Back in 1822, William Cormack sought the help of a Mi’kmaw guide, Suliewey (Sylvester Joe), to lead him across “Newfoundland” to search for the last remaining Beothuk camps on the island. In his journals recounting the trip, Cormack refers to his guide only as “My Indian.” This historical semi-fictionalized novel reclaims the tale of Suliewey from his own point of view of the journey with Cormack.

The writing, in this book, was in an easy-to-read format, and the storyline flowed seamlessly keeping readers engaged. The themes emphasized included strengthening family bonds, unity, and courage. They were explored beautifully. I really enjoyed picturing Suliewey’s journey while also learning more about the history of the land we live on and about various Indigenous traditions. Reading this piece of historical fiction through a modern lens made me yearn for so many aspects of a different world where earth is more respected and natural medicinal healing is encouraged. The erasure of Indigenous identity is a serious issue, and I thought this book brought it to light in a wonderful way. Many can benefit by reading this book.

Much of Mi'kmaw history has been told through a colonial lens. This was a wonderful tribute to Suliewey and retelling of this amazing story. Suliewey handled hardships, adversity, and discrimination with grace and gratitude. Even after many of Cormack’s attempts at erasing his Indigenous identity, he stayed strong and was always willing to lend a helping hand even if it was not reciprocated. I especially liked that the book had supplementary materials like a reading guide, images, and a glossary, etc. I do wish that there was a pronunciation guide as well though.

Rich in oral history, this read will leave you longing for more. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel. This is an important, enjoyable, and eye-opening read that I highly recommend to readers looking to strengthen their Indigenous allyship or simply desiring to read a unique novel.

I rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars!

My Indian is a historical fiction (Based on true events) about a young man named Sulieway (or Sylvester, as his church name), who takes a "white man" named William Cormack on a long, and a little bit of a dangerous journey. Cormack puts Sulieway through a test, to see what his strength, honesty, and courage is like. Sulieway proves that he is worthy of the hard journey ahead. Cormack wants to find the Beothuk People, but Sulieway wants to make sure not to expose the location of the Beothuk people. They camp with many other Mi'kmaq people on the land, each with their own little bits of information of where the Beothuk are. Sulieway tries to make sure to tell them not to say anything to Cormack, so he can keep his promise he made to the elders of protecting his brothers and sisters the Beothuk people. But will he be successful in protecting that secret?


I really enjoyed visualizing their journey, and just everything written in the story. It was a very interesting little piece of history. I liked the real backstory included at the end of the story with all the facts and pictures. My only “issue” was that I just couldn’t pronounce a lot of the Mi’kmaq words, But other than that I thought it was a beautiful read. (And they did include a glossary in the book for those words as well!)


 I rate this book a 5/5 stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

My Indian tells the narrative of William Epps Cormack, who enlisted the help of a guide to bring him across Newfoundland in pursuit of the island's last remaining Beothuk encampment. Cormak writes about his encounters throughout the way, but simply refers to his guide as "My Indian." 
My Indian was a great novel. Because of the knowledge it provides to readers, I thought this book was fantastic. Understanding how the indigenous peoples would travel across the country in search of food, other communities, and ways to live. The knowledge about First Nations and their cultural practices that this book provided was my favorite part of it. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, Native American history, or simply wants to learn more.