These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack

Pages: 168

Intended Audience: Mature Tweens and up

Genre: Historical novel

Notes for Parents: Some mature content

The Back Cover

September 9, 1966

They took everything away when I arrived here. I had stones from home and some feathers that Grandma gave me. They took my diary too. I had a lot of stuff written in there that I thought would give me some comfort over the year. But now it’s gone.

I was given this notebook and pencils for school, so I am going to start another diary. I am going to hide it with me all the time.

I put the things that were on the bed into the locker. All the clothes had the number 75 written in black marker on the tags. I am now #75.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Description from Goodreads.com:

Violet Pesheens is struggling to adjust to her new life at Residential School. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her “white” school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name—she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishinaabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was.
Her notebook is the one place she can record all of her worries, and heartbreaks, and memories. And maybe, just maybe there will be hope at the end of the tunnel.

The novel is part of the “Dear Canada” series.

What’s good?

The diary format and the middle school level makes this a quick and easy read. The main character, Violet, is easily likeable, and the plot is simple. This is a story of survival as Violet struggles to hold on to her personal and cultural identity amidst a system that is trying to strip her of it. There are very few secondary characters, but Violet’s grandmother is noteworthy as a vibrant and independent woman in her community. The inclusion of Anishinaabe words was interesting, and illustrated her efforts to preserve her sense of self. This is a sanitized version of a very dark part of Canada’s history.

Best Part: Blackie the dog

What isn’t good?

Plot development was weak and the whole story lacked any real historical or cultural context. While this was a decent introduction to a dark and complex topic, it serves only as a mild starting point. The events were sanitized so much that Violet’s experience in a residential school felt more like a sad inconvenience for one girl rather than the horrific injustice that was forced upon an entire nation.

Worst part: The lack of emotion.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻ (2/5)

This is not a happy story, nor should it be, but it lacked an element that should have made it feel hopeful. We knew Violet was sad and homesick, but her diary never really explored the deeper emotions. There were bright moments, but ultimately it felt like a story told rather than an experience shared. The story was thought-provoking, but ultimately, for me, disappointing.

Slipperjack, Ruby. These are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens. Toronto: Scholastic Canada, 2016