Blessing's Bead

by Debby Dahl Edwardson

Nutaaq and her older sister, Aaluk, are on a great journey, sailing from a small island off the coast of Alaska to the annual trade fair. There, a handsome young Siberian wearing a string of cobalt blue beads watches Aaluk "the way a wolf watches a caribou, never resting." Soon his actions—and other events more horrible than Nutaaq could ever imagine—threaten to shatter her I~nupiaq world. Seventy years later, Nutaaq's greatgranddaughter, Blessing, is on her own journey, running from the wreckage of her life in Anchorage to live in a remote Arctic village with a grandmother she barely remembers. In her new home, unfriendly girls whisper in a language she can't understand, and Blessing feels like an outsider among her own people. Until she finds a cobalt blue bead—Nutaaq's bead—in her grandmother's sewing tin. The events this discovery triggers reveal the power of family and heritage to heal, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

Two distinct teenage voices pull readers into the native world of northern Alaska in this beautifully crafted and compelling debut novel.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Family, Native American

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2009

About the author

My name is Debby and I am a writer. I write stories for young people.

If you haven't seen me, it's because I live far far away and do, indeed, write from the top of the world: Barrow, Alaska, to be exact, the northernmost community on the North American Continent.

I've lived here pretty much all of my adult life—thirty years (don’t do the math!) and this place and its people have shaped who I am as a writer. My husband is Inupiaq (Eskimo) and most of the stories I write are set within this cultural context. It is not the culture I was born into but it is the one I belong to, the one that has become home to me as a human being and as an artist.

As we all do, I write what I know, and through knowing it in my own way, make it my own, something both very old and very new at the same time. Like many other writers, I straddle the distinct and sometimes divergent traditions that make me who I am.

Why do I write? I write to make sense of the world. I write to communicate, in the best way I can, my own unique vision. Everybody has a vision that is theirs alone. Mine has been molded by living with the Iñupiat, the Real People of the Arctic, from whom I have learned much and am still learning. Theirs is a spirit as strong and beautiful as the Arctic itself and, as a writer, I seek always to share this spirit with my readers.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blessing's Bead follows two sisters (Nutaaq and her older sister, Aaluk) living during the pre-mechanized days of the Iñupiaq (1917) and then switches to 1989, when Nutaaq/Blessing, living in Anchorage with her grandma and younger brother Tupaaq/Issac. The latter siblings have been moved by Social Security from her mother and boyfriend due to domestic violence, gambling and alcoholism.

Two girls in different worlds, separated by time, but connected by the same name. The first one needs to grow up during the plague, the latter needs to grow up while reacquainting herself with her heritage. The book also touches on how the Iñupiaq people were separated during the Cold War and reunited once the Iron Curtain came down (Alaska and Russia are fairly close).

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up because it was featured on Booklist's "Top 10 First Novels for Youth". The story sounded intriguing because it takes place in Alaska, and I am somewhat familiar with that place as some of you may know.

It did not disappoint. This is a young adult book that I hope gets a LOT more buzz because it has so much going for it. It combines both a narrative of two sisters living during the pre-mechanized days of the Iñupiaq/Inuit natives in northern Alaska, and then switches to the voice of contemporary child living in Anchorage trying to cope in a family under the weight of domestic violence and alcoholism. The beauty of the story comes from the way the ancestors are linked to the modern-day girl both by the tradition of passing down family names from generation to generation, and also a blue bead that surfaces many years later.

The historical points in the book feel authentic and well-researched; the legends of the Iñupiaq (the Real People) are lovingly told. In stark contrast, the horror of the Flu Pandemic of 1918 is devastating and gut-wrenching as the reader experiences it through the eyes of one of the sisters.

Recommended reading for the story, but also would be a good discussion book about the effects of the Cold War and how it separated Siberia from Alaska and family members for generations.

Quotations, because you love them:

"Whales used to fly, my cousin Jukku says. They used to swoop down from the sky and capture large animals, the way an owl grabs a lemming.
This is true; we know it for a fact. Back in the old days, the big gentle whales called agviq used to fly like massive birds of prey and the smaller ones with the fierce black fins used to roam the land in packs like wolves. These two kinds existed before the whales and wolves, as we know them today, came into being. And the ones that flew used to eat the ones that walked the earth. This is how it was."


"But when I tell Aaka about how stories change, she says no, stories don't change. They grow in people's hearts, just like people grow. Stories say different things at different times, but they don't change. That's what Aaka says."

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story fascinating for its depiction of both traditional and modern Inuit life. Though both parts of the book are narrated in the first person, Book II is written in Village English (as opposed to School English, which we use), which took me aback at first until I got used to reading it. In Book I Nutaaq's people suffer from the influenza epidemic of 1918, the suddenness and sadness of which Edwardson evokes vividly. One minute Nutaaq's world is happy, the next minute shattered. In Book II, Blessing feels a different kind of sadness--the break up of her family as she and her brother are sent to live with their grandmother while their mother goes into alcohol rehab. But Book II is ultimately a much happier book, as Blessing discovers her Inuit heritage and begins to heal from the hurts of the past. A glossary at the back of the book provides a clue as to how to pronounce the Inuit words, which I probably mangled.

One thing that annoyed me was the cover. The girl on the cover is not Inuit--the facial shape and features are wrong. Also Blessing is 12, and the girl on the cover looks like a sexy 16- to 18-year-old teenager. Then in the picture the girl is wearing the bead on her forehead, which neither Nutaaq nor Blessing did, but in a string around their necks. About the only thing right on the cover is the color of the bead! It's as if the cover was designed by someone who wanted to convey the impression that the story was sexy in some way, which I don't think is appropriate in a book that isn't about sex (if they'd bothered to read it) and for the age group that the book was intended.

Nevertheless, I do recommend the book. Perhaps the paperback edition will have a more accurate and appropriate cover.

[Scarlett Sims · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1917 Nutaaq, a young Iñupiaq girl, is separated from her family when her sister marries a Siberian and her parents die in an epidemic that wipes out almost everyone she knows. In 1989 that girl's great-granddaughter, also named Nutaaq, must also deal with the separation of her family when her mother is deemed unable to take care of her. Debby Dahl Edwardson explains in her author's note that she married into the Iñupiat culture. She also describes the various real historical events that take place during the course of the narrative, however it would have been nice if she had included a list of sources for further reading. Edwardson does seem to have a genuine reverence for this culture, although she does admit that she made a few changes for the sake of the story. Blessing's Bead is free of common stereotypes about native peoples and is commendable for portraying a contemporary young adult, however the lack of authority on the part of the author makes me slightly uncomfortable only because I don't know enough about the Iñupiat culture to spot any inaccuracies in the language or customs described.

[Briony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice read. I really enjoyed the first part and the history of the great-grandmother, but when it switched gears to the grand-daughter I thought it was okay. I felt like it lost some of it’s originally sparkle. The language in the second part was also initially annoying, but my brain automatically started to correct it and it got better. I can understand what the author was trying to create in the second part, but I personally would have liked it in proper grammar.

One thing I did like was how Nutaaq, the grand-daughter, came into her heritage and became proud of who she was. It was interesting to learn about her heritage and culture as she was experiencing it.

[Sydney Guerrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

really liked this book!
the author did an amazing job writing descriptive paragraphs, but i felt myself more drawn to the story, which was not really written about too much.
i think that author might have been going for that, but i still wish that there was some extension of what happened with the original nutaaq and tupaaq, but i really enjoyed the story nonetheless!
it was super interesting to read the history aspect of the inupiaq eskimos. i loved learning every detail and story in the book.
overall, i really enjoyed it, but would recommend to someone looking for a book that is more based on descriptive paragraphs and history, rather than an in-depth story.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand why adults would pick this book. Very well written and a great way to learn the culture of Inupiaq Eskimos of Alaska. I agree that young adults should read this but not sure it's going to be a huge hit. Would be a great addition to a social studies unit and given as extra reading to bring the history alive. It is one of the Virginia Readers' Choice books for 2011-12. I hope I'll be proven wrong.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It too me awhile to get into this book, the author's voice. But about 1/3 of the way in it really picked up. It definitely lacked depth and darkness, but as a book for young adolescents (like 5th grade), I can understand. What I particularly loved about this book was the weaving together of the theme. The ending was scintillating and nearly genius! Totally worth the read by itself.

[Becky]

Recommendation from Shannon: "This is a great YA Alaska read. I enjoyed it, had some problems following who was related to who but overall really enjoyed it. It was historical and gave a great insight to the Inupiaq culture."

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2009, released with new cover in 2022
There are two story lines here. One is of sisters Nutaaq and Aaluk who live in their indigenous village in Alaska in 1917. Aaluk leaves the village to marry a man from Siberia but she gives her sister Nutaaq a precious blue bead from her new husband's people. The other story is also in Alaska but in the year 1989. It also features a girl named Nutaaq but she is also called Blessing. Blessing's mom is an alcoholic, so she goes to live with her grandmother that she barely knows in a remote village. While there she discovers a blue bead. Blessing does not fit in with the other girls in the village but somehow the bead helps her find her way.
It was a bit difficult to track the different characters but eventually both story lines do tie together and the story is partially based on true events. The author is not indigenous but is married to an indigenous person and has lived in Alaska with the indigenous tribe for 40 years.
Grades 6-9

[Lilly 2/3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I read this book non stop over thanksgiving break I even read some of it to my brother and he kinda enjoyed it. I love this book a lot it was very good and this taught we words have more powerful meanings behind them. I recommend this book to everyone.

[Kristin Ringstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Respectful of the Inupiaq people. I was invested in the story. The audiobook version is amazing because it is narrated by a person who speaks Village English. As an Inupiaq woman myself this jook was just the right amount of meoncholy, moving, and powerful.

[Jenny Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for Native Alaska middle school students.

[Angel Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a type of historical fiction book. The story depicts the hardships of living in Alaska and the lost of identity, which is something very prominent in America with the mixing of cultures. Nutaaq and her family live on a remote island closed to Alaska. They travel to mainland for the annual fair. This is where Nutaaq’s sister meets a young Siberian boy and they end up falling in love. She leaves with him to Siberia promising to bring back a blue bead for each member of the family on the next annual fair. This never happens as she is killed by the influenza epidemic. The next part of the book tells the story of blessing, Nutaaq’s granddaughter. After having a rough life in Alaska growing up with her mother who battles depression, she is sent to live with her Grandmother. To a place she know nothing about and a grandmother she hardly knows. Blessing is not aware of her roots and feels like an outcast in her community. It is not until she finds a blue bead that her grandmother tells her the story of her sister and makes Blessing feel part of her culture and proud of her roots.
Strengths: The strength of this book is the ability to relate to the reader. Maybe I am a little bias because I’ve experience what she has, but I think most can relate. She was battling with culture shock and the loss of identity, which is something I went through.
Weaknesses: The weakness is that it had a lot of Native American terms that one had to look up in order to fully comprehend the text. Yes, it added more culture and more originality to the text, but it was sometimes a little hard to follow.

[Evette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blessing's Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson. This story is a type of historical fiction book. The story depicts the hardships of living in Alaska and the lost of identity, which is something very prominent in America with the mixing of cultures. Nutaaq and her family travel to mainland for the annual fair. This is where Nutaaq’s sister meets a young Siberian boy and they end up falling in love. She leaves with him to Siberia promising to bring back a blue bead for each member of the family on the next annual fair. This never happens as she is killed by the influenza epidemic. The next part of the book tells the story of blessing, Nutaaq’s granddaughter. After having a rough life in Alaska growing up with her mother who battles depression, she is sent to live with her Grandmother. To a place she know nothing about and a grandmother she hardly knows. Blessing is not aware of her roots and feels like an outcast in her community. It is not until she finds a blue bead that her grandmother tells her the story of her sister and makes Blessing feel part of her culture and proud of her roots. This book was good because it was relatable, but had many native terms that were hard to understand.

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multigenerational story set on an Alaskan island far to the north, above the Arctic Circle. Nutaaq, a young Inupiaq girl, is devastated when her older sister marries a Siberian boy, visiting from across the ocean, and leaves, never to be seen again. She gives Nutaaq two precious blue beads, and one of the beads is handed down, through Nutaaq's descendants, eventually found and treasured by a new Nutaaq, the Blessing of the title, who takes it from her grandmother's sewing tin in 1989. The other bead is buried with a baby who has died of the Spanish Influenza, which decimates Nutaaq's village. Most of the story takes place in modern day, as we watch Blessing and her younger brother adjust to life in a rural village, after being taken from Anchorage and their alcoholic mother. Blessing slowly learns to value her heritage and her Inupiaq identity. Lovingly, beautifully written, this is a marvelous story by an Alaskan author who has personal knowledge of her book's culture, having married into it. 5th grade and up.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1917, two Inupiac sisters are separated forever when one marries a Siberian Inupiac and leaves for Russia. Nutaaq, who stays behind in Alaska, soon sees her family and her village devastated by the Spanish flu. All she has left of her sister is a Siberian cobalt bead that Aaluk gave her before she left. In 1989, Nutaaq's great-grandaughter Blessing, whose Inupiac name is Nutaaq, has a difficult life in Anchorage with her alcoholic mother. Sent to her grandmother in Barrow, Blessing gradually comes to understand and appreciate her heritage, and to discover that families and names have power.

This book got starred reviews pretty much across the board, and it deserves them. It's written lyrically and succintly; things happen fast, but lose no impact. I learned a lot about Inupiac culture, and the book was nowhere near as sad as I thought it might be. There is sadness, of course, but having recently read suicide and dystopia books, this was refreshing in its hope.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful history of Inupiat (native Alaskan) culture told from the point of view of 2 women. The great-grandmother, Aaluk, remembers her childhood when her family traveled to the annual trade fair on the mainland and the Siberians came from what is now Russia. One of these Siberians will take Aaluk back to his village as his partner. Aaluk's yonger sister, Nutaaq remains and will eventually experience a horrible disaster that will all but eliminate her village.

The other part of this novel is told from the point of view of her great-granddaughter(also named Nutaaq). She is own her own journey, running from an abusive home. She is taken in by her grandmother, back to the village of her people.

As a reader, you can really get a sensing of this native Alaskan culture, of a people that live in a very cold and sometimes dark climate. A stunning novel! A must read!

[Catie Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2010 NBGS book follows an Alaskan Eskimo family through generations of obstacles and secrets. The story is told first by Nutaaq, a young woman who survives the influenza in the early 1900s and must start over when most of her family succumbs to the disease. Nutaaq's great granddaughter Blessing tells the rest of the story, picking up in 1989. Blessing's present takes her into Nutaaq's past, and family secrets are revealed.
I loved this book because it showed me a culture that I knew nothing about, and it presented this culture at multiple points in time. I liked learning about the intricacies of Nutaaq's and Blessing's family history and relationships as the story was told by both characters. This would be a great book to use in the classroom to illustrate the meaning of family in a culture with which students are likely unfamiliar.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a type of historical fiction book. The story depicts the hardships of living in Alaska and the lost of identity, which is something very prominent in America with the mixing of cultures. Blessing is not aware of her roots and feels like an outcast in her community. It is not until she finds a blue bead that her grandmother tells her the story of her sister and makes Blessing feel part of her culture and proud of her roots. This book to me is very relevant because I went through something similar. I feel that it has a very good message of feeling proud of where you came from and would be excellent in an ESL classroom due to a lot of foreign students who might be experiencing the same thing and need to feel understood. It is also very easy to ready and follow along, which is perfect for ESL students.

[Chrisann Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the biggest issues I see in times where language and culture are rapidly changing is that there is a greater disconnect between generations. I loved the way this book showed connections between different generations of Iñupiat people even though so many aspects of life have changed between each generation. We often forget that we are not the trappings of the time we live in. We are more alike than different and this goes for all of us everywhere and not just those of us trying to connect across generational gaps. I loved the use of Village English in the book and feel it added greatly to the true to life feeling of the characters. I feel proud to know the author as I am proud of her work. As a teacher of Iñupiat students I believe this book has power to help them see the richness of their experiences and how those experiences are connected to those of their ancestors.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Nutaaq a young Inupiaq girl who watches as her sister leaves the trading camp as a married woman. Sickness comes and wipes out most of Nutaaq's mother's village, including her parents. An English speaking man comes and gathers the survivors and pairs them for marriage. The second part of the book deals with Nutaaq's great-grand-daughter. Seventy-two years have gone by and Blessing, whose Inupiaq's name is Nutaaq, and her brother Tupaaq, named after his great-grandfather find themselves on a planed leaving Anchorage, Alaska. They have been removed from their home and their alcoholic mother and sent to live with their great-grandmother. Here they learn about family and their Inupiaq culture.

[Deanna Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction, family, cultural identity, Inupiaq Eskimos.

There are two stories in this novel. The first takes place in 1917 where 2 sisters, Aaluk and Nutaaq, live with their family in Alaska. The oldest sibling meets and marries a Siberian Eskimo at a yearly trade fair in Sheshalik. The youngest, Nutaaq, along with her parents return to the family home where a flu ravages many Eskimo villages.

The second story set during 1989 portrays Nuttaq's granddaughter, Blessing, who is learning about her family heritage and culture. Once the Cold war or Ice curtian falls the Siberian family is able to return to Alaska.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Miste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay YA book about natave Alaskan family. Starts out in the early 1900s around the time of the Spanish Influenza which wiped out whole villages about two sisters in a remote part of Alaska. How they become separated when one decides to marry into a tribe from across the Bering Sea. Then the influenza takes the remaining sister's whole family. Then the story shifts to more present day to the great-grandaughter who is reconnecting with here native culture when she is suddenly sent to live with her grandmother. Good story about family ties, cultural heritage. I learned some things I didn't know before.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical style. Beautiful story although it took a while to get into it and figure out what was going on. Although, the revelations coincided with the main character's understanding of the situation she was in as well.

I'm not sure why I didn't realize until I finished that I had read another book by this author a couple of years - My Name is Not Easy. I know very little about native Alaskans but I felt like the author did a good job of telling the story, sharing the significance of the names and the customs, and allowing me, someone with no background, to really invest themselves in the text.

[Leslee]

Nutaaq and her brother Tupaaq go and live with their grandparents in Alaska, their parents getting help with alcohol and abuse problems. Nutaaw and Tupaaq learn about their Eskimo heritage and really learn to appreciate as well as love the environment that their grandparents live in. The siblings learn to love who they are, native or not.

The cobalt blue bead is significant throughout the story, getting passed down from generation to generation, and showing Nutaaq what it really means to be Eskimo.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blessing and her brother Isaac leave Anchorage to live with their grandmother on an Alaskan island after a domestic violence incident between her mother and boyfriend Stephan. Blessing feels out of place in this distant, spartan village where everyone seems to be a relative even though she's never met them. It is the place however, where Blessing discovers her culture and feels a part of her tribe in a way she never did before. The author married into the Iñupiaq culture and there seems to be a sincere authenticity in presenting Blessing's story.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little confusing for me at first (mostly because of the reuse of Inuit names through the generations of the family portrayed) but once I got into the story, I liked it. I enjoyed the meshing of the old culture with the new and the descriptions of how the thawing of the cold war changed people's lives for the better. This would be a good choice for historical fiction reports in middle school/ junior high.

[LauraW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have lived in Alaska for nearly 7 years now and this book has given me better insight into Native ways than any other. I think it was due to the fact that the main narrator, Blessing/Nutaaq, is both an outsider and an insider. I love the raising eyebrows thing, for instance. I am a substitute teacher and have taught quite a few Alaska Natives, but I didn't know about that. I enjoyed the story, too.

[Rad · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you start this book - or I guess when you get past the first part - you're not sure how the first part relates to the rest of the book, aside from being historical background. While you read this book, you're not quite sure where it's going to go, until about ten pages from the end. Then the whole thing wraps up so gloriously that you want to move to Alaska and eat seal fat forever. (This book made me so hungry.)