Books & Audiobooks
September 30th is National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, a time to reflect on the ongoing impact of colonialism, recognize the damage caused by the residential school system, and learn about Indigenous history. Among many resources available to learn about the history of residential schools, there are many graphic novels that portray the real impacts of colonialization and parts of Canadian history that are important for everyone to engage with and reflect upon.
Click on the images below to find out more about these graphic novels that explore Indigenous experiences and history.
Secret Path
Secret Path tells the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, a twelve-year-old-boy who died on October 22, 1966 while trying to escape and return home from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School. This graphic novel by Jeff Lemire accompanies a ten-song album by Gord Downie and aims to educate Canadians on the history of residential schools and the need for the entire nation to support the preservation of Indigenous lives and culture across Canada.
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Mangilaluk
In this heartbreaking and raw graphic memoir, Bernard Andreason recounts his time in residential school and a harrowing 130-kilometre journey from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk he endured upon running away with his two friends. Haunted by his past, he struggled to find his place but never stopped pursuing healing and finding a support network to rely on.
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Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story
Based on the true story of Elder Betty Ross from Cross Lake First Nation, Sugar Falls tells a story of a residential school survivor. Her survival and retention of her Cree language is credited to a lesson from her father on a trip to Sugar Falls prior to being forced to enroll at the school. The book explores the emotions and experiences of a young girl who endured abuse while retaining her pride in being Cree.
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Dakwäkãda Warriors
This bilingual comic follows two indigenous protectors using language revitalization to save the Earth from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches. The result is a whimsical blend of Indigenous futurism with allegories of colonialism and residential schools that incorporates, preserves, and revitalizes Southern Tutchone language.
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JAJ: a Haida Manga
JAJ explores the colonization of Canada’s West Coast from first contact through the smallpox epidemic and resettlement efforts. The story follows several historical figures, including Johan Adrian Jacobsen (JAJ) who collects specimens for a German museum from a Haida village. Blending traditional iconography and modern art, the pages of the manga piece together to form one connected image.
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This Place: 150 Years Retold
This graphic novel anthology explores the history First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people in Canada. Indigenous survival through colonization is rendered in diverse styles through the art of Indigenous creators. Each story is accompanied by a timeline of historical events and a bibliography for further reading, making it an accessible place to start learning about Canada’s Indigenous history.
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A Girl Called Echo
A Girl Called Echo is a series of graphic novels following the life of a teenager who travels back in time and experiences pivotal events in Métis history. Through the Pemmican Wars, Red River Resistance, Northwest Resistance, and Road Allowance Era, Echo learns about the strength and perseverance of the Métis and imagines what the future could hold.
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Four Faces of the Moon
To uncover her family’s story, Spotted Fawn journeys through time to reclaim a connection with her ancestors, language, and land. Bringing together the oral and written history of the Michif, Cree, Nakoda, and Anishinaabe Peoples to the page, she confronts the harsh realities of history and gets glimpses into the lives of her relatives.
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Louis Riel
Chester Brown’s historical biography of Louis Riel, the charismatic 19th-century Métis leader, regarded by some as a martyr and by others as a treacherous murderer. Tracing the fight for the right to self government, this comic-strip biography packs in historic figures, events, and dates to explore many sides of an important chapter in Canadian history.
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