Damn, that first chapter ended completely unexpectedly! Bam! I totally didn’t see that coming!

The struggles of Native people in Canadian society. So much ignorance surrounding them!

Each chapter is told through a story about one of the Gibson family members. First Eva, then Stanley, Maria, Norman, and Edgar.

And then, the final chapter. Not about a family member. But about Mark. And that ends with a Bam! also!

A really good book, really well written and engrossing! This is the third book I've read by this author, and I am very impressed! ( )

Legacy is the story of an Anishinaabe family from a First Nations’ Reserve north of Lake Huron, Ontario. The lives of the five siblings all play out differently as they struggle with the family’s legacy of tragedy and violence. Some wear “the pacifying blanket of alcohol” in an attempt to avoid the pain or vanquish feelings of despair. Ultimately though, it is the siblings who seek to reconnect with the land and the healing power of traditional ceremonies who are the ones redefining their legacy.

This would be an excellent book for high school students to understand what life is like for aboriginal teens both on and off the reserve. It may help their peers realize that aboriginal students are often subjected to ignorance and stereotypes, and are made to feel like foreigners on their own land. Also, as students learn about the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, this story will help put a face to those who, generations later, feel the traumatic effects of their people having had their land and culture taken from them. ( )