This is an interesting story. I plan to read it because today is Orange Shirt Day. I hope it will be a gentle enough introduction to the atrocities of Residential Schools.
Interestingly, the very concept behind Orange Shirt Day (not allowing the child to wear her orange shirt and instead wear something so that everyone looked the same) is one of the concepts behind our charter school's uniforms. I wonder if any students will make that connection.
I think we all have things from our childhood that didn't sit well. My family were big TV watchers. The TV was always on. Now I can't stand that and in my house we only have the TV on now and then. I'm not sure if that's necessarily better, but it's something that affected my experience growing up, for sure. I can't imagine having experienced what the First Nations people did with residential schools. It is a sad mark on our history. The author of this book does a great job showing how this experience affected every aspect of their lives.
Goodreads says:
When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength.
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