What do you think?
Rate this book
Anangokaa
Upper Canada, 1804, on the edge of Chippewa territory.
During her first bleak winter at the settlement of Baldoon, amidst staggering loss and hardship, fourteen year-old Flora MacCallum has a chance encounter with the son of a Chippewa chief. What begins by chance, soon manifests into a furtive friendship. In his company, Flora's dark view of the new world undergoes a rebirth as she awakens to the truth of her own spirit. With the threat of discovery looming over their every shared moment, truth, Flora knows, will come at a high price.
Set amid the privation of a struggling frontier settlement and a forested Chippewa camp, Anangokaa is the evocative coming-of-age story of a young woman who must determine what sacrifices she is willing to make for the life she desires to live.
"Deep and dramatic, this engrossing family story will haunt readers."
– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Anangokaa is an outstanding achievement."
– Ann Weisgarber, bestselling author of The Glovemaker
"Lyrical...Anangokaa embeds the experiences of Upper Canada’s early Scottish immigrants in the story of an enigmatic girl who comes of age in a foreign wilderness."
– Michele Sharpe, Foreword Reviews
"Flora’s fierce independence and brave heart guides her path through her first love, while navigating the tight social constraints of the times. Anangokaa is a must read for those familiar with the Baldoon Settlement, those who want to learn more about Ontario’s indigenous people and for everyone who cares about matters of the heart."
– Pam Wright, Journalist/Editor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/Chatham Voice
"A must-read for everyone interested in Canadian Indigenous history...the Baldoon experiment was a historical disaster, but the author ends her tale on a hopeful note. A remarkable love song to Indigenous peoples."
– Fiona Alison , Historical Novel Society
"Anangokaa is a beautiful and thought-provoking coming-of-age story, with the spirit and will to survive, love, and friendship, and outstanding characters."
– Readers’ Favorites
During her first bleak winter at the settlement of Baldoon, amidst staggering loss and hardship, fourteen year-old Flora MacCallum has a chance encounter with the son of a Chippewa chief. What begins by chance, soon manifests into a furtive friendship. In his company, Flora's dark view of the new world undergoes a rebirth as she awakens to the truth of her own spirit. With the threat of discovery looming over their every shared moment, truth, Flora knows, will come at a high price.
Set amid the privation of a struggling frontier settlement and a forested Chippewa camp, Anangokaa is the evocative coming-of-age story of a young woman who must determine what sacrifices she is willing to make for the life she desires to live.
"Deep and dramatic, this engrossing family story will haunt readers."
– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Anangokaa is an outstanding achievement."
– Ann Weisgarber, bestselling author of The Glovemaker
"Lyrical...Anangokaa embeds the experiences of Upper Canada’s early Scottish immigrants in the story of an enigmatic girl who comes of age in a foreign wilderness."
– Michele Sharpe, Foreword Reviews
"Flora’s fierce independence and brave heart guides her path through her first love, while navigating the tight social constraints of the times. Anangokaa is a must read for those familiar with the Baldoon Settlement, those who want to learn more about Ontario’s indigenous people and for everyone who cares about matters of the heart."
– Pam Wright, Journalist/Editor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/Chatham Voice
"A must-read for everyone interested in Canadian Indigenous history...the Baldoon experiment was a historical disaster, but the author ends her tale on a hopeful note. A remarkable love song to Indigenous peoples."
– Fiona Alison , Historical Novel Society
"Anangokaa is a beautiful and thought-provoking coming-of-age story, with the spirit and will to survive, love, and friendship, and outstanding characters."
– Readers’ Favorites
- GenresHistorical Fiction
322 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2023
2 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Cameron Alam
1 book6 followersCameron Alam was born in Buffalo, NY. She lives in eastern Ontario along the St. Lawrence Seaway with her soldier husband, two children, playful dog and alpha cat.
Anangokaa is Cameron's debut novel.
Anangokaa is Cameron's debut novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 26, 2023
3.5*
I was intrigued by the synopsis for this book. I thought the idea of the pressures and severity of the conditions that this family would have to face was going to pull me in and have me dying to read on. I sadly skipped a little through the middle of this book.
It was a slower paced read but that wasnt the issue for me. For me it fell flat a bit in small chunks. The start and the last quarter were really good and the character developments between that was intriguing. I would recommend it for these bits.
The author sets the scene well and the writting style was really good. It could have been a lot shorter and i think it would have had a better impact. Still the characters and story was good.worth a read still
Many thanks to the Author, Edelweiss+ and Frontline for an ARC in exchange for my honest review
I was intrigued by the synopsis for this book. I thought the idea of the pressures and severity of the conditions that this family would have to face was going to pull me in and have me dying to read on. I sadly skipped a little through the middle of this book.
It was a slower paced read but that wasnt the issue for me. For me it fell flat a bit in small chunks. The start and the last quarter were really good and the character developments between that was intriguing. I would recommend it for these bits.
The author sets the scene well and the writting style was really good. It could have been a lot shorter and i think it would have had a better impact. Still the characters and story was good.worth a read still
Many thanks to the Author, Edelweiss+ and Frontline for an ARC in exchange for my honest review
February 12, 2024
I have been struggling for weeks to write a review for this book that isn’t one sentence long or 7 paragraphs long!
Mostly, I just loved this book and plan to buy it.
I already have a soft spot for historical fiction and especially North American historical fiction, so this may be a little biased. This book was obviously thoroughly researched, which I love! At the same time, it is truly about the characters and involves what they know and think about and not a glorified history lesson, as some end up becoming. I loved the chosen era and subject. (Recently visiting Scotland might have a little to do with it)
Also loved the botanical/natural world themes!!
I would like to hope that everyone can relate to the main character as much as I did, but also kind of hope that I’m special and this book was written just to speak to me? I cried A LOT. Which isn’t terribly unusual for me, but definitely this time it was an exceptional amount. Because I wasn’t just crying for the sad parts, I was feeling the beauty, rage, grief, freedom,and shame. It’s amazing the range of emotions this book allowed me to feel.
The ending was so perfect, and yet aaaaaaaaaaah!
Anyway, yep, my kind of book.
Mostly, I just loved this book and plan to buy it.
I already have a soft spot for historical fiction and especially North American historical fiction, so this may be a little biased. This book was obviously thoroughly researched, which I love! At the same time, it is truly about the characters and involves what they know and think about and not a glorified history lesson, as some end up becoming. I loved the chosen era and subject. (Recently visiting Scotland might have a little to do with it)
Also loved the botanical/natural world themes!!
I would like to hope that everyone can relate to the main character as much as I did, but also kind of hope that I’m special and this book was written just to speak to me? I cried A LOT. Which isn’t terribly unusual for me, but definitely this time it was an exceptional amount. Because I wasn’t just crying for the sad parts, I was feeling the beauty, rage, grief, freedom,and shame. It’s amazing the range of emotions this book allowed me to feel.
The ending was so perfect, and yet aaaaaaaaaaah!
Anyway, yep, my kind of book.
April 12, 2023
On September 5, 1804, fifteen families of Scottish emigrants arrived in Upper Canada as part of Lord Selkirk's plan to resettle Highlanders. "...emigration was the solution to the economic and social upheaval ensuing the Highland Clearances...a new start in life for those whose future held nothing but continued poverty, and the strengthening of the British Empire by the settlement of these people in colonies."
"When the sodden travelers arrived at Baldoon, they witnessed a river overflowing its bank and a shore more marsh than land. Only three small [uninhabitable] cabins awaited over one hundred exhausted bodies...". Fear of possible war drums caused the carpenters to scatter without building cabins to house the settlers.
When 14 year old Flora MacCallum's fever broke, she was informed that her father, mother and sister had succumbed to malaria. No comforting words were shared with Flora. Hugh and Isobel, the eldest siblings, were now head of the MacCallum household. Isobel brusquely talked about the deprivation and suffering of being indentured in a no man's land. Apparently, the men who scouted the terrain, before the journey, did so during the dry season. The emigrants were experiencing soggy, insect infested land.
The Baldoon Settlement, located in Upper Canada, was near the banks of the Chenail Ecarte, near the Walpole Island First Nation. In this foreign wilderness, Flora found kindness and acceptance in her interaction with Niigaani, the oldest son of the Chippewa chief. Flora's impenetrable shell of silence and mistrust was pierced as Niigaani taught her his language and showed her the hidden love and beauty of the forest. Companionably, she watched him kill and reverently dress a deer. He gifted her family with deer meat, providing much needed food and the deer's pelt which could be sewn into new gillies for each family member. Hugh and Isobel need not know that Flora spent time with Niigaani.
Initially, Hugh embraced knowledge of the harsh land that the Ojibwe leaders shared with him. Despite the fact that St. Anne's Island was on neutral ground, as part of a treaty signed between the government and the Chippewa Nation, Hugh asked the tribal elders for permission for the MacCallum family to winter there with Baldoon's herd of sheep. The elders granted the request.
Misunderstandings, and unwillingness to embrace cultural differences, would prove to be a loss, especially to Flora. "Anangokaa" by Cameron Alam describes the imagined coming-of-age of Flora MacCallum, one of the author's ancestors. Although scant records list only the dates of her birth, marriage and death, Hugh MacCallum became the first postmaster of Wallaceburg. This book steps "firmly into the world of fiction" masterfully portraying what might have been the relationship between the settlers of Baldoon and the Ojibwe on Walpole. Highly recommended.
"When the sodden travelers arrived at Baldoon, they witnessed a river overflowing its bank and a shore more marsh than land. Only three small [uninhabitable] cabins awaited over one hundred exhausted bodies...". Fear of possible war drums caused the carpenters to scatter without building cabins to house the settlers.
When 14 year old Flora MacCallum's fever broke, she was informed that her father, mother and sister had succumbed to malaria. No comforting words were shared with Flora. Hugh and Isobel, the eldest siblings, were now head of the MacCallum household. Isobel brusquely talked about the deprivation and suffering of being indentured in a no man's land. Apparently, the men who scouted the terrain, before the journey, did so during the dry season. The emigrants were experiencing soggy, insect infested land.
The Baldoon Settlement, located in Upper Canada, was near the banks of the Chenail Ecarte, near the Walpole Island First Nation. In this foreign wilderness, Flora found kindness and acceptance in her interaction with Niigaani, the oldest son of the Chippewa chief. Flora's impenetrable shell of silence and mistrust was pierced as Niigaani taught her his language and showed her the hidden love and beauty of the forest. Companionably, she watched him kill and reverently dress a deer. He gifted her family with deer meat, providing much needed food and the deer's pelt which could be sewn into new gillies for each family member. Hugh and Isobel need not know that Flora spent time with Niigaani.
Initially, Hugh embraced knowledge of the harsh land that the Ojibwe leaders shared with him. Despite the fact that St. Anne's Island was on neutral ground, as part of a treaty signed between the government and the Chippewa Nation, Hugh asked the tribal elders for permission for the MacCallum family to winter there with Baldoon's herd of sheep. The elders granted the request.
Misunderstandings, and unwillingness to embrace cultural differences, would prove to be a loss, especially to Flora. "Anangokaa" by Cameron Alam describes the imagined coming-of-age of Flora MacCallum, one of the author's ancestors. Although scant records list only the dates of her birth, marriage and death, Hugh MacCallum became the first postmaster of Wallaceburg. This book steps "firmly into the world of fiction" masterfully portraying what might have been the relationship between the settlers of Baldoon and the Ojibwe on Walpole. Highly recommended.
June 23, 2023
When reading historical fiction books, I tend to be a harsh critic. This book, leaves little to be criticized. Anangokaa is beautifully researched and meticulously put together. I knew nothing about the attempted town of Baldoon in Upper Canada, and absolutely nothing about the history of Scottish immigrants to Canada and their interactions with the Chippewa. Alam's writing beautifully puts together a story of friendship that was "forbidden" and yet completely necessary to survive. Through the learning of language and the learning of culture, the reader is drawn to the stories of both Nagaani and Flora, wanting to learn more about their past and what will happen in their future (both concerning relationship and township). One part I especially enjoyed was the phenomenal use of language learning. I feel like this is an incredibly hard skill to convey in a book - learning a language. Through her use of character development, we see how Flora is slowly learning a language unfamiliar to her - even including how certain words sound with her Scottish accent. This book definitely makes me want to do more research on Baldoon and the people who lived there. The reasoning for four stars is I wanted more closure, as the reader, for what her uncle did to her. I feel like this was such an integral part of the story and yet there was almost no closure to this situation. I also wished to see a little more of the Scottish culture in the everyday lives of Flora and her family.
One more thing I absolutely loved -- the ending! It is so satisfying and yet so unsatisfying at the same time!!! You will just have to read it to find out why. . .
One more thing I absolutely loved -- the ending! It is so satisfying and yet so unsatisfying at the same time!!! You will just have to read it to find out why. . .
June 1, 2023
Writing on the novel itself, I found the use of imagery and figurative language throughout the piece very well done. The descriptive nature of Turtle Island in upper Canada fascinating. I myself have never been to Canada (a thing I wish to remedy in the future), but reading about the territory in the 1800's seemed not so hospitable. The novel hits on a family and the main character, Flora MacCallum. It begin with her fever at age 14 which eventually breaks. Unfortunately, her family did not survive the malaria they had contracted. I know from reading about Jack London, he had made a trip up to the Yukon and was made to leave getting a fever himself. Therefore, I felt the writing was accurate, historically speaking based on other events during this time frame in that era. The family's death would change Flora's life forever, Hugh and Isobel the elder siblings also survived and became the ones in charge. Like anyone who lives in an unhospitable environment with low income and even worse living conditions; they move to a location where the hope is to find a better life and survive the harsh realities of their current predicament. The writer does a great job with character development and dialogue throughout the book. Anangokaa reads pretty fast and expresses well the sentiments of the time and the struggle of Flora in her journey to adulthood. Definite full stars!!
January 27, 2023
This debut novel is a story that made the characters feel like real people. I was so invested in the story that I found myself thinking about Flora and the rest of the people in her life in my off-hours, wondering what how the story was about to unfold.
It's clear that Alam placed so much value in creating a world that existed in our not-so-distant past, and yet she is able to transcend a removed-feeling of history and give her characters thoughts, dreams, and deep inner lives that will make you want to know them and their history.
I think anyone that reads this will resonate deeply with at least one of the characters, and find yourself bound to understand, empathize, and completely root for their fate as they navigate the first year in a new place, or their first year with intensely new and different people.
This is a story that when I finished, I immediately hoped there would be a sequel to continue exploring the Canadian wilderness, Flora's life and friendships, and to hope that her life would continue to bloom as an intensely independent, strong, feeling woman. In a time in history where her voice didn't have a lot of staying power, I felt that she certainly does in the time and place in which we are reading it now.
It's clear that Alam placed so much value in creating a world that existed in our not-so-distant past, and yet she is able to transcend a removed-feeling of history and give her characters thoughts, dreams, and deep inner lives that will make you want to know them and their history.
I think anyone that reads this will resonate deeply with at least one of the characters, and find yourself bound to understand, empathize, and completely root for their fate as they navigate the first year in a new place, or their first year with intensely new and different people.
This is a story that when I finished, I immediately hoped there would be a sequel to continue exploring the Canadian wilderness, Flora's life and friendships, and to hope that her life would continue to bloom as an intensely independent, strong, feeling woman. In a time in history where her voice didn't have a lot of staying power, I felt that she certainly does in the time and place in which we are reading it now.
May 15, 2023
*I received a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review*
Love, love, love this beautiful and heart-wrenching story about a Scottish family trying to adjust to their first year in Canada in the 1800s. So many important themes touched on in this book, and it was fascinating to watch the relationship develop between the Scottish siblings and Anishnaabe family. The author created wonderful depth of character that had me highly emotionally invested - I experienced a rainbow of emotions throughout this book.
I really enjoyed learning some of the Anishnaabe language as well as the cultural similarities and differences between the Scots and Indigenous peoples. The Baldoon settlement is a piece of Canadian history that I was unfamiliar with and this was a very interesting re-imagining of what could have transpired.
Without spoiling the ending, I will say part of me was rooting for an unrealistic fairytale but I was also glad that the author remained pragmatic and true to the likely events of the time.
Love, love, love this beautiful and heart-wrenching story about a Scottish family trying to adjust to their first year in Canada in the 1800s. So many important themes touched on in this book, and it was fascinating to watch the relationship develop between the Scottish siblings and Anishnaabe family. The author created wonderful depth of character that had me highly emotionally invested - I experienced a rainbow of emotions throughout this book.
I really enjoyed learning some of the Anishnaabe language as well as the cultural similarities and differences between the Scots and Indigenous peoples. The Baldoon settlement is a piece of Canadian history that I was unfamiliar with and this was a very interesting re-imagining of what could have transpired.
Without spoiling the ending, I will say part of me was rooting for an unrealistic fairytale but I was also glad that the author remained pragmatic and true to the likely events of the time.
July 16, 2024
I have often wondered how my ancestors fared when they first arrived in 1830s and settled along the Thames River
Unlike Claire, who was a Ww2 nurse hardened by years of violence and blood near the front lines and trenches, the protagonist is a teenager who has just arrived from the Highlands of Scotland I really had the sense that the author was capturing the life and times
Not an easy thing. 200 years ago… A lot has changed since then.
Unlike Claire, who was a Ww2 nurse hardened by years of violence and blood near the front lines and trenches, the protagonist is a teenager who has just arrived from the Highlands of Scotland I really had the sense that the author was capturing the life and times
Not an easy thing. 200 years ago… A lot has changed since then.
April 28, 2024
Couldn't finish it.
May 4, 2024
Was interesting reading since the story takes place just minutes from where I live!
August 18, 2023
Wonderful story of a Scottish family who took the leap and crossed the ocean and half the country to arrive in Southern Ontario with promises of a better life. The story focuses on the daughter of a migrant family who is discovering herself as well as her new home. The story also shows a great respect for the indigenous communities they encounter, as well as the friendship that develops between the two cultures and how much can be learned from each other. Definitely a great first read from a new author, Cameron Alam. I received this as part of an early review program in LibraryThing.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews