Thank you to NetGalley/Makwa Enewed/Michigan State University Press for a copy of Wiijiwaaganag: More Than Brothers in exchange for an honest review. 

Summary

Niizh Eshkanag is a member of the first generation of Anishinaabe children required to attend a US government boarding school — schools infamously intended to “kill the Indian and save the man,” or forcibly assimilate Native students into white culture. At the Yardley Indian Boarding School in northern Minnesota, far from his family, Niizh Eshkanag endures abuse from the school staff and is punished for speaking his native language.

After his family moves him to a school that is marginally better, he meets Roger Poznanski, the principal’s white nephew, who arrives to live with his uncle’s family and attend the school. Though Roger is frightened of his Indian classmates at first, Niizh Eshkanag befriends him, and they come to appreciate and respect one another’s differences.

When a younger Anishinaabe student runs away into a winter storm after being beaten by a school employee, Niizh Eshkanag and Roger join forces to rescue him, beginning an adventure that changes their lives and the way settlers, immigrants and the Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes think about each other and their shared future. — from the publisher. 

History lessons

The author of this book, Peter Razor, also known as Gashkibaajiganinini Aazhegiiwe-Ogichidaa, passed away in May 2022. He was 93. His family completed Wiijiwaaganag: More Than Brothers for him. The novel’s forward also mentions this book is how Razor imagined the world “might have been.”

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While Razor was born in 1928 and did not attend an American Indian boarding school, he grew up in a Minnesota orphanage filled with its own cruelty. Razor published a memoir, While the Locust Slept: A Memoir, in 2002. I will soon be reading it. In the meantime, I highly recommend listening to Razor speak here

The author’s life story and the history presented in Wiijiwaaganag are vital elements of American history. Too often is American history taught to mean “United States” history, and even then, history as a particular facet wants us to know it. 

Wiijiwaaganag is different from any book I’ve read in that it is genuinely bilingual. Roughly one-quarter to one-third of the book is written in Ojibwemowin dialogue. While an Ojibwemowin-English dictionary is in the back of the book, it’s not strictly necessary as Razor provides enough context clues to understand what’s happening. Fun fact: “Wiijiwaaganag” basically means “platonic soul mate.” 

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While I’m not 💯 percent sure about this next part, I have an inkling the story follows Native American Indian story conventions. The narration is in a distant third person, and the two main characters mostly tell us how they feel through verbal thoughts rather than sensory experiences.

That’s not to say Niizh Eshkanag, Roger and company aren’t well-drawn — they are. 

Book review Two covers of books by Peter Razor. Wiijiwaaganag: More Than Brothers and While the Locus Slept

The plot thickens… 

Well, it doesn’t, really. For all the incredible backdrop, excellent character work and creatively structured pieces, the actual plot is pretty paint-by-numbers. For that reason, this already-short book could have stood to be even shorter.

I also would have loved to see more from Niizh Eshkanag’s POV than we ended up getting. The novel repeatedly puts the Anishinaabe people in the position of proving their own humanity to the White Man. Whiteness feels more centered here than I’m used to reading. Whether that’s good, neutral or bad is above my paygrade. 

Should you read it?

Absolutely, though how much you enjoy it will depend on your age. 

Wiijiwaaganag: More Than Brothers is being marketed as YA and general historical fiction; however, this would make a great addition to 8th-grade classrooms, as that’s a year many students take US history. Niizh Eshkanag and Roger are about 13 and 14 throughout the book, and I see their adventures appealing to that age group. That’s not to say older readers wouldn’t get anything out of this book, but that younger readers will likely enjoy it more. 

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Though the plot wasn’t entirely gripping, Wiijiwaaganag: More Than Brothers was fascinating for its format alone. Further, I’m glad to see more Native stories in the world. 

Wiijiwaaganag: More Than Brothers is out on January 1, 2023. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🏫

Content warning: Violence (including against children), human and animal death, racism. 

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