Five Little Indians

Five Little Indians is the impressive debut novel by Michelle Good, a writer, lawyer and member of the Red Pheasant Cree nation in Saskatchewan. This is a difficult and emotional read that is a must-read, particularly for non-Indigenous people so they can understand the long-term effects of Indian Residential Schools on Indigenous Canadians and their culture. Equally heart-wrenching and compelling, Good holds nothing back as her story follows five Indian residential school survivors into their adulthood. 

For readers who are not knowledgeable about the Indian residential schools, these institutions began in the 19th century (with the last school closing in 1996). Indigenous children, many as young as six years of age, were taken against their will by the Canadian government from their parents and communities and put into church run 'schools'. The goal of these 'schools' was to assimilate Indigenous children into white/Christian Canadian culture and they accomplished this by forbidding these children their culture and languages. Instead, they focused on Christian teachings, working the children hard, denying them an education and connection with the outside world. These children were at the mercy of the priests and nuns who ran the schools and suffered malnutrition, severe punishments and rampant abuse which came in many forms - emotional, psychological, physical and sexual - which resulted in long-lasting effects that permeated their lives well into adulthood.

Released from school at age 16 with inadequate education and life skills, with just the clothes on their back, bus tokens and meager cash, these children were expected to survive on the streets of Vancouver after being exiled in a remote part of the province with no outside influences, love or support. It's no wonder so many of these survivors became victims to sex traffickers, drugs and alcohol abuse, self harm ... Through her five main characters, Good shows how each of them takes unique paths to survive, but underlying them all, are the effects of their years at the residential school. 

Well-written, emotional and haunting, this is a strong debut the enlightens readers to part of Canada's dark and unspoken history. Through her well-developed characters, Good allows her readers to follow these kids into adulthood and witness their struggles, successes and their ability to endure despite a government and society that devalued them and their culture. This is a must-read for non-Indigenous Canadians so we can educate ourselves and acknowledge the atrocities these children faced, and the enduring repercussions of the decisions made by the Canadian government and religious institutions whose goal was to eliminate Indigenous culture.

Note: This book was longlisted for the Giller Prize and shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Michelle Good

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Indigenous, BIPOC author, Canadian

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Pages: 304

Publisher: Harper Perennial

First Published: April 14, 2020

Opening Lines: Clara stood behind Mariah's cabin, the late summer 

warmth rising from the soil.  She look down the hill and 

watched Mariah's helpers readying the sweat lodge.

Book Description from GoodReads: Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention.

Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn’t want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission.

Fueled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can’t stop running and moves restlessly from job to job—through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps—trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew.

With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.