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How I Became a Ghost Book Review

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  How I Became a Ghost 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Tingle, T. (2015). HOW I BECAME A GHOST . Roadrunner Press.  ISBN: 978-1-937054-53-3 2.  PLOT SUMMARY How I Became a Ghost is a novel about Isaac and his family, who are from a Choctaw tribe in Mississippi. There is a Treaty Talk with the Nahullos, and Isaac’s family decides they must leave soon. Isaac sees ghosts and things of the future. After a devastating fire and smallpox outbreak, Isaac’s family finds themselves on the Trail of Tears.    3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The characters in How I Became a Ghost are authentic and representative of the Choctaw tribe in several ways. Isaac and his family live in Mississippi in a home that is in a village of their Choctaw tribe. They live off the land and do not interact with the Nahullos (whites) but remain peaceful. There is talk of a Treaty and Isaac’s parents struggle with the decision to leave their home to relocate. Isaac is taken around the village, where he sees men rubbing thei...
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Rain is Not My Indian Name Book Review

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  Rain is Not My Indian Name 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Smith, C. (2021). RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME . Heart Drum.  ISBN: 9780380733002 2.  PLOT SUMMARY This novel is about Rain, who tragically loses her best friend and is learning how to cope with his death. She struggles with her identity to her Native heritage but finds her way back to living through the lens of her camera.  3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The characters in Rain is Not My Indian Name are a diverse mix of individuals from Native American backgrounds as well as others. Rain’s heritage is Muscogee and Ojibwe; Muscogee on her mom’s side, with whom she identifies with more. Rain is described as looking more like her Irish dad than her Native American background. Whereas her brother has black hair and darker skin which draws the attention of several girls. Her aunt and uncle are also described by their native descent.  The setting of the story is in Hannesburg, Kansas which is not a very diverse town. Rain has a few rel...
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Fry Bread Book Review

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  Fry Bread 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Maillard, K. (2019). FRY BREAD.  Roaring Brook Press.  ISBN: 978-1-62672-746-5 2.  PLOT SUMMARY This picture book tells the story of fry bread using the sentence stem” Fry Bread is” on each page for each verse. Fry Bread speaks to the history of fry bread and how it is still embraced culturally.    3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS In Fry Bread, the story is based on the history of fry bread in the Native American culture. The characters on the pages are of American Indian descent, while showing how broad the differences are from dark hair to red hair to blonde hair. Their skin tones also range in different hues. Their clothing is also indicative of their heritage; some of the characters wear skirts and clothing of Native Americans with vibrant patterns. The man illustrated in the story has tribal tattoos, which are explained in the author’s notes at the end of the book to be Seminole. There are numerous references to the Native American cul...
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Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code Book Review

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  Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bruchac, J. (2024). CHESTER NEZ AND THE UNBREAKABLE CODE . Albert Whitman & Company. ISBN: 978-0807511350 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Chester Nez and The Unbreakable Code is a biographical picture book about the Navajo soldiers who spoke in code during WWII.  3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS In Chester Nez and The Unbreakable Code, the characters are very authentic and culturally accurate. As the main character, Chester recounts growing up and being sent to a boarding school to learn the English language.  The setting begins in Fort Defiance in Arizona at the boarding school and also Chester’s home. He attends the boarding school during the school year and returns home to help with planting and harvesting. After Pearl Harbor is bombed, the setting shifts to locations of war while Chester Nez and other Navajo tribe members create the Code Talkers platoon. They traveled to many Pacific islands.  In this novel, there are many cul...
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Esperanza Rising Book Review

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  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Munoz Ryan, P. (2000). ESPERANZA RISING . Scholastic Press.  ISBN: 9780439120425 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Esperanza Rising is a novel about Esperanza and her affluent family in Mexico. A few years after the Mexican Revolution, her father is murdered and her uncles are controlling the estate. Esperanza and her mother flee to California with some of their former servants. Esperanza’s posh life is traded for migrant work when her mother falls ill and cannot work. Esperanze works tirelessly in her place to raise enough money to bring Abuelita to the states.    3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The characters in Esperanza Rising are authentic and representative of Latinx in several ways. Esperanza and her family own a vineyard and are very wealthy. They want for nothing, but also take care of their servants. When Esperanza’s father is killed by Mexican Nationalists, her and her mother’s lives are turned upside-down.  Esperanza has the largest character arc in the b...
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