This book tells the tale of an Indigenous girl stolen from her family when she was a toddler. This personal memoir follows a 60s Scoop survivor’s journey of growing up in abusive non-Indigenous households and the long-lasting effects for the rest of her life. Colleen recounts the traumatic events she faced and the long road to healing.

This intense novel was fast-paced and covered most of the author’s foundational years, beginning when the author was a child and ending in her adulthood. The book delves into the tragedies and challenges that Indigenous individuals faced. The generational trauma that Collen and her family suffered caused a vicious cycle of poor lifestyle choices. The book included many dark topics like various types of abuse, colonialism, murder, severe alcoholism, and other unfathomable atrocities. Positive themes such as regaining hope, and reconnecting to culture/ancestry were also emphasized.

The descriptive story is uncomfortable at times, albeit an important one. Although I respectfully acknowledge the pain and significance of recounting events, I believe explicitly graphic content can be jarring. I had to skim occasionally because of how explicitly the sexual abuse was described. I wish translations for Indigenous chapter titles were included. I loved that Colleen shed light on the racism of the Canadian court and child welfare system towards Indigenous People, especially her being the daughter of a residential school survivor. I also loved that the author mentions realizing how insidious politicians were in using events to declare war in the Middle East and use tactics of fear mongering and Islamophobia. I didn’t expect to read that, so I was pleasantly surprised to read her accurate insight.

This memoir is very authentic and portrays the tragic suffering of Indigenous People in a heavy-hearted way. It’s definitely a read for adults. This eye-opening book depicts Colleen’s search for belonging and her extraordinary resilience.