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Indian Horse
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
68 posts | 55 read | 91 to read
Winner of the Canada Reads People's Choice award and the First Nations Communities Reads program and short-listed for the International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award. A Globe and Mail top 100 book of 2012 Saul Indian Horse is dying. Tucked away in a hospice high above the clash and clang of a big city, he embarks on a marvellous journey of imagination back through the life he led as a northern Ojibway, with all its sorrows and joys. With compassion and insight, author Richard Wagamese traces through his fictional characters the decline of a culture and a cultural way. For Saul, taken forcibly from the land and his family when he's sent to residential school, salvation comes for a while through his incredible gifts as a hockey player. But in the harsh realities of 1960s Canada, he battles obdurate racism and the spirit-destroying effects of cultural alienation and displacement. Indian Horse unfolds against the bleak loveliness of northern Ontario, all rock, marsh, bog and cedar. Wagamese writes with a spare beauty, penetrating the heart of a remarkable Ojibway man. Evaluated and Approved by ERAC
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MysticFaerie
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

5🌟/5🌟

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

This is a hard book to read. Tragedy and darkness follow Saul Indian Horse, but he finds hockey and for a while it is the light he needs and he throws himself into the game. The book is heavy and mirrors Sauls life, there is a lightness to the hockey chapters that were needed. The light doesn't last. The book is well balanced and an essential slice of life of Canadian people and history.

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Blueberry
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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ChaoticMissAdventures I am reading this now. Some super tough parts. The horrors the Native children went through in Residential schools, I can't imagine how anyone could do that. 3mo
Andrew65 Sounds must reading! 3mo
53 likes2 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pulling together things for 2024

This is my #24in2024 cart! Mostly it is random books I have had physical copies of that have been on my Goodreads TBR prior to 2023, and then all of my #botm stragglers. I cancelled that subscription because I wasn't reading the books. Time to get them all done!

#24in2024 with @Jas16

LiteraryinLawrence The cart looks so inviting!! 3mo
Jas16 Great selection and quite a few books I have read and loved! 3mo
40 likes2 comments
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Blueberry
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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🍁 Indian Horse

🍁 finding a 5 ⭐ spooky book to read.

#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView
I tag @NataliePatalie

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 6mo
31 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

5 ⭐. Very good.
Triggers: sadness, anger, Indian residential schools, alcoholism, abuse

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Blueberry
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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"My name is Saul Indian Horse."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Creadnorthey So weird- I‘m reading Keeper‘n Me by the same author- just started it and saw your post… 7mo
Blueberry @Creadnorthey that looks good. I will read it too. Thanks. 7mo
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Blueberry
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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"My name is Saul Indian Horse"

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

ShyBookOwl 💜 7mo
CuriousG Such a great novel! I just finished Medicine Walk, another wonderful one. 7mo
43 likes2 comments
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CuriousG
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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30 book recommendations in 30 days...

Day 28: Near the end, but still have dozens of books I could easily choose from. This was a great audio listen. Another good one for Canadians to read/expand their understanding of Indigenous experiences. Yes, it is fiction, but sometimes being in a character's head is what we need to connect/learn, and this is very much consistent with any non-fiction I've read. #30recsin30days
Content warnings in comments

CuriousG Content warnings for: residential schools (forced/captive, not voluntary), child abuse, childhood sexual abuse, denial of freedom to practice cultural language and customs, intergenerational trauma, alcoholism, ongoing colonial practices 8mo
21 likes1 comment
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Michael_Gee
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Wide margins and small chapters make this an easier read than you‘d expect considering its emotionally tough subject matter. I don‘t want to say too much about it, but I will say it packs a real blow. Powerful story, beautifully written.

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Blueberry
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Eggs Perfect 💚🐎🤎 11mo
50 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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A very poignant book, especially in the last year due to the finding of unmarked graves of residential school students in several locations. It‘s a book I need to purchase and mark up. Lots of warnings for this book, especially for sexual abuse. #letteri #alphabetgame

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 📚❤️📚 2y
25 likes1 comment
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jlhammar
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Heartbreaking, but so good. Definitely had me in tears.

#MadeYouCry #BookMoods
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Prairiegirl_reading I haven‘t read this but I have loved all of the Richard Wagamese books I have read. And I have cried so much over them. He was brilliant. (edited) 2y
Eggs Sounds powerful 👏🏻💔🙏🏻 2y
jlhammar @Prairiegirl_reading This is the only Wagamese I‘ve read so far. I have Medicine Walk so look forward to trying that next. 2y
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Prairiegirl_reading @jlhammar ragged company is AMAZING!!! 2y
jlhammar @Prairiegirl_reading Good to know! I‘m definitely adding that to my to-buy list. 2y
kwmg40 I love Wagamese's books. I definitely recommend Ragged Company, and Medicine Walk as well. 2y
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bookwrm526
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Incredibly difficult, but ultimately hopeful. Knowledge if this history, even if it is fictionalized here, is so important and needs to be more widespread. It really wasn‘t that long ago in the scheme of things. I wish I could have appreciated the parts about hockey a little more, but I am not a huge fan.

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Auntynanny
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

I'm really glad I finally read this, even if it was a bit hockey-heavy for me. I think it's an all too common story for many Indigenous people in Canada. It was difficult to read, but also very necessary, especially with all the discoveries of mass graves at residential schools.

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CuriousG
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 55 (Audible edition)

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rabbitprincess
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
Pickpick

Beautifully told and devastating. Whatever else I could say about it would be totally inadequate. So just read it.
#ReadCanada #Ontario
#ShutdownRound3 book 2

DieAReader On a roll!🎉🥳 3y
MsMelissa This book is so good! I hope my daughter has to read it in grade 11 English, which focuses on Indigenous lit. 3y
kwmg40 Wagamese's writing is indeed beautiful. I loved Medicine Walk as well. 3y
rabbitprincess @DieAReader I was doing so well, then hit a wall 😂 @MsMelissa I would love to see the reading list for that course! @kwmg40 I also loved Medicine Walk! 3y
DieAReader @rabbitprincess I‘ve also met said 🧱wall🙄 Unfortunately, we‘re well acquainted recently🥺😬 3y
27 likes5 comments
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Creadnorthey
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

This is a powerhouse of a book- and most certainly for those who understand the love of hockey- BUT don‘t think this is a hockey book. The writing is superb, evocative and authentic encouraging me to find solace and heal where so much anger should be holds the value for forgiveness above the destruction of revenge. Books like this enlighten and offer clarity- should be on everyone‘s TBR pile.

KVanRead Great review. 3y
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MissYaremcio
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Sol tells the story of his life growing up and his family's experience with colonization. Sol tells this story as a reflection of his life and his family's struggles. I like this book so far, but I haven't read enough of it to get a really concrete understanding of the whole novel. A theme present in this novel is the theme of overcoming adversity.

MissYaremcio Overcoming adversity is an important theme as we see Sol‘s life in a series of flashbacks and reflections on his experiences. (edited) 4y
MrsBabki This was an amazingly powerful story. 4y
9 likes2 comments
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tournevis
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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French-langage lovers, today is the beginning of the annual Combat National des Livres (Canada Reads, but in French).

The defenders are:
Richard Wagamese's Cheval indien (Indigenous territories)
J.R. Réveillé's Le soleil du lac qui se couche (West)
Marguerite Anderson, Mauvaise mère (Ontario)
Nadine Bismuth, Un lien familial (Québec)
Gérald Leblanc, Moncton Mantra (Atlantic)

Go vote now! https://ici.radio-canada.ca/fiches/572/combat-des-livres

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StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

It's been a while since a book made me cry. A very shameful part of Canadian history. This should be mandatory reading in Canadian schools, it was very eye opening. I always thought the schools occurred in the late 1800s (and they did), but this book is set in the 1960s. And according to Google the last federal residential school closed in 1996! I had no idea, how recent this all was. A very important read for any Canadian.

Krystle13 I got this one free the other month. I am torn on when to listen to it...ugh. It breaks my heart. I heard it was great and numerous people have said the same thing you did. 4y
Creadnorthey Important read for Canadian and beyond! 3y
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lovelybookshelf
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

This is about trauma and the long road of healing. It's not a fast read, despite its page count (about 220 pages). The narrative is rich, intense, and because it deals with racism and Canada's residential schools, often brutal. This is the kind of book you read slowly, sitting with what's happening and what the implications will be for the character's life. This was my first time reading Wagamese's work, and it won't be my last. #nativeauthors

Suet624 Every time I see this author‘s name come up I get mad at myself for not reading his work yet. 4y
BookNAround This was really a magnificent read, wasn‘t it? 4y
lovelybookshelf @Suet624 I definitely wish I'd read him earlier! 4y
lovelybookshelf @BookNAround It truly was. And I know nothing about hockey and am not into sports, but even though sections had me captivated. 4y
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Blaire
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

This book broke my heart. Painful story of a native Ojibway Canadian taken to an abusive and horrific residential school who finds some solace in playing hockey, but even that joy is tainted by experiences he must confront. Saul‘s story and what so many children went through will stay with me. Beautifully written. #indigenousauthor #booked2019.

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Okiinabastien
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Indian horse is about a indigenous child from the Ojibway tribe, Saul Indian horse survives the Indian residential school system and grows up to become a star hockey player, the story follows Saul on his journey through residential school and his love of hockey.

MissYaremcio Thank you for the review Okiina! Remember to include all elements of the assignment in your post (you were missing the recommendation and the pacing). 4y
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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Suet624 Shoot. I keep meaning to read one of his books. 5y
melissajayne @Suet624 I read it about a couple years ago and quite enjoyed it. Deals with heavy stuff. 5y
19 likes2 comments
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pigeonsandcrows
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

The story of an Ojibway man sent to residential school in the 1960s and his struggles to find a way to build a life for himself and deal with multiple traumatic events in his life. You'll probably get more out of it if you like sports and especially hockey, although that's certainly not necessary to understand Saul's overall journey.

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MsLeah8417
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

💔💔💔💔💔
Bless you, Richard Wagamese.

pigeonsandcrows I'm reading this one right now. Your copy has a really good cover! 5y
MsLeah8417 @pigeonsandcrows : ugh, those libraries stickers in the cover art drive me crazy. 5y
10 likes2 comments
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MsLeah8417
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese

Only at chapter three and the tears are coming

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pigeonsandcrows
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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😊 😊Are there any other littens here located in Canada? I see all the beautiful book swaps and whatnot going on and wonder if there is anyone else out there dependent on Canada Post who might want to start a group or a book swap or something similar? 😊

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Welcome to Litsy 💖📖💖 I host a Canadian penpal group #PoutinePenPals . If you're interested in connecting with more Canadian Littens send me an email with your name, Litsy handle, mailing address & birthday. 5y
pigeonsandcrows @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego That sounds great. How do I send a private message via Litsy? (Sorry, I am still pretty new here!) 5y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego There isn't a way, but here's my email danielle_gangur@hotmail.com 5y
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Readswithcoffee Welcome to Litsy 👍🏻📚📚📚👍🏻 5y
pigeonsandcrows @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego OK, just sent you an email! 5y
Reagan 👋 I'm in Alberta! 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Reagan-reads Me too!! 5y
mcctrish I‘m in Southern Ontario and I‘m in #poutinepenpals ⬆️ 5y
LA_Mead #poutinepenpals is lots of fun! 4y
36 likes9 comments
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Blaire
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Happy Canada Day!! 🇨🇦 Hoping to get to this novel by a First Nations author later this month. It is also my pick for #booked2019 #indigenousauthor #canada #letstraveljuly @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

OriginalCyn620 👌🏻🇨🇦😊 5y
52 likes1 comment
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throwmeabook
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Mehso-so

The forcible removal of First Nation children and placement in residential schools is a sad and dark part of our history and difficult to read about. Saul, an Ojibway boy placed in a residential school endures beatings and abuse. The only bright light in his life is playing hockey. I wanted to like this more than I did. Too heavy on the hockey and light on the emotional and historical issues. ⭐️⭐️ #booked2019 #booked2019spring #indigenousauthor

CouronneDhiver 😕 oh no! 5y
Cinfhen Too bad it wasnt a pick 😣still sounds like a heavy read 5y
33 likes2 comments
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TheLibrarian
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Indian Horse takes you on a journey of Saul‘s life, the Ojibway tribe and how the government took the kids, hockey, and other moments leading up to him being in the treatment center. Filled with so many emotions – love, hope, fear, sorrow, despair, anger, etc. – Indian Horse is a novel that you won‘t forget anytime soon.

Overall an excellent read. I loved the parts about the Ojibway tribe but could have done with fewer hockey sections.

Tamra Anxious to read! 5y
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Lauren.Archer
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
Pickpick

Wow, this might have been one of the best books I have ever read. At first thought this was a typical coming of age story with some heartbreak but then it took a turn I never expected which changed the essence of the book for me. This is a very relevant and such a poignant book. This should be required reading.

BookNAround It was fantastic, wasn‘t it? 5y
CouronneDhiver He‘s my absolute favourite author ever ❤️ 5y
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Lauren.Archer
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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New set of picks from Book Riot‘s TBR service. I have never heard of this, but apparently this is the most read book in Canada. Looks interesting.

shaynarae I‘m so curious about Book Riot‘s TBR. What do you think of it so far? 5y
Lauren.Archer @shaynarae I am a little mixed on this. My first picks left a lot to be desired but on that note I totally understood why they picked the books they did. They gave me someone new to pick my recommendations so I am super hopeful. Just the blurbs sound way better to me this time around. 5y
TelevisionNeighbor I‘m always blown away at the number of books and other things I‘ve never heard of but are so popular it‘s like how did I miss this. Definitely adding this to my TBR. 5y
See All 7 Comments
Jolynne This, is one of my #alltimefave books. I‘m glad to see Indigenous authors being recommended, they are often not visible in mainstream media. 5y
Jolynne I also do the TBR, my first round was okay and this second round seems iffy. We shall see. 5y
Reviewsbylola This one is new to me too! 5y
CouronneDhiver This is my all time favourite author... he was an outstanding storyteller 🖤 5y
99 likes3 stack adds7 comments
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TheLibrarian
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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These are my 3 recommendations from my first Tailored Book Recommendation sub!

Starting off with Indian Horse first.

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ReadingEnvy
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Mehso-so

I wanted to love this more than I did. I was totally absorbed by the story of an Ojibway family trying to keep their children safe from the Canadian government and the journey of Saul into his new life. I was surprised when half the novel was suddenly a sportsing hockey novel, almost like the author got bored. Slow reveal of sexual abuse felt added in for the wrong reasons. I still want to read more by this author; any recommendations?

CouronneDhiver My favourite book! 6y
ReadingEnvy @CouronneDhiver thanks, I'll try it! 6y
67 likes4 comments
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Kerrbearlib
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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“If we want to live at peace with ourselves, we need to tell our stories.”

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BookNAround
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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This is a hard but beautifully written book so far. The arrowheads were all collected by my grandfather at the family home farm when he was small.

Tanisha_A Oh wow! 6y
SinkLikeTheMoon I've read a few things from this author now (and will continue to do so). With every book he has moved further and further up my favourite list. I hope you enjoy it, despite how intense it can be. 6y
BookNAround @SinkLikeTheMoon It‘s hurting my heart right now but it‘s pretty amazing even if I have to set it down every now and again and grapple with all the abuse and sadness. 6y
51 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Dpotter
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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I highly recommend this book. ❤
#potterspicks #canadianauthor

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Proustian
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese

This is our current selection for my book club, The Munrovians!

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SinkLikeTheMoon
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

I have no words to express how much I loved this book and the subsequent movie. It shook me. Stunning and sad.

After his last drinking binge almost kills him, Saul Indian Horse begins his journey of recovery by going back through his history and getting in touch with his roots as a northern Ojibway.

DebbieGrillo I loved this book too! 6y
knittedgnome That sounds so interesting. *Off to see if my library has an ebook of it* 6y
SinkLikeTheMoon @DebbieGrillo I'm glad to find others. Have you read any of his other works? I'm thinking of picking up another novel by him soon, so if you have recommendations would be appreciated! 🙂 6y
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SinkLikeTheMoon @knittedgnome if you get a chance to read it, let me know how it goes. 🙂 6y
DebbieGrillo I haven't, but my friend recommended Medicine Walk. I'd like to read that. 6y
SinkLikeTheMoon @DebbieGrillo I'll take it. Thanks. 😊 6y
Swe_Eva Never encountered this author before, but it's going on my wishlist. 👍🏻 6y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 👋🏻😊👋🏻 6y
BookaholicNatty Welcome to Litsy!!! Hope you love it here just as much as I do! ❤️❤️📚😍 6y
asiriusreader Welcome to Litsy!! 6y
CouronneDhiver I love Richard Wagamese ❤️ 6y
19 likes5 stack adds11 comments
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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Such an excellent book. Even though I never went through the same stuff that these kids went through at the residential schools, through this book I can get a sense of what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is about. There are some hard truths that I think Canadians have come to. And I hope books like this can do that. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

melissajayne I would recommend this book to everyone but I would put it out there that it does describe varying degrees of abuse. So if you can‘t handle that, I would avoid it. 6y
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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Sometimes ghosts linger. They hover in the furthest corners, and when you least expect it they lurch out, bearing everything they brought to you when when they were alive.

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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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Books had been my safe place all the time I‘d been in the school and they still represented security, and whatever corner I huddled in to read was a safe one to me.

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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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This chapter made me so mad at the descriptions of residential school life. Made me sick to my stomach. Made me want to hug those kids and tell them that what happened to them was wrong.

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melissajayne
Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese
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“From the pages of those books I got the idea that hockey had an alchemy that could transform ordinary men into great ones.”