I was SO excited when I found out I was approved for this book on Netgalley! As a Winnipegger and Social Studies teacher, this was right up my alley. I feel like I could write a university essay on this book and all of the interesting things I took away from it, but I want to start with a general review.

Sinclair's non-fiction text Winipek is made up of 4 sections representing the seasons in a year. Each section has several short pieces of writing each on different topics related to the city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba, the Red River, Lake Winnipeg, and the history of Indigenous people and the relationships they had with each other and the Canadian government, leading to both the extensive challenges and moments of positive change we are seeing in recent years. Sinclair does an incredible job of giving the background information on each topic in a way that is fluid, non-judgemental and with just enough detail to make this story accessible for readers of all ages and backgrounds. This book did not feel like a history lesson or a lecture on the harms and mistakes of our past, but yet it accomplished the same things. Although I would consider myself fairly well versed in the challenges Indigenous people face in my hometown, I learned SO much from this book. Topics I new tidbits about were suddenly fully filled in, areas I knew lots about had additional facts I wanted to share with everyone around me, and the things I new nothing about, I feel ready to take action and learn more. This book is a must read for all Manitobans. It could (and probably should) be a required read for High School and/or University students. It is enjoyable and interesting but more importantly, it is indepth, well written and informative.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review an advance copy of this book. I will definitely be lining up to get a physical copy as soon as it hits the shelves.