constant contradiction of Mother Grace. Mother Grace was consistently switching from being painfully condescending and rather full of schemes to work-weary and tired/ frail and old. In those moments, it was a bit difficult to turn the pages. So for that I think two stars deducted is justifiable given the respect towards the sensitivity/controversy of the topic. Residential schools were a horrible thing and are incredibly hard to write about without upsetting someone, or wrongfully portraying someone. Although, all experiences were different, everyone felt similar fear, anger, unjust, or sadness at some point or another. Each of these emotions were present throughout the book, so I applaud Joan Crates and award her three stars!
To me, the best "pearl of wisdom" was the reminder that my ancestors have had to go through so much to get us where we are today. We have such strong spirits; the younger generations have inherited inter-generational resiliency. Regardless of who tells me what I must do and who I must be, my spirit will guide me through it all. I am never alone, I have the love and strength of all of those before me and the hope of all of those behind me.
I thoroughly appreciated the topic of the book, and I enjoyed the reminder of the spirit, but there were some aspects I didn't like: Sinopaki sounding too "uneducated"; the repetition of Mother Grace being work-weary; and the constant contradiction of Mother Grace. Mother Grace was consistently switching from being painfully condescending and rather full of schemes to work-weary and tired/ frail and old. In those moments, it was a bit difficult to turn the pages. So for that I think two stars deducted is justifiable given the respect towards the sensitivity/controversy of the topic. Residential schools were a horrible thing and are incredibly hard to write about without upsetting someone, or wrongfully portraying someone. Although, all experiences were different, everyone felt similar fear, anger, unjust, or sadness at some point or another. Each of these emotions were present throughout the book, so I applaud Joan Crates and award her three stars!
March 7, 2021
Disappointing. I wanted to be engaged with this book a lot more than I was and found it a bit of a slog. Divided into 3 parts, the first is set with our main character, Sinopaki, a small girl, arrives at a Catholic-run residential school on the praries. Torn from her family, she is renamed Rose Marie. We follow her life at this institution/school. I can't understand why the writing is so emotionally disengaged from her and other girls' plight. Even acts of fatal and almost fatal brutality are given a very light, dislocated approach.
In part two, Rose Marie is 13 and transforming into a young lady. By now she has been assimilated and institutionalized. Her mother is dead, the Mother nun purposefully and consistently denies her father access. The only comfort that Rose Marie has is in the monotonous daily routine. Even her best friend dies from a winter fever, malnutrition and neglect. She is so alone and so clings to the practical and religious routines of the school. Rose Marie is seeing spirits/ghosts and eventually confesses this to the Mother nun who interprets it as a direct message from God. Rose Marie is then nurtured as a future nun herself. She is emotionally completely repressed and smothered and the writing reflects this, continuing in a dislocated, drab way.
In part 3, Rose Marie is 19 and about to enter into the novice training to be a nun, but first she is sent away to Black Apple (is this Coleman or near Coleman?) in Crowsnest Pass for three months. She is completely unprotected and unprepared for life outside her effective prison. At last we have engaging, intense writing. Disaster! The priest who she has been sent to has just died and the interim priest is a nasty racist who has no time for her. Disaster! She learns of the death of her father through a letter sent by Mother Grace to the dead priest. She didn't even give Rose Marie the courtesy of telling her herself. She is initially terrified and in danger of sinking, but somehow digs deep to realise that she is free to make choices about her own future. Away from the suffocating religious routine, she can breathe deeply and start to think for herself.
At the end of the book, she gets on a bus to try to reunite with the family the Mother nun has attempted to completely excise from her life.
It is an appalling chapter in Canadian history that should not be forgotten, but I found, for example, Richard Wagamese's Indian Horse to be much more impactful.
In part two, Rose Marie is 13 and transforming into a young lady. By now she has been assimilated and institutionalized. Her mother is dead, the Mother nun purposefully and consistently denies her father access. The only comfort that Rose Marie has is in the monotonous daily routine. Even her best friend dies from a winter fever, malnutrition and neglect. She is so alone and so clings to the practical and religious routines of the school. Rose Marie is seeing spirits/ghosts and eventually confesses this to the Mother nun who interprets it as a direct message from God. Rose Marie is then nurtured as a future nun herself. She is emotionally completely repressed and smothered and the writing reflects this, continuing in a dislocated, drab way.
In part 3, Rose Marie is 19 and about to enter into the novice training to be a nun, but first she is sent away to Black Apple (is this Coleman or near Coleman?) in Crowsnest Pass for three months. She is completely unprotected and unprepared for life outside her effective prison. At last we have engaging, intense writing. Disaster! The priest who she has been sent to has just died and the interim priest is a nasty racist who has no time for her. Disaster! She learns of the death of her father through a letter sent by Mother Grace to the dead priest. She didn't even give Rose Marie the courtesy of telling her herself. She is initially terrified and in danger of sinking, but somehow digs deep to realise that she is free to make choices about her own future. Away from the suffocating religious routine, she can breathe deeply and start to think for herself.
At the end of the book, she gets on a bus to try to reunite with the family the Mother nun has attempted to completely excise from her life.
It is an appalling chapter in Canadian history that should not be forgotten, but I found, for example, Richard Wagamese's Indian Horse to be much more impactful.
September 22, 2020
-I feel kind of bad giving this book two stars because it wasn’t bad, it truly wasn’t a bad book. I just never really felt excited to pick it up and read it. So for my own enjoyment I’m giving the book two stars.
-This definitely felt like a book I would read for school and it was kind of nice to read and learn more about Canadian history.
-Sometimes, especially when Rose Marie was a little girl I found the writing to be a bit cheesy. The part where Rose Marie's friend is sick and dying and she only wants jam. The way that part was written literally made my skin feel itchy with discomfort at how cheesy the writing felt.
-I really didn't hate this book though, even though it feels like I did so far lol.
-It was so interesting seeing how selfish the religious workers were. In my mind Mother Grace really only wanted Rose Marie to become a sister so she could feel good about herself. It would only make Mother Grace proud to know she changed this girl so much and that she brought her into the church. I know Rose Marie was conflicted about whether of not she could hate Mother Grace and I totally understand that. If I had grown up under someone's ""care"" for so long it would be so hard to get your mindset to see them for who they are when that person groomed your mindset. When Rose Marie told what she had seen from the ghosts and how the deaths occurred many years ago, I was silly and thought people would be happy to finally understand what had happened. Instead every single religious leader, the sisters and the fathers, was extremely selfish and saw it as a sign TO THEM, that they were forgiven. When the visions came TO Rose Marie and had nothing to do with forgiving everyone.
-The selfishness continued on with Mother Grace being absolutely vile by not letting Rose Marie see her father or go home with her father. This was like the height of Mother Grace's stupid, delusional, selfish, horrid way of thinking. I really hope Rose Marie grows up to absolutely despise Mother Grace for what she did to her.
-This book ended in a really great way, which was I just wanted Rose Marie to be happy. I loved when she had the suitors propose to her and she had them explain what they meant and what they would provide. I think, like Rose Marie said, technically she could be happy with either of them but I loved that she chose to go look for her brother instead.
-I really liked the ghosts throughout the book it added an extra layer of intrigue to the plot.
-This definitely felt like a book I would read for school and it was kind of nice to read and learn more about Canadian history.
-Sometimes, especially when Rose Marie was a little girl I found the writing to be a bit cheesy. The part where Rose Marie's friend is sick and dying and she only wants jam. The way that part was written literally made my skin feel itchy with discomfort at how cheesy the writing felt.
-I really didn't hate this book though, even though it feels like I did so far lol.
-It was so interesting seeing how selfish the religious workers were. In my mind Mother Grace really only wanted Rose Marie to become a sister so she could feel good about herself. It would only make Mother Grace proud to know she changed this girl so much and that she brought her into the church. I know Rose Marie was conflicted about whether of not she could hate Mother Grace and I totally understand that. If I had grown up under someone's ""care"" for so long it would be so hard to get your mindset to see them for who they are when that person groomed your mindset. When Rose Marie told what she had seen from the ghosts and how the deaths occurred many years ago, I was silly and thought people would be happy to finally understand what had happened. Instead every single religious leader, the sisters and the fathers, was extremely selfish and saw it as a sign TO THEM, that they were forgiven. When the visions came TO Rose Marie and had nothing to do with forgiving everyone.
-The selfishness continued on with Mother Grace being absolutely vile by not letting Rose Marie see her father or go home with her father. This was like the height of Mother Grace's stupid, delusional, selfish, horrid way of thinking. I really hope Rose Marie grows up to absolutely despise Mother Grace for what she did to her.
-This book ended in a really great way, which was I just wanted Rose Marie to be happy. I loved when she had the suitors propose to her and she had them explain what they meant and what they would provide. I think, like Rose Marie said, technically she could be happy with either of them but I loved that she chose to go look for her brother instead.
-I really liked the ghosts throughout the book it added an extra layer of intrigue to the plot.
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March 17, 2022Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.
This was pretty good. I thought it was YA when I entered the contest to win it, but it’s definitely an adult book even though the main character goes from seven to thirteen to nineteen over the course of the book.
I really didn’t have any super strong feelings about this one either way. I appreciate the research the author talks about doing and how thoughtful they are in their depiction of things based on the horrific acts that actually happened. I also thought that the way the author handled someone having very complicated feelings, even feelings of affection, for people like Mother Grace, who objectively did terrible things, was really well done. Emotions aren’t cut and dry.
Over all, though, it didn’t blow me away, but there’s nothing really wrong with it. I just thought the plot was a little underwhelming and the romance plot didn’t work for me personally. But the characters were generally strong and it did keep my attention well. It was good, and I recommend it if the sound of it interests you, but it just wasn’t my favourite.
Representation: Rose Marie/Sinopaki is Blackfoot, and many people in the book are Indigenous, obviously – all the other students in the school, and other characters.
Content notes: Residential schools, a lot racism, violence against children, child death, sexual abuse.
This was pretty good. I thought it was YA when I entered the contest to win it, but it’s definitely an adult book even though the main character goes from seven to thirteen to nineteen over the course of the book.
I really didn’t have any super strong feelings about this one either way. I appreciate the research the author talks about doing and how thoughtful they are in their depiction of things based on the horrific acts that actually happened. I also thought that the way the author handled someone having very complicated feelings, even feelings of affection, for people like Mother Grace, who objectively did terrible things, was really well done. Emotions aren’t cut and dry.
Over all, though, it didn’t blow me away, but there’s nothing really wrong with it. I just thought the plot was a little underwhelming and the romance plot didn’t work for me personally. But the characters were generally strong and it did keep my attention well. It was good, and I recommend it if the sound of it interests you, but it just wasn’t my favourite.
Representation: Rose Marie/Sinopaki is Blackfoot, and many people in the book are Indigenous, obviously – all the other students in the school, and other characters.
Content notes: Residential schools, a lot racism, violence against children, child death, sexual abuse.
August 20, 2019
I just finished Black Apple about a First Nation's child being taken from her family and placed in residential school. It is set in the 1940s and provides a disturbing view of residential school. Yet, it also explains some of the nun's and priest's beliefs and motivations for working at these schools, both those who thought they were following God's plan and those who weren't really that Christian. I found the book sad and thought provoking. If you are not familiar with Residential Schools it is one way to learn a bit about what occurred in these institutions. Remember it is fiction and of course tells only some of the events that occurred. The author has a First Nations background.
July 8, 2021
I absolutely could not put this book down! I mentioned to a friend that I was interested in educating myself more about Indigenous people in Canada, and the despicable practices of the government and catholic church (such as residential schools) used to force assimilation. She recommended this novel and I'm so grateful for it. Rose Marie (Sinopaki) is a likable character who's side I couldn't help but take. I feel like "enjoyed" is the wrong word to use when trying to describe my feelings after reading - more so that it felt right to educate myself. Right to read it, right to reflect on it, and right to recommend it to all Canadian settlers to read.
This literature is important. And, every Canadian in this century ought to know about the bloody crimes that we have inherited from the colonialist generations before us.
This literature is important. And, every Canadian in this century ought to know about the bloody crimes that we have inherited from the colonialist generations before us.
April 23, 2018
This is one of the most brutal books I've ever read. I hate the fact that so many First Nations people had to endure the atrocities that were committed at residential schools. The racism/rape/beatings/mistreatment is horrendous and sickening.
This is a beautiful book about one woman making her own life after being brainwashed and mistreated. The writing is gorgeous, the characters of Rose Marie and Mother Grace were wonderfully developed and I really enjoyed the narrative. The only thing is, the strange love triangle in the last third of the book was unexpected and unnecessary, but I understood why it had to happen.
This is a beautiful book about one woman making her own life after being brainwashed and mistreated. The writing is gorgeous, the characters of Rose Marie and Mother Grace were wonderfully developed and I really enjoyed the narrative. The only thing is, the strange love triangle in the last third of the book was unexpected and unnecessary, but I understood why it had to happen.
May 13, 2021
I really wanted this book to be better than it was. It had a lot of potential, but it seemed to just skim over any of the parts that could have made it a deeper, emotional read. The characters fell flat and were all very bland in their personalities as they floated through a life that should have been hard with hardly a care for what was happening or what it meant to them. The main character loses her parents, her culture, and her language, and by the end of the book has never really thought about it, nor does she really come to a conclusion about it at the end. She just continues to float through her life.
October 2, 2021
I recommend this novel for readers looking for a skillfully written, nuanced portrait of Canada's residential schools. The author brings in the many types of abuse suffered by the children who attended the schools, but still shows shows occasional positive moments. The two main characters are well rounded and complex. Rose Marie is more than a victim. Mother Grace is well meaning and caring, while having the prejudices of her times. The story leads to a satisfying conclusion and message of resilience.
June 6, 2017
I am giving this book a 3 1/2 out of 5. I had wanted to read to this book for awhile because of the history behind the book. As a Canadian I am appalled with the way the church handled the schooling of indigenous children. Taking children from their homes, changing their names and sometimes beating them or abusing them sexually, is a black mark on Canada's history.
I really liked the book. I believe it was well written and researched.
I really liked the book. I believe it was well written and researched.
July 12, 2022
I enjoyed this novel, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
I thought the nuns were well portrayed as human beings with flaws and weaknesses, but who sincerely thought they were helping the students in their care at a residential school. It also showed how much influence, positive and negative, they had on individual students.
I thought the nuns were well portrayed as human beings with flaws and weaknesses, but who sincerely thought they were helping the students in their care at a residential school. It also showed how much influence, positive and negative, they had on individual students.
August 29, 2017
I liked 2 sides, student, and nuns at the residential school. Interestingly presented, but a lot milder than it could have been I'm sure. There is a lot of Catholicism in this book, which I found interesting, but might be a turnoff for some.
May 17, 2017
This book gave me more insight into the residential school experiences of our indigenous peoples and of those who ran the schools.
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