Cher Journal : Les mots qu'il me reste: Violette Pesheens, pensionnaire à l'école résidentielle, Nord de l'Ontario, 1966

Dear Canada

by Ruby Slipperjack

Violette Pesheens a de la difficulté à s'adapter à sa nouvelle vie au pensionnat. Sa grand-mère lui manque et de sérieux affrontements éclatent entre des filles cries. De plus, tout le monde la dévisage dans cette école de blancs, et tout ce qu'elle a apporté lui a été confisqué, y compris son nom: elle n'est plus qu'un numéro.

Mais le pire c'est la peur qui la tient. La peur d'oublier tout ce qu'elle a toujours chéri; l'anishnabe, sa langue, le nom des personnes qu'elle connaissait et ses coutumes. Bref, la peur d'oublier qui elle est. Son journal est le seul endroit où elle peut exprimer ses véritables inquiétudes, ses déchirements et se souvenir du passé. Peut-être qu'écrire lui permettra de finalement voir la lumière au bout de ce tunnel infernal.

Basée sur son expérience dans un pensionnat, Ruby Slipperjack a créé une héroïne brave et touchante, Violette. Les jeunes lecteurs feront une incursion importante dans ce sombre chapitre de l'histoire de notre nation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Indigenous, Middle Grade, Canada, Fiction, Historical, Childrens

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

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

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sensitive look for young readers as to how residential schools affected Indigenous-Canadians, past and present. Highly recommend!

[Becki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like the plight of Violet was romanticize a bit. It seemed that Violet had a choice to be at the school. I don't feel that the book accurately portrays what the Native Americans went through in Residential Schools. Violet seemed to lack any emotion at all and in the end decided to go home and not return. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure they didn't actually have a choice. I was disappointed. Having said all of that, if this is your first introduction to what happened, it could be a good stepping stone to finding out more.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for These are my Words.

Thoughts and plot

Dear Canada series continues to bring history to life for children with These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack. This book tells the story of 12 year old Violet (Pynut) and her experience at a residential school.

While I the idea of a diary covering this topic, the story fell a bit short for me due to Violet's rather flat characterization. Maybe it's because I'm reading Dear Canada: Exiles form the War and I find Charlotte much more convincing emotionally. Violet just feels...flat. She tells you that she's scared. She tells you that she's angry, but you don't really feel what she's feeling, you sort of are told...if that makes any sense to anyone.

Residential schools were created to destroy Indigenous culture and force the people to conform. It was a horrible and disgusting thing to do and worst of all, they went for the most vulnerable because they were the most impressionable. Children. They aimed to drain children in every possible way, mentally, emotionally, and physically. They forbid them from speaking their language, practice their ways, perform their ceremonies and activities. They stripped them of their names if they were not 'proper' names and often gave them number. Children were often abused, physically, mentally, sexually...

The first couple of entries were probably the most powerful of the whole book, showing how Indigenous children like Violet were treated when they first arrived at the residential school. For example, Violet is given a number, #75. Unfortunately, the power of the first entries did not carry through the whole book for me. Yes they weren't allowed to have anything, like paper dolls. They are hit and slapped and treated terribly. Their food was sub-par, their hair was cut, they were forced to wear particular clothing, and I know that this book was written for children, but the horrific events seemed to be tamed down and certain aspects excluded all together. I read the Dear Diary written to cover the Holocaust and while it too was tamed down, it was clear what was going on was horrific and traumatizing.

In Conclusion

While THESE ARE MY WORDS would be good for introducing middle grade readers to the history of residential schools in Canada, I feel like additional books and info would be needed to give a child an actual idea of what it would have been like. There are some other great novels and graphic novels that hit harder about what really went on in these schools. That said, I would still recommend that this book be one of the initial books given to a younger reader on the subject.

And be sure to read the historical notes! The historical notes make mention of how the last residential school closed in 1998. That's 19 years ago.

Appropriate age group: Middle school and up
Status in my library: 2 copies already on the shelf

[Adriyanna Zimmermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack tells the story of 12 year old Violet (Pynut) and her experience at a residential school during the years 1966 and 1967. Like previous Dear Canada books, the novel is told in a diary-like format. If you’re unfamiliar with the Dear Canada series, they are books published by Scholastic Canada with the purpose of introducing middle grade readers to Canadian history through fictionalized diary entries, along with an epilogue, historical note and (usually) real photographs and maps. Most of the books are written by different authors but the format is always the same.

The diary-like format has always been my favourite thing about this series and THESE ARE MY WORDS is no exception. The diary entries help with bringing the reader back in time and makes Violet seem all the more real.

I could immediately get into this book and the story itself was fantastic, but Violet’s characterization fell a bit short for me. She didn’t seem to have much of a personality and I couldn’t get a strong sense of the emotions she was feeling. I understood she felt angry, scared, anxious and on occasion joy, but it was more told than shown. I thought at times maybe we didn’t fully see her personality because of the way residential schools were; Violet would have gotten in serious trouble for the things she wrote. I also thought that, this being a diary, she could have at the same time poured everything she had into it. Residential schools did drain children in every possible way, mentally, emotionally, and physically, so it’s also possible that at the end of the day Violet didn’t have a lot to share.

The first couple pages were very powerful, showing the horrific ways Indigenous children like Violet were treated. One of the worst was when Violet was given a number. Being reduced to #75 really made an impact. Unfortunately, the last couple pages didn’t have the same effect and it didn’t feel like an ending. I didn’t really feel like Violet’s story was over, unlike other books in this series.

THESE ARE MY WORDS is really great for introducing middle grade readers to the history of residential schools and Canadian history. Like other Dear Canada books, this novel was outstanding and I read it from start to finish. I recommend that all teachers, librarians and parents buy this for their MG readers. I don’t think many people realize how close to us residential schools have existed. The author mentions in the historical note that the last residential school closed in 1998. 1998! That’s only an 18 year difference from this book’s publication date. I haven’t read this series for years so I’m really happy this was the book that brought me back into it.

[madame Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

une autre lecture autochtone, tout aussi essentielle — selon moi. écrite à la manière du « Journal d’Anne Frank », il s’agit ici du quotidien de la jeune Violette qu’elle nous raconte sous forme de journal intime. ce sont les pensionnats, l’isolement de ces jeunes enfants et surtout le fait qu’ils aient été arrachés à leur famille et c’est ici le lien si fort entre Violette et sa grand-mère. j’ai bien aimé et je recommande sans hésiter!

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really glad to see this book as the newest chapter in this series. As a teacher, I think it's crucial to address the dark parts of our country's history, and to find an accessible way to bring them to children who need to learn about them. I also appreciate the series branching out to be less Euro-centric, both in its authors and its historical subjects.

That said, however, this installment isn't as good as some of the other entries in the series, partly because of the writing style, which is overly simplistic and very bare. I was hoping to be able to use this as a novel study with my students, but the lack of sentence variety makes me worry it would be very dull to read aloud.

As others have said, it seems a little sanitized, and combining that with the short length, I have to wonder if something was censored out of it in the editing stages... There were a lot of moments of dramatic irony, where a reasonably educated/aware person knows more than Violet/Pynut does, but I have to question whether the kids in this book's intended age bracket have the background knowledge necessary for that awareness.

I also found it difficult to connect with the characters (or character, since there's really only one), and there isn't really much of a plot to speak of. That said, however, I thought the lack of named supporting/lasting characters, and the lack of connection was actually sort of brilliant. Residential schools stripped FNMI kids of their identities -- it only makes sense then, that it would be difficult for them to form pro-social connections, as well as for the reader to connect to them.

[Amy Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book in a school library a couple weeks ago I knew I had to have a copy of it. Growing up I loved reading and collecting Dear Canada books and did not realize that new ones are still being released. Residential Schools in Canada is a complicated subject to tackle, but the author handles it in a way that is age-appropriate for children reading the book while still helping them to understand how poorly Aboriginal people were treated. There is also additional historical information included in the book which will hopefully get readers asking questions about why this happened, and how to make sure it doesn't happen again. The Dear Canada series brings history to life by giving events a name and a face in the form of a fictional character that readers can relate to, and These are My Words is no exception.

[Melanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. This is a kids book. But an important kids book. I was sent it from scholastic and the little free library organization for my little free library but knew I wanted to read it first. My 10 year old beat me to it and then affirmed that I needed to read it.
Oh my heart. This is a dark part of Canada’s history. We’re so known for being “nice.” But this kind of treatment of people is not nice (and from what I have read this is a pretty tame school compared to some). No child should be separated from their parents and what they know as home. And I’m glad that this is recorded through diary entries so that we can preserve what it actually felt like to be that child. I kept thinking “what if this was my kids?” My empathy is off the charts today and I’m so angry on behalf of these kids.

[Elle Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

From what I know of Canada's history, this is quite sanitized. I was also disappointed to read on the last page that this was a fictional account. The book appears as if it is based on legitimate diaries kept at the time (although that seemed far-fetched; maybe I just WANTED to believe someone had managed to do so).

[Darryl Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anishinabe author Ruby Slipperjack accomplishes something quite extraordinary in this book—namely the creation of a child’s voice recounting her time at a Residential School through diary entries, but without a hint of condescension, oversimplification, or imposed/manipulative naïveté. Violet’s voice rings so true, it’s breathtaking.

This book would be an excellent entry point into the topic of Truth and Reconciliation at a middle years level. It beautifully and deftly bridges the gap between picture books and/or children’s literature that I’ve read on this topic, and the grittier, rawer accounts of Residential Schools that one often reads in high school. For obvious reasons of age appropriateness, picture books and children’s literature on this subject tend towards highlighting and focussing on the feelings of loneliness, anger, confusion, and sadness that result from children being separated from their families and being forced to attend Residential Schools, rather than the experiences of racism, violence, segregation, depression, and cultural genocide that Indigenous authors and survivors went through, since these can only be forthrightly described and addressed when writing for readers in later adolescence and early adulthood. Slipperjack manages to weave all of these necessary topics into this book with incredible sensitivity, through allusion and suggestion rather than explicit description; for example, Violet becomes aware of the very real possibilities of abuse and assault through near encounters and close calls, rather than lived experiences. This aspect of the book is really brilliant, because it effectively and impactingly introduces the dangers and fears faced by Violet without venturing into full-blown trauma.

Another facet of the book that I really appreciated was Slipperjack’s ability to expose the disgrace and insidious agenda of the Residential School system without sweepingly vilifying any of the individual characters that come across the page. Violet is honest in her observation of this foreign world she is forced to inhabit—she feels safe with some of the caretakers, supervisors, teachers, and fellow students at the school, and afraid and leery of others, all while remaining aware of a constant ache and unsettledness in her spirit and body. So Slipperjack is able to unequivocally denounce the cruelty and injustice of Violet’s reality while still maintaining the nuanced humanity of the various characters with whom she interacts throughout the book, some of whom were well-intentioned and others who weren’t, yet all of whom still undeniably played a part in the tragedy of her circumstances.

Very grateful to have finally gotten around to this one! Highly recommended!

[Emmeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weak entry into the historical diary series that somehow (!!) manages to make residential school sound not that bad! There was a strong disconnect between the mildly upsetting story and the non-fiction account at the end which put the cultural genocide of Canadian first nations into numbers and context.

[Sarah Couture · Rating 5 out of 5]

Les mots qu'il me reste est une fiction inspirée de faits réels et je n'ai aucun doute qu'une enfant ait eu les mêmes comportements que Violette.

Ce roman est écrit un peu à la manière du journal d'Anne Frank ce qui nous permet de nous mettre dans la peau du personnage. Puisqu'il s'adresse à une tranche d'âge plus jeune et qu'il est écrit selon une jeune fille de 12-13 ans, il est moins graphique que d'autres oeuvres portant sur le même sujet. Cela ne m'empêche pas de lui donner 5 étoiles, car je l'ai jugé selon la clientèle qu'il vise. Je trouve qu'il s'agit d'un livre parfait pour aborder un sujet lourd avec les enfants. Il est évident que ce livre devrait se trouver dans toutes les classes afin d'aborder le sujet des pensionnats autochtones.

Certains diront que le roman est trop «propre» et trop épurée. Bien que les autochtones ont vécu des horreurs dans les pensionnats, je ne crois pas qu'il faut aborder le sujet de cette façon avec des enfants. Nous ressentons quand même la détresse du personnage principal et les émotions qu'elle a vécu en étant loin de sa famille. Je crois que les enfants peuvent s'identifier à elle sans que des descriptions ne les choquent. Il s'agit d'une belle ouverture pour aborder les pensionnats.

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good first look at the Canadian Residential ‘school’ System. It glosses over many events that I believe were more horrifying in real life than this book leads you to believe. But for kids, this is a gentle introduction and certainly leaves space for them to ask questions. This story was written by a residential school survivor, and I applaud her for sharing her experiences through this fictional diary to educate young people. Thank you, Ruby.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found all the books that I've read in the Dear Canada series to be both informative and interesting. I have become increasingly more familiar with stories of what happened in residential schools in recent years but this store was in some ways gentler than what I have come to expect. It written by an indigenous writer which makes it even more of interest to me. Part of what fascinated me was that it was set in 1966 and I can remember what grade I was in then and some of what my life was like. I know for sure that I was completely unaware of the existence of residential schools at that age. In the 1960's there seemed to be a little more practicality that went into what were basically residences rather than residential schools. The children went out to white man's schools and white man's churches. What struck me about the treatment of the books main character was that all letters sent to her were read before she ever saw them and often were stolen from her belongings at a later time. Similarly she had to hand over letters that she had written and she never knew if they would actually be sent. This book was a quick read for an adult but I'm glad it is available to help teach about a part of our Canadian history that happened over far too much time and which should not be forgotten.

[Young Adult Historical Vault · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a hard book to read, but such an important one. Not hard in that it was poorly written--much the contrary, it was remarkably well-written and powerful--but that the subject matter is difficult to wrap ourselves around. Unlike other Dear Canada books, it's not uplifting and it's not about an inspiring period in history, and it doesn't track with our perception of Canada as a great nation. It's so important that we have books like this that focus on terrible mistakes, and Ruby Slipperjack does a fantastic job of portraying a realistic protagonist in a situation where she's genuinely suffering, but it never strays into pathos or anything like that.

A great book, and for my full review with spoilers, check out Young Adult Historical Vault at https://yahistoricalvault.com/2016/09...

[Alison]

I've tried a few times to introduce this series to my daughter but she's shown no interest. Friday they were talking about the residential schools at daycare and I happened to have this one with me. I handed it to her and she's now half done. Life connections to reading material do make a difference. We'll see if she'll try others.

[Jay! · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good but very depressing...I think you need to go in knowing that you will hear of violence but also of hope!

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although a little dry and repetitive at times, this story is a great way to introduce middle-grade readers to the Canadian residential schooling system.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering that all the books in the series are diaries, the title is unimaginative. The historical note talks about historical/generational trauma but doesn’t call it by name.

[Annora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read whatever DA books I could get my hands on though I still need to read the post 2010 ones. I read a couple of the Dear Canada books about twelve years ago as well. I didn’t expect them to be ebooks and I thought I’d never read them again with my eyesight.

Unfortunately, I read this one. It was a terrible, bleak time in Canadian history. I didn’t expect a literal child to be happy about being plucked into a new world. But every entry was complaining. I couldn’t even find one good trait about her.

To make matters worse, I don’t think I learned anything about the subject because it was too full of complaints. It never really went into detail why she was there. I knew she was Indigenous but beyond that? Not a lot. It barely skimmed the surface.

The tone jumped around a lot and it felt like a modern book trying to sound like it was written in the late 60s, vs actual historical fiction.

I’m gonna read the others but as I said, I’m out of the target age bracket. This will be a journey.

[Luciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Her story seems to vary slightly from other stories & seemed not as horrific as other accounts from residential schools. Perhaps it was because of her audience being kids as it is part of the "Dear Canada" series.

Violet seemed to like the food, she seemed to have some freedom to leave the school to go & babysit or go shopping, yet when outside, she is still harassed by "whites" & rendered frightened. She is still stripped of her culture, her language, and family but her diary seems to sustain her through some of the lonely times. She also seemed to have a pretty good relationship with her mom and a really close relationship with her grandmother and this is seen from her diary entries.

Regardless, the whole reality of residential schools and how it impacted so many generations of families and culture is and always will be horrific. We, as Canadians, should be appalled that this even took place.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting way to present to children what life was like for a young native girl when she was sent away from home for schooling. Schools today are finally starting to teach about this time in Canada's history. I found this a very balanced book in it's presentation of Violet's life and experiences
I would recommend it for girls in grades 3-5

[Jenna Dease · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many important topics and issues alluded to in this book. Obviously, many topics were discussed in an age appropriate way for the age level of this book. Planning to read aloud to my students as we discuss residential school experiences further.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

"These Are My Words" tells the story of Violet Pesheens, a young Anishinaabe girl forced into a residential school. Written as her diary, it captures her deep loneliness, strength, and unbreakable spirit.

It’s a moving glimpse into a painful part of Canada’s history—and a reminder of the resilience of Indigenous children.

A short but unforgettable read. 🌾

[Dyck House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book to really teach kids about residential schools.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a serious look at Canada’s troubling history with Residential Schools, making it a valuable read for young audiences. However, it doesn’t quite delve into the history as deeply as I had anticipated. While other books in the Dear Canada series tackle heavy topics, this book feels a bit too sanitized for its subject, presenting a farrrr gentler view of what children faced in these schools.

On the plus side, the historical note at the end provides a more detailed perspective.

[RustyShack · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Understated.

[Kristal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great addition to the Dear Canada series- I wish there was more from the Indigenous perspective.

I really appreciate how detailed Violet/Pynut’s diary is- from the foods she ate, to the stories she wrote to the clothes she wore- that made this diary feel real to me. At first I felt like this diary was written in an “overly positive way” but when Violet was getting letters from her mother encouraging her to be good and disciplined, I feel like Violet’s positivity in her diary was her coping mechanism encouraged by Mom. Having letters, language, friends, family and everything else taken from a person would bring up unimaginable feelings of anger- and that does shine through in Violet’s writings in other places, which of course is her main feeling.

I’m glad Slipperjack balanced mentioning abuse while making the book age appropriate. Some say this was “whitewashed”, but I disagree- the ages intended for these Dear Canada books are approximately 8-12 years old, so it needs to be fitting.

Also, it seems like Slipperjack must have used her own experiences in writing Violet’s diary- at least according the back of the book under “about the author”- which is interesting. I didn’t know that you can be boarding at a residential school while attending a public school with white students. No wonder there was less abuse in Violet’s education compared to other schools (not saying her experience is good though).

However, I still had some unanswered questions- where is Violet’s biological father? She mentioned she was teased by kids for having a step dad but I would have liked to know this detail. Also, how does her grandmother know English so well? Was she also sent to a residential school? But she also knows Anishnaabe really well so that confuses me. Also, Violet says she is not very good at writing in English (spelling and grammar wise) but her diary isn’t stylized in a way that supports that claim (I believe some of the Dear America diaries about black people did this well). Lastly, why does Violet lives with her grandmother mostly and not her parents? This of course was mentioned but never explained, which I found curious.

Regardless, still a great and VERY important story to be told. I hope Dear Canada releases more titles- this is the most recent book and it’s now 3 years old!

[Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Violet Pesheens, a young aboriginal girl that was taken away from her family and put into the residential school system, throughout the story, she meets new people, creates new bonds and discovers how dark this system of education really was.... The book is fictional, however, It brings valuable insight into what the residential school system was really like. It allows you to create an attachment to the children who were brought into this system of oppression and experience their feelings and thoughts. Violet may not have been a real girl. But there were thousands just like her who were taken from their homes and thrown into appalling conditions. Reading this gives you valuable insight into what happened inside the schools, and creates feelings that no history textbook could ever hope to replicate. One thing that really caught my attention was when Violet was allowed to watch television with some other girls inside their residence. Violet had never seen a television before. It had me thinking about inequality and how something so common as a T.V could not be found on aboriginal reservations, quite thought provoking. Another thing that is worth mentioning is that this story is not as "dark" as one would expect for a story about Canada's darkest moment in history, it however relies on the innocence of Violet and her pain from being taken from family. I was initially disappointed by this, however; as I continued reading I thought it was a good choice by the author to structure the story in this way. Instead of feeling shocked, I felt upset. Upset that this could happen in what I believed to be the best country in the world. I believe that the story being less "dark" and more emotional led to a greater connection between the reader and Violet. Overall, I would recommend this book. It would be very useful to put in the hands of elementary school children as a tool for learning about residential schools. Hopefully Violet's story can ensure that all children grow up in a racist-free and peaceful environment.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure that it was the Dear Canada books that got me into history and thus, pushed me into the future of getting a degree in it. This book is so important. So, so important. For those who do not know, recently Canada has been focusing on Truth and Reconciliation with the Indigenous People. Our history is filled with the horrors and tragedies of stealing children from their homes, forcing them to live and learn in horrendous residential schools, forbidden from speaking their language and harshly punishing them if they did anything to remind themselves of their previous lives. They were emotionally, psychologically, physically, and even sexually abused. From as young of an age as 5 years old, they were ripped from their homes and subject to this life. With often very little knowledge of life outside the residential schools, they were once again kicked out once they reached a certain age to fend for themselves in a world they had often not known since they were young. We would like to pretend that this did not happen, pretend that the schools may have done good to those that came from poor backgrounds. But this does not erase the fact that this did happen. This book takes place in the late sixties. My parents were born in the late sixties. The last residential school in Canada closed in the late nineties. I was born in the nineties. This is not old, or ancient. This is recent.

This book is simply written, like all Dear Canada books are. The horrors are often not mentioned, but merely implied. Violet's innocence often makes us, as readers, shielded from the things that truly happened. But this book is good, and I am incredibly happy that Dear Canada has finally written a book on this perspective. I remember learning about the residential schools as a kid, and even then I could recognise the horror of forcing young children into these lifestyles. I wish I had this book then.