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Sweetgrass
To become a woman meant everything to Sweetgrass. But... how was a 15-year-old Blood girl to wait for her parents to choose her husband when her heart yearned for Eagle Sun? Set in the historic horse-and-gun period of the Blackfoot confederacy, this daring first novel charts unknown territory on the early 19th century prairie -- the lives of Native women caught up in the sweep of Western Canadian history.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
17 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Jan Hudson
2 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Jan Hudson, a Canadian author of historical fiction, wrote only two novels during her short life. She died at the age of thirty-six in 1990 of respiratory failure due to viral pneumonia. However, she left a lasting message for young girls about overcoming adversity to find their true place in the world. Hudson's two novels, Sweetgrass and Dawn Rider, exemplify her interest in "social anthropology--the little things that make up most people's lives," as she stated in a 1989 Publishers Weekly interview with Bella Stander. She conveyed these details by using the history of the Blackfoot Nation as her background. "Both [novels] are evocative historical works, rich in nuance and resonance, about young women coming of age in the Blackfoot Nation," commented Sandra Martin in Quill and Quire. "Underlying this theme is a subtle yet haunting message about the devastating consequences that have resulted from native contact with Europeans." Perhaps the greatest compliment to Hudson's work was written by Sarah Ellis in the Horn Book: "We also experience the more complex satisfaction of having genuinely entered another time and the lives of another people." Hudson's hope, more specifically, was to write about the lives of Canadian Indian women of the past who, in her opinion, had been ignored.
Jan Hudson, a Canadian author of historical fiction, wrote only two novels during her short life. She died at the age of thirty-six in 1990 of respiratory failure due to viral pneumonia. However, she left a lasting message for young girls about overcoming adversity to find their true place in the world. Hudson's two novels, Sweetgrass and Dawn Rider, exemplify her interest in "social anthropology--the little things that make up most people's lives," as she stated in a 1989 Publishers Weekly interview with Bella Stander. She conveyed these details by using the history of the Blackfoot Nation as her background. "Both [novels] are evocative historical works, rich in nuance and resonance, about young women coming of age in the Blackfoot Nation," commented Sandra Martin in Quill and Quire. "Underlying this theme is a subtle yet haunting message about the devastating consequences that have resulted from native contact with Europeans." Perhaps the greatest compliment to Hudson's work was written by Sarah Ellis in the Horn Book: "We also experience the more complex satisfaction of having genuinely entered another time and the lives of another people." Hudson's hope, more specifically, was to write about the lives of Canadian Indian women of the past who, in her opinion, had been ignored.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 29, 2012
I read this book back in the 6th grade and parts of it always come back to me at weird random times...
I remember how desperately Sweetgrass longed for Eagle Sun and how hard she fought to keep her brother alive when sickness struck her tribe. The attention to detail really made her world come alive and the struggles faced by her and her tribe at this pivotal juncture in North American history were very clearly articulated.
I thought it was a wonderful story (enough that I still think about it 20+ years later!)
I remember how desperately Sweetgrass longed for Eagle Sun and how hard she fought to keep her brother alive when sickness struck her tribe. The attention to detail really made her world come alive and the struggles faced by her and her tribe at this pivotal juncture in North American history were very clearly articulated.
I thought it was a wonderful story (enough that I still think about it 20+ years later!)
January 6, 2009
I received this book in the 4th grade and reread it at least eight times over the next two years. The depth of the descriptions will terrify you in the frightening moments and then warm your skin again as you live through another summer.
This is one of my top 3 children's books.
This is one of my top 3 children's books.
October 22, 2016
Worldview - Written by non-native about Blackfoot culture: Please see review.
Age
Read Aloud - 9 yrs+
Independent Reader - 12 yrs+
Setting:
Location - Alberta
Time Period - 1837-1838
Review
Sweetgrass is a young Blackfoot girl of fifteen. She longs to be married and impatiently waits for her father to tell her to whom she will be given. The story follows her through a year of her life on the Alberta plains, hunting and gathering, meeting together with the other clans for the Sun Dance, buffalo hunting, and trade. When smallpox comes to her tent she is the only person who does not fall ill. She must care for the living, bury the dead and find enough food so that they do not starve despite of the cruel, hard winter that has depleted their resources and made game scarce.
This is an easy read and it is quite short. A younger advanced reader would be able to handle the writing. Parents should be aware that children in this age group should have adult input as there are parts that could frighten or confuse younger readers.
The social classes among the Blackfoot are well explained as well as the roles of men and women. There were several moments in the book where it seemed as though the author’s western background came through unnecessarily, but these incidents were minor and did not interfere with the overall educational value of the book.
Teacher Application
This is an engaging and interesting book. Students should enjoy the story and it will help them begin to understand the devastation disease brought upon the aboriginal people of Canada. It provides a fun jumping off point to look closer at the lives of the First Nations People of the plains.
The role of women in the Blackfoot society is a primary theme of the story. This presents the opportunity to raise a discussion with students about traditional male/female roles vs. modern roles and how these have changed. It also provides a natural opportunity for parents to present their own world view to their children on this issue.
The Blackfoot in this story are a polygamist society. This would be another interesting discussion to raise with students. In a society where many men die young, there would not be enough men to go around if each man took only one wife. Husbandless women would have been incredibly poor, and would likely have starved unless they had relatives to care for them. This would provide another interesting discussion topic.
Questionable language
Crap - Ch. 5, p. 47
This is used in reference to a soiled baby diaper. The word can easily be replaced with filth when reading aloud.
Field Trip Opportunity
Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site
A virtual tour of the site is available as well as videos from National Aboriginal Day at the site.
http://www.history.alberta.ca/headsma...
Parental Warning
Written by a non-native about Blackfoot culture. There are those who would discard all writings of this nature on that basis alone.
There is death and violence. When a smallpox outbreak occurs the symptoms and condition of the bodies are described.
There is reference to alcohol after the men have been trading and how the women are nervous around them.
The girls are married off very young. Pretty Girl is married at 13 as a slave wife to a man who has many wives.
Age
Read Aloud - 9 yrs+
Independent Reader - 12 yrs+
Setting:
Location - Alberta
Time Period - 1837-1838
Review
Sweetgrass is a young Blackfoot girl of fifteen. She longs to be married and impatiently waits for her father to tell her to whom she will be given. The story follows her through a year of her life on the Alberta plains, hunting and gathering, meeting together with the other clans for the Sun Dance, buffalo hunting, and trade. When smallpox comes to her tent she is the only person who does not fall ill. She must care for the living, bury the dead and find enough food so that they do not starve despite of the cruel, hard winter that has depleted their resources and made game scarce.
This is an easy read and it is quite short. A younger advanced reader would be able to handle the writing. Parents should be aware that children in this age group should have adult input as there are parts that could frighten or confuse younger readers.
The social classes among the Blackfoot are well explained as well as the roles of men and women. There were several moments in the book where it seemed as though the author’s western background came through unnecessarily, but these incidents were minor and did not interfere with the overall educational value of the book.
Teacher Application
This is an engaging and interesting book. Students should enjoy the story and it will help them begin to understand the devastation disease brought upon the aboriginal people of Canada. It provides a fun jumping off point to look closer at the lives of the First Nations People of the plains.
The role of women in the Blackfoot society is a primary theme of the story. This presents the opportunity to raise a discussion with students about traditional male/female roles vs. modern roles and how these have changed. It also provides a natural opportunity for parents to present their own world view to their children on this issue.
The Blackfoot in this story are a polygamist society. This would be another interesting discussion to raise with students. In a society where many men die young, there would not be enough men to go around if each man took only one wife. Husbandless women would have been incredibly poor, and would likely have starved unless they had relatives to care for them. This would provide another interesting discussion topic.
Questionable language
Crap - Ch. 5, p. 47
This is used in reference to a soiled baby diaper. The word can easily be replaced with filth when reading aloud.
Field Trip Opportunity
Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site
A virtual tour of the site is available as well as videos from National Aboriginal Day at the site.
http://www.history.alberta.ca/headsma...
Parental Warning
Written by a non-native about Blackfoot culture. There are those who would discard all writings of this nature on that basis alone.
There is death and violence. When a smallpox outbreak occurs the symptoms and condition of the bodies are described.
There is reference to alcohol after the men have been trading and how the women are nervous around them.
The girls are married off very young. Pretty Girl is married at 13 as a slave wife to a man who has many wives.
March 26, 2018
Sweetgrass is een verhaal over een Indiaans meisje van vijftien. Ze leeft in de streek die nu deel uitmaakt van Alberta, Canada. Het verhaal speelt in de eerste helft van de negentiende eeuw. Sweetgrass’ stam behoort tot de Zwartvoet-Indianen. De meeste meisjes trouwen op haar leeftijd en Sweetgrass wil dat zelf ook heel graag. Het liefst met haar jeugdvriend Eagle Sun, maar haar vader vindt haar nog niet volwassen genoeg. Het verhaal beschrijft het dagelijks leven van Sweetgrass, maar ook bijzondere gebeurtenissen zoals een aanval van een andere stam, het Zonnendansfeest en een uitbraak van pokken. Uiteindelijk is Sweetgrass volwassen genoeg om te trouwen. Het verhaal beschrijft dus eigenlijk de overgang van kind naar volwassene.
Dit boek behoort tot het genre ‘andere culturen’. Kenmerkend voor dit genre is dat de lezer leert over de gebruiken van de andere cultuur (LB 195). Maar ook dat de lezer leert nadenken over andere culturen en die vergelijkt met de zijne (LB 196). Deze elementen zorgen ervoor dat de lezer de eigenheid van de andere cultuur leert waarderen (LB 198). Dit alles is van toepassing op dit verhaal.
Het verhaal sprak mij erg aan. Ik vond het interessant om te leren over het leven van deze Indianenstam; het boek bevat daar veel informatie over. Dit verhaal speelt in de tijd van een aantal breukvlakken. Ten eerste de komst van paarden bij deze stammen. De paarden werden een bezit dat status bezorgde, wat ze eerst helemaal niet kenden. Daarnaast zorgden de paarden ervoor dat de Indianen in contact konden komen met blanken, een tweede breukvlak. De Indianen gingen handelen met de blanken, wat hun voorspoed bracht maar bijvoorbeeld ook ziektes als de pokken. Als laatste speelt het uitsterven van de bizon op de achtergrond in dit verhaal. Al deze zaken zetten mij aan het denken over die tijd; hoe mensen toen omgingen met elkaar maar ook met de natuur.
Het boek is goed geschreven in begrijpelijk taalgebruik. De informatie over de cultuur wordt door het verhaal geweven, dus de lezer leert veel zonder dat het een informatieboek lijkt. Het verhaal bevat enkele spannende passages. Het is een chronologisch verhaal dat verteld wordt door een auctoriale verteller, steeds vanuit het oogpunt van Sweetgrass. Het motief in dit verhaal is de gang naar volwassenheid van de hoofdpersoon.
De belangrijkste functies van dit verhaal zijn als eerste de informatieve functie. Dit is inherent aan het genre. Ten tweede de emotieve functie, omdat de lezer meeleeft met Sweetgrass in wat ze meemaakt. Dit past bij de doelgroep, omdat pubers ook tussen kind en volwassene in zitten, net als Sweetgrass. Deels zullen jongeren die dit boek lezen, zich kunnen herkennen in de onzekerheid van deze fase, de drang naar zelfstandigheid. Aan de andere kant wil Sweetgrass hele andere dingen als ‘volwassene’, dan wat jongeren van tegenwoordig willen. Dit maakt het wat lastiger voor jongeren van nu om zich met haar te identificeren.
Dit boek behoort tot het genre ‘andere culturen’. Kenmerkend voor dit genre is dat de lezer leert over de gebruiken van de andere cultuur (LB 195). Maar ook dat de lezer leert nadenken over andere culturen en die vergelijkt met de zijne (LB 196). Deze elementen zorgen ervoor dat de lezer de eigenheid van de andere cultuur leert waarderen (LB 198). Dit alles is van toepassing op dit verhaal.
Het verhaal sprak mij erg aan. Ik vond het interessant om te leren over het leven van deze Indianenstam; het boek bevat daar veel informatie over. Dit verhaal speelt in de tijd van een aantal breukvlakken. Ten eerste de komst van paarden bij deze stammen. De paarden werden een bezit dat status bezorgde, wat ze eerst helemaal niet kenden. Daarnaast zorgden de paarden ervoor dat de Indianen in contact konden komen met blanken, een tweede breukvlak. De Indianen gingen handelen met de blanken, wat hun voorspoed bracht maar bijvoorbeeld ook ziektes als de pokken. Als laatste speelt het uitsterven van de bizon op de achtergrond in dit verhaal. Al deze zaken zetten mij aan het denken over die tijd; hoe mensen toen omgingen met elkaar maar ook met de natuur.
Het boek is goed geschreven in begrijpelijk taalgebruik. De informatie over de cultuur wordt door het verhaal geweven, dus de lezer leert veel zonder dat het een informatieboek lijkt. Het verhaal bevat enkele spannende passages. Het is een chronologisch verhaal dat verteld wordt door een auctoriale verteller, steeds vanuit het oogpunt van Sweetgrass. Het motief in dit verhaal is de gang naar volwassenheid van de hoofdpersoon.
De belangrijkste functies van dit verhaal zijn als eerste de informatieve functie. Dit is inherent aan het genre. Ten tweede de emotieve functie, omdat de lezer meeleeft met Sweetgrass in wat ze meemaakt. Dit past bij de doelgroep, omdat pubers ook tussen kind en volwassene in zitten, net als Sweetgrass. Deels zullen jongeren die dit boek lezen, zich kunnen herkennen in de onzekerheid van deze fase, de drang naar zelfstandigheid. Aan de andere kant wil Sweetgrass hele andere dingen als ‘volwassene’, dan wat jongeren van tegenwoordig willen. Dit maakt het wat lastiger voor jongeren van nu om zich met haar te identificeren.
April 26, 2019
I was surprised at how much detail went into the descriptions of certain things. I found this book to be a wonderful read. I was pulled into the culture and trials of Sweetgrass and her family.
April 28, 2024
Another childhood favorite
February 6, 2024
I really like this book. I’ve read this book so many times. Just read it to my kid. It’s a great book for middle schoolers or adults.
April 20, 2016
I've been working with the Read 180 program, Stage C (high school) for over a decade, and Sweetgrass has always been a book in the library that comes with the program. However, I've only just now gotten around to reading it. Most of my students - and now the students in the classrooms that I assist with - don't read Sweetgrass, and I wondered if it is simply that the Native American experience is not a valued voice in this area.
While that might be part of it, I have to say this book is the antithesis of nearly every other book in the Read 180 library, and most modern (1990+) young adult literature. It's got a REALLY slow start, which I admit it is necessary to have to orient the unfamiliar reader with some of the tenants of tribal living. The characters are many, and most are very undeveloped - flatter than flat. The dialogue is sparse, both in amount and syntax, which may be true to communication styles in Blackfoot tribes, but makes for hard reading. The details are many, which should be good reading, but it's tedious when there is so little action. And, finally, I felt the ending was truly unsatisfying, switching in a matter of pages what seemed like the story arc most of the book (Sweetgrass's desire to be married to Eagle-Sun) to a different story arc (Sweetgrass's father's proclamation that she is now a woman), which was kind of anti-climactic.
I would make this a 1-star rating, except I really enjoyed reading what Sweetgrass went through to nurse her family after they all came down with smallpox. Her resourcefulness and drive were inspiring - I might consider excerpting that second-last chapter to read over as a short story. Aside from that, I have no desire to recommend this book to readers, struggling or otherwise. Bleh.
While that might be part of it, I have to say this book is the antithesis of nearly every other book in the Read 180 library, and most modern (1990+) young adult literature. It's got a REALLY slow start, which I admit it is necessary to have to orient the unfamiliar reader with some of the tenants of tribal living. The characters are many, and most are very undeveloped - flatter than flat. The dialogue is sparse, both in amount and syntax, which may be true to communication styles in Blackfoot tribes, but makes for hard reading. The details are many, which should be good reading, but it's tedious when there is so little action. And, finally, I felt the ending was truly unsatisfying, switching in a matter of pages what seemed like the story arc most of the book (Sweetgrass's desire to be married to Eagle-Sun) to a different story arc (Sweetgrass's father's proclamation that she is now a woman), which was kind of anti-climactic.
I would make this a 1-star rating, except I really enjoyed reading what Sweetgrass went through to nurse her family after they all came down with smallpox. Her resourcefulness and drive were inspiring - I might consider excerpting that second-last chapter to read over as a short story. Aside from that, I have no desire to recommend this book to readers, struggling or otherwise. Bleh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2013
Read when I was younger.Liked it well enough to re-read some times.
Also I really admired the main character and they way she managed to deal with her troubles.
Also I am realizing that many of the books I read during this period (90s) involved native americans.There certainly seems to have been a trend going on with the publishers!
Also I really admired the main character and they way she managed to deal with her troubles.
Also I am realizing that many of the books I read during this period (90s) involved native americans.There certainly seems to have been a trend going on with the publishers!
August 28, 2014
A favorite from my childhood. I used to take this out of the library over and over.
May 8, 2019
I gave this book an extra star for being well-researched, but overall I wasn't impressed. It didn't start to really grab my attention until about halfway through. I love slow burners, but if it takes until the halfway point for a book to get interesting I think there's a problem. The synopsis on the back is a bit misleading. It makes the book sound like Sweetgrass, the protagonist, is going to be a caregiver for her entire tribe during the harsh winter and smallpox outbreak, when in actuality she only provides for her immediate family (which isn't bad in itself, but still, the synopsis is misleading). It also implies that her stepping up to the plate is going to be the book's main focus, but really only four chapters center around that and they're all pretty rushed. This book does have its good points, most notably some beautiful prose, but I feel Sweetgrass' hardships and her working to overcome them should have been fleshed out.
November 22, 2018
I saw this book at the high school and decided to get a copy of it.
Sweetgrass is a young Indian maiden who is 15 and is not married yet. He father, the chief says she is not mature enough to marry. So Sweetgrass is out to prove to him that she is as she has her heart set on Eagle-Sun.
Winter comes and along with it starvation for the tribe. Sweetgrass's father goes out hunting. While he is gone, a sickness comes. Can Sweetgrass save her people from starving and the sickness? Is she mature enough to do all of this? Find out the ending--it will surprise you.
Sweetgrass is a young Indian maiden who is 15 and is not married yet. He father, the chief says she is not mature enough to marry. So Sweetgrass is out to prove to him that she is as she has her heart set on Eagle-Sun.
Winter comes and along with it starvation for the tribe. Sweetgrass's father goes out hunting. While he is gone, a sickness comes. Can Sweetgrass save her people from starving and the sickness? Is she mature enough to do all of this? Find out the ending--it will surprise you.
April 28, 2025
This book reads more like a love story than a survival story. It took reading a good 3/4 of the book before the plot began to align with the summary on the back. While I don't mind the love story being part of the conflict I would have enjoyed the book more if the author had kept to the theme of survival and spent more time bringing light to the issue the tribe faced when small pox hit their community. That and what it required of them to survive. I was bummed to only get a couple chapters where this was the focus.
February 3, 2020
I read this book in fifth grade and it was EVERYTHING to me. It's in no way shape or form woke but I still think about this book 30 years later. While far from perfect, this book had a strong female lead who was willing to break with tradition when it mattered. I don't think I'll give it to my girls to read without re-reading it because it was very focused on romance but I remember simply loving it and re-reading it so many times.
December 7, 2020
This well deserved book won the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children in 1984 as well as the Canada Council Children’s Literature Prize. It is historical fiction set in the early 1900’s about 15 year old Sweetgrass of the Blackfoot and her desire to marry. Her Father refuses until she has become a woman even though though her younger friend has married.
Although the author was not Indigenous, I think the voice of the people shines through her gift of storytelling.
Although the author was not Indigenous, I think the voice of the people shines through her gift of storytelling.
February 16, 2025
3.75
this was honestly better than i expected. well researched to make it feel alive and accurate to ways of life. many characters felt flat and uninteresting. not a very exciting read. feels more suited to people who enjoy books like little house
this was honestly better than i expected. well researched to make it feel alive and accurate to ways of life. many characters felt flat and uninteresting. not a very exciting read. feels more suited to people who enjoy books like little house
January 21, 2020
It was good and I recommend for middle level readers.
July 11, 2021
This was a book of my youth. I recently reread it after almost 30 years and it brought back so many sweet memories. Highly recommended for tweens as a sweet coming-of-age book.
December 7, 2022
من با توان و وقار زنى كامل بارم را به دوش كشيدم و از ميان زمينى سوخته به سوى سال هايى كه در پيش داشتم به راه افتادم.
December 19, 2022
Good book that paints a picture of what life was like for the people of this time.
May 7, 2025
The story is a good one. The Native names of the characters were long and used frequently. To me, it slowed down the flow of the story. I’m 66 years old.
May 30, 2025
I reread this as I remembered it as the first book to make me cry. It’s still a tear-jerker as it covers tragedy so matter-of-factly, but definitely less convincing to an adult audience.
February 27, 2017
I really liked it.
June 3, 2010
Summary of Sweetgrass:
Sweetgrass is a 15 year old girl living in the Blackfoot Native American tribe. She is the oldest girl in the tribe to not be married, which bothers her on a daily basis as she dreams of the day she too can get married. She falls in love with the young warrior Eagle-Sun, but can on briefly speak with him due to respecting traditions of the Blackfoot tribe. As winter approaches the men leave the tribe and Sweetgrass has to take responsibility with her Almost-Mother to take care of her younger brother Otter, and their baby boy and girl. While the warriors, including Eagle Sun, are gone, Smallpox, a “white-man’s disease” takes over the whole camp, killing the two babies and affecting Almost-Mother and Otter. Sweetgrass takes full responsibilty of the situation, even though faced with hunger, sickness, and harsh conditions. Through this she must decide whether to follow traditions, or keeping her family alive, and the real question on her mind, will her father let her get married when he returns.
Sweetgrass Review & Rating:
We thought Sweetgrass was an average book. The plot was very simple, with not much changing or happening from chapter to chapter. There were only a few characters mentioned throughout continuing the trend of a simple story. Despite the fact it was an easy read it did give the perspective of a young Native American girl. It revealed a completely different world with traditions and daily activities, after reviewing the extensive list of sources the author used to write this book, it is clear this was an accurate description of life on the Blackfoot Indian tribe. We felt it revealed the hardships of a Native American, but still kept with the main conflict of the book. Overall, we would give this book 4 stars out of 5, comparable with how we felt about Catcher in the Rye.
From Mackenzie & Mal
Sweetgrass is a 15 year old girl living in the Blackfoot Native American tribe. She is the oldest girl in the tribe to not be married, which bothers her on a daily basis as she dreams of the day she too can get married. She falls in love with the young warrior Eagle-Sun, but can on briefly speak with him due to respecting traditions of the Blackfoot tribe. As winter approaches the men leave the tribe and Sweetgrass has to take responsibility with her Almost-Mother to take care of her younger brother Otter, and their baby boy and girl. While the warriors, including Eagle Sun, are gone, Smallpox, a “white-man’s disease” takes over the whole camp, killing the two babies and affecting Almost-Mother and Otter. Sweetgrass takes full responsibilty of the situation, even though faced with hunger, sickness, and harsh conditions. Through this she must decide whether to follow traditions, or keeping her family alive, and the real question on her mind, will her father let her get married when he returns.
Sweetgrass Review & Rating:
We thought Sweetgrass was an average book. The plot was very simple, with not much changing or happening from chapter to chapter. There were only a few characters mentioned throughout continuing the trend of a simple story. Despite the fact it was an easy read it did give the perspective of a young Native American girl. It revealed a completely different world with traditions and daily activities, after reviewing the extensive list of sources the author used to write this book, it is clear this was an accurate description of life on the Blackfoot Indian tribe. We felt it revealed the hardships of a Native American, but still kept with the main conflict of the book. Overall, we would give this book 4 stars out of 5, comparable with how we felt about Catcher in the Rye.
From Mackenzie & Mal
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2008
This book is so strange - even though it's YA, it's written in an adult way - not adult like it's dirty, but like, the way things are described I don't think I would have fully appreciated or understood as a teenager.
I don't think a teenager would be able to articulate thoughts this clearly, and there is a weird disconnect there that I couldn't get over while I was reading it - and I'm not even sure why I had it in my pile of books, I was sure that my English-Teacher-Sister gave it to me and told me I had to read it, although she doesn't remember doing it.
Descriptions of this book are mostly incorrect, because they make it sound like it's some kind of YA romance, which it isn't at all.
I wouldn't put this on my "favorites" shelf because it's sort of too... fluffy, maybe? Too short and no one thing gets focused on enough. I'm sad that the author didn't write more novels. But it is "of note" because the style of writing was fascinating to me.
I don't think a teenager would be able to articulate thoughts this clearly, and there is a weird disconnect there that I couldn't get over while I was reading it - and I'm not even sure why I had it in my pile of books, I was sure that my English-Teacher-Sister gave it to me and told me I had to read it, although she doesn't remember doing it.
Descriptions of this book are mostly incorrect, because they make it sound like it's some kind of YA romance, which it isn't at all.
I wouldn't put this on my "favorites" shelf because it's sort of too... fluffy, maybe? Too short and no one thing gets focused on enough. I'm sad that the author didn't write more novels. But it is "of note" because the style of writing was fascinating to me.
January 19, 2013
At fifteen, Sweetgrass is the oldest unmarried girl in her Blackfoot tribe—and not by choice. Most Blackfoot girls marry young because their families are poor. They need the dowry and can also do with one fewer mouth to feed. Sweetgrass is the daughter of a well respected warrior, who is in need of neither of these things. However, his insistence that she is too young to marry is a constant irritation to Sweetgrass, who is very much in love with a young man in her tribe. Sweetgrass needs a way to convince her father that not only is she mature enough to join the women of her tribe, but that she is strong as well.
• Based on historical research of the Blackfoot tribe and its traditions
• Not very plot-driven—the book is more of a look at what a typical year would be like for a Blackfoot teenager
• No language or sexual issues
• Based on historical research of the Blackfoot tribe and its traditions
• Not very plot-driven—the book is more of a look at what a typical year would be like for a Blackfoot teenager
• No language or sexual issues
July 3, 2016
"You speak of our warriors," said Grandmother as she packed. "I have myself been a warrior. Their lives without our lives are worth less than our lives without theirs. We Blackfoot women must expect our men to die at any moment, and we must be strong to do our part. We are to save our lives and the lives of our Blackfoot children." (54)
"Five-Killer will not care for me the way he does now," she said in a flat voice. "I am to become old and bear children."
Around us blew the sour wind of a late day in autumn. Pretty-Girl looked miserable. Weak fears stirred inside me.
"Aiii, Sweetgrass, I am so very tired."
No, Pretty-Girl, don't go on like this.
Five-Killer's other wives made my friend work from gray dawn to the dark blue sky of night. I knew that, but somehow it did not help to speak it out loud. (102)
"Five-Killer will not care for me the way he does now," she said in a flat voice. "I am to become old and bear children."
Around us blew the sour wind of a late day in autumn. Pretty-Girl looked miserable. Weak fears stirred inside me.
"Aiii, Sweetgrass, I am so very tired."
No, Pretty-Girl, don't go on like this.
Five-Killer's other wives made my friend work from gray dawn to the dark blue sky of night. I knew that, but somehow it did not help to speak it out loud. (102)
February 21, 2021
I remember getting this out of the branch library where my grandmother used to volunteer. It was a good book, telling the tale of a young Native American girl and her best friend, and what happens to them during wars between various tribes.
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Second reading: Feb 2021
I had picked this up at the library book sale many years ago because I remembered reading it as a kid. Apparently I had totally forgotten about the smallpox part because I was thinking she and her friend got captured by another tribe. It was okay on a reread, but as interesting as the info was about how the Blackfoot tribe lived, Sweetgrass herself was a fairly typical teenager obsessed with becoming an adult (in her case being married), and nagging her parents about it (lol).
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Second reading: Feb 2021
I had picked this up at the library book sale many years ago because I remembered reading it as a kid. Apparently I had totally forgotten about the smallpox part because I was thinking she and her friend got captured by another tribe. It was okay on a reread, but as interesting as the info was about how the Blackfoot tribe lived, Sweetgrass herself was a fairly typical teenager obsessed with becoming an adult (in her case being married), and nagging her parents about it (lol).
December 13, 2018
I quite enjoyed this book. It was grippingly realistic, which made it horrifying and fascinating at the same time. The description of the smallpox epidemic had me so nauseated, I wondered how Sweetgrass managed to stand her ground.
I love reading about the Native people, but it always saddens me because you see how they fell away from their traditions bit by bit and how white man's whiskey destroyed them. It's not any different today. I know, because I live not far from an Abenaki/Ojibway reserve.
I love reading about the Native people, but it always saddens me because you see how they fell away from their traditions bit by bit and how white man's whiskey destroyed them. It's not any different today. I know, because I live not far from an Abenaki/Ojibway reserve.
December 1, 2010
This is nice book. It's all about a young blackfoot girl in southern Alberta, Sweetgrass, wanting to be married like her younger friend, but to prove herself a woman, having to scape and prepare a whole bunch of bison hides! But then smallpox falls upon the village . . . and Sweetgrass has to take care of her sick family!
I liked this book because it's quite feminist - like when Sweetgrass' brother can't hunt, she has to go instead.
I liked this book because it's quite feminist - like when Sweetgrass' brother can't hunt, she has to go instead.
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