What do you think?
Rate this book
Creeboy
Set on the fictional reservation of P�-ko-sey-i-mo-min, 16-year-old Josh Creeboy navigates the world of Indigenous gang life.
Josh's family members are no strangers to gangs. His dad, the leader of one of the gangs on his reservation, is in jail, and his older brother Darion has taken his place. Josh is unsure whether gang life is for him--that is until Darion is killed during a run-in with a rival gang. Angry, hurt and frustrated by systemic racism against Indigenous peoples, Josh, now known as Creeboy, starts down the path to becoming a full member.
Can his family, and his community, save Josh before his fate becomes that of his father and brother?
Josh's family members are no strangers to gangs. His dad, the leader of one of the gangs on his reservation, is in jail, and his older brother Darion has taken his place. Josh is unsure whether gang life is for him--that is until Darion is killed during a run-in with a rival gang. Angry, hurt and frustrated by systemic racism against Indigenous peoples, Josh, now known as Creeboy, starts down the path to becoming a full member.
Can his family, and his community, save Josh before his fate becomes that of his father and brother?
128 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2022
4 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 2, 2022
Only rarely does a novel offer an inside look at gang life – not only its tension and violence, but its appeal.
Razor looked over the gang and said, “We are Warriors. The best gang for life. You know what it is. Show me your signs.” Some raised shirts and pointed to a W tattoo on the left of their chests. Others pointed to scars from stab and bullet wounds like honor badges.
It’s even less common that someone shines a light on the darker aspects of reservation life. In both these respects, Creeboy is a valuable contribution to young adult fiction, even if the writing quality is uneven.
Josh has dropped out of high school but is torn about taking the final steps to joining a local gang. That makes him real, believable and vulnerable. It also makes us, the reader, care.
To be honest, hanging out, getting deaf on blaring gangsta rap while stoned or drunk was boring as hell. Everyone here’s so bored, and angry, and hopeless, that any little bit of drama could hype them up. But I’m not going to tell anyone that. I’m going to carry on with Dad’s dream. Using the gang to make enough money to buy us all a big-assed house somewhere far away [from] here. Live like the rich because we’ll be swimming in money.
Creeboy’s shrill mother and concerned sister see the imminent danger of the path he’s on, but have less influence on him than the power, status and potential money he dreams of having. And yet, we see both sides of him and feel the tug-of-war. Scenes go from showing the joy of pushing his younger siblings on a swing set, and the pride of dancing in a pow wow, to the admiration he has for his older brother and the allure of being a Warrior.
Written in first-person past tense, and relying heavily on dialogue, unfortunately the book has awkward tense changes and some lame metaphors. Also, unclear writing. One example: “He got his name for smacking his dad around after beating up his mom.” It took me awhile to translate that to, “He got his name for smacking his dad around after his dad beat up his mom.”
Where the book shines, however, is in its portrayal of cultural activities (pow wow dancing, a sweat lodge and wake, respect for the elders) and its depiction of a community and family being torn apart. The writing is especially strong in its unvarnished descriptions of racism and the gang’s quarters.
The sound of gravel crunching under the tires could barely be heard over the wup-wup bass sound of rap coming from the crib. Its walls covered in graffiti. Four Warriors stood guard in front of the house. A group wrestled in tall, yellow grass. They greeted us as we passed through the door. The stench of cigarettes, pot and booze filled my nostrils as the music deafened me. In the smoky din, as Warriors greeted Razor, I looked around. The graffitied walls included holes from fists and kicks. Three girls slumped on worn out sofas. They held bottles and cans in their hands, crossed their legs, and yapped at each other. About a dozen guys lingered and huddled in clusters around the room, showing off tattoos and scars from fights.
Brakes squealed as [another semi] slowed down when it saw me and Razor sitting in a pool of blood. He stopped and talked to the other semi driver just long enough to find out what was going on, and then he drove off. Like we were nothing. Like we were just roadkill in the ditch.
This novel is an important read for a better understanding of gang power and life in an Indigenous community plagued by poverty and a lack of opportunities.
Note: This review also appears at www.YAdudebooks.ca
Razor looked over the gang and said, “We are Warriors. The best gang for life. You know what it is. Show me your signs.” Some raised shirts and pointed to a W tattoo on the left of their chests. Others pointed to scars from stab and bullet wounds like honor badges.
It’s even less common that someone shines a light on the darker aspects of reservation life. In both these respects, Creeboy is a valuable contribution to young adult fiction, even if the writing quality is uneven.
Josh has dropped out of high school but is torn about taking the final steps to joining a local gang. That makes him real, believable and vulnerable. It also makes us, the reader, care.
To be honest, hanging out, getting deaf on blaring gangsta rap while stoned or drunk was boring as hell. Everyone here’s so bored, and angry, and hopeless, that any little bit of drama could hype them up. But I’m not going to tell anyone that. I’m going to carry on with Dad’s dream. Using the gang to make enough money to buy us all a big-assed house somewhere far away [from] here. Live like the rich because we’ll be swimming in money.
Creeboy’s shrill mother and concerned sister see the imminent danger of the path he’s on, but have less influence on him than the power, status and potential money he dreams of having. And yet, we see both sides of him and feel the tug-of-war. Scenes go from showing the joy of pushing his younger siblings on a swing set, and the pride of dancing in a pow wow, to the admiration he has for his older brother and the allure of being a Warrior.
Written in first-person past tense, and relying heavily on dialogue, unfortunately the book has awkward tense changes and some lame metaphors. Also, unclear writing. One example: “He got his name for smacking his dad around after beating up his mom.” It took me awhile to translate that to, “He got his name for smacking his dad around after his dad beat up his mom.”
Where the book shines, however, is in its portrayal of cultural activities (pow wow dancing, a sweat lodge and wake, respect for the elders) and its depiction of a community and family being torn apart. The writing is especially strong in its unvarnished descriptions of racism and the gang’s quarters.
The sound of gravel crunching under the tires could barely be heard over the wup-wup bass sound of rap coming from the crib. Its walls covered in graffiti. Four Warriors stood guard in front of the house. A group wrestled in tall, yellow grass. They greeted us as we passed through the door. The stench of cigarettes, pot and booze filled my nostrils as the music deafened me. In the smoky din, as Warriors greeted Razor, I looked around. The graffitied walls included holes from fists and kicks. Three girls slumped on worn out sofas. They held bottles and cans in their hands, crossed their legs, and yapped at each other. About a dozen guys lingered and huddled in clusters around the room, showing off tattoos and scars from fights.
Brakes squealed as [another semi] slowed down when it saw me and Razor sitting in a pool of blood. He stopped and talked to the other semi driver just long enough to find out what was going on, and then he drove off. Like we were nothing. Like we were just roadkill in the ditch.
This novel is an important read for a better understanding of gang power and life in an Indigenous community plagued by poverty and a lack of opportunities.
Note: This review also appears at www.YAdudebooks.ca
August 9, 2024
While Josh AKA Creeboy has completely different beliefs than me, I still found this story giving a really good message. Here's a really good part.
please read all of this u might need it.
"Now our once-proud ancestors' great-great-grandsons and granddaughters bring shame to our people. These young people call themselves warriors. They think they are warriors. But they are fools. They do not bring honour. They fight. They kill. For what? Alcohol? Drugs? Trafficking? You think that is the proud way? You think that will bring you honour? That is the shameful way. You bring shame to yourselves. You bring shame to your people. You bring shame to your ancestors. They fought to survive. They survived for you to be here today. What do you fight for?
SKIPS PART
"There are two wolves born inside each one of you. One needs love to grow. The other needs hate to grow. Which one are you going to feed? Will you feed anger or love? Are you going to continue to feed the wolf who hates with violence? Or are you going to feed the wolf who loves with kindness? Your frustration or your hope? When you feed the wolf who hates, you are feeding it selfishness. When you feed the wolf with love you are feeding it giving. Give to your community. Give to your family. Give to yourself. Give us all a better place to be. Will you turn away from your community, your family, and yourself? Will you feed division instead of unity? Or will you show up, stand up, and help to make us all stronger? Which wolf do you want to be?
I mean isn't that some powerful stuff? Don't u agree?
Hi, there if u made it this far.
please read all of this u might need it.
"Now our once-proud ancestors' great-great-grandsons and granddaughters bring shame to our people. These young people call themselves warriors. They think they are warriors. But they are fools. They do not bring honour. They fight. They kill. For what? Alcohol? Drugs? Trafficking? You think that is the proud way? You think that will bring you honour? That is the shameful way. You bring shame to yourselves. You bring shame to your people. You bring shame to your ancestors. They fought to survive. They survived for you to be here today. What do you fight for?
SKIPS PART
"There are two wolves born inside each one of you. One needs love to grow. The other needs hate to grow. Which one are you going to feed? Will you feed anger or love? Are you going to continue to feed the wolf who hates with violence? Or are you going to feed the wolf who loves with kindness? Your frustration or your hope? When you feed the wolf who hates, you are feeding it selfishness. When you feed the wolf with love you are feeding it giving. Give to your community. Give to your family. Give to yourself. Give us all a better place to be. Will you turn away from your community, your family, and yourself? Will you feed division instead of unity? Or will you show up, stand up, and help to make us all stronger? Which wolf do you want to be?
I mean isn't that some powerful stuff? Don't u agree?
Hi, there if u made it this far.
May 29, 2023
Good plot in general and an engaging inner conflict for the main character. I felt like I didn’t really get to know the characters very well as the story moved quickly.
November 18, 2024
This book felt too young for being a YA read, idk just some of the lines felt immature idk?
May 16, 2024
‘Creeboy’ by Teresa Wouters is quite a good first novel and a worthy addition to Canada's growing Indigenous literary canon.
I liked this book. Here’s why.
First, the prose is tight and readable.
Second, the author shares cultural insight and makes an emotional impact far beyond the usual Sturm und Drang preferred by the literary crowd.
Third, just as in life, books are best judged by their quality, not length.
Not only that, but as good minimalist literature should, the novel does a fine job of showing just enough of how it was to leave plenty of room for readers to fill in the blanks.
I bought an eBook for the Kindle. Highly recommended.
I liked this book. Here’s why.
First, the prose is tight and readable.
Second, the author shares cultural insight and makes an emotional impact far beyond the usual Sturm und Drang preferred by the literary crowd.
Third, just as in life, books are best judged by their quality, not length.
Not only that, but as good minimalist literature should, the novel does a fine job of showing just enough of how it was to leave plenty of room for readers to fill in the blanks.
I bought an eBook for the Kindle. Highly recommended.
July 13, 2025
Creeboy is based on a true story. It has been written especially for reluctant readers or persons learning English. It is the first in a trilogy. I appreciate your comments.
My website is https://www.teresawouters.com
My website is https://www.teresawouters.com
May 8, 2022
I enjoyed the story, but not the writing style. This author won't be on my "read more" list.
June 29, 2022
Young adult is not typically my genre of choice but I really enjoyed this. It was a quick and easy read but very engaging and I couldn’t put it down.
April 25, 2023
I really like this book but it was missing something and I don't know what lol
September 3, 2023
This was a pretty quick and easy read, and the topic would definitely hold a lot of interest for people who might be more reluctant readers. I felt that the storyline was compelling and had a lot of potential. However, it was a little jumpy for my personal tastes. There were parts that I wanted to have more development. However, I found the main character really interesting.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews