Rez Dogs - Joseph Bruchac

 

Rez Dogs - Joseph Bruchac

Bibliography: 

Bruchac, J. (2021). Rez Dogs. Thorndike Striving Reader.

Plot Summary: 

Twelve-year-old Malian lives with her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Critical Analysis:

There are so many things I loved about this book. To have a story that gives a glimpse into pandemic life from the perspective of a child, is incredibly powerful. The struggles of zoom classes and the isolation felt while sheltering in place are real, and to have this captured in a middle grade novel is, in my opinion, important.

Our Native Nations were hit hard early in the pandemic suffering huge loss of life and struggling to receive adequate medical help. This is also addressed in the book connecting some of the historical neglect and mistreatment of our Native American people with the lack of support they desperately needed during the early months of the pandemic.

Also woven into the storyline is the protesting happening across the country after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. All these events, these moments from the past year need to be remembered, and they are uniquely captured in this middle grade story.

As the main character Malian spends time with her grandparents during the lockdown on the Rez, we learn about the personal experiences of her family, her culture, and about our own history through their stories. Her grandparents say no one needs to feel guilty about the past unless they are doing nothing about it in the present. What a powerful message indeed.

Review Excerpt: 

Kirkus (starred review)

Hidden throughout this moving novel in verse, old stories are discovered like buried treasures.

Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

Bruchac intricately interweaves past and present stories . . . in this rewarding intergenerational narrative.

School Library Journal (starred review)

Deftly handles weighty issues and provides readers a story they can connect with . . . [A] dose of hope for the future.

School Library Connections (starred review)

Story telling is an important part of culture, and Bruchac is a masterful storyteller who weaves culture with narrative.

Connections:

Novel in Verse/Poetry

Pandemic Read - COVID 19

Abenaki Native Fiction