Cover Image: Surviving the City

Surviving the City

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Member Reviews

This was very interesting, it mainly focuses on the issues surrounding being an indigenous woman and the way indigenous women are treated. I'd vaguely heard of the "no more stolen sisters" campaign but I haven't really done any research into it and I didn't know much about it, basically it's a campaign to stop discrimination and violence against indigenous women, since there is a much higher likelihood of going "missing" or dying as a result of violence if you're an indigenous woman than a white woman in Canada according to statistics.

That's the feeling that permeates through this short graphic novel. It's about 2 girls who are best friends and have experienced all of this first hand. Unfortunately because of the short length you don't get to know the girls that well, but I think it's more about the themes and alerting people to the issues than creating amazing characters or having a great plot. There are various phrases and references in here to things that I imagine if you're indigenous living in Canada you'd get, but as a white person living in England, I have no clue about (like the berry fast, I had no idea what a berry fast was). It doesn't explain those things but assumes the reader can look them up and do more research if they want to know more, and I really liked that.

I wasn't a fan of most of the art unfortunately, the way people were drawn just didn't really work for me, but I kind of knew it wouldn't from the cover, and while it would have been nice if I'd liked the art, I don't think that's as important as the messages.

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This is an important book that should be read by everyone. Missing indigenous women and girls is a huge problem within both Canada and the United States. And it doesn't get the attention it deserves. Everyone should be concerned about this and helping to make this come to an end. No more!

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According to the RCMP, ten percent of women in Canada who have been missing for at least 30 days are Indigenous.

Indigenous women are five times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women.

So, this graphic novel, about two indigenous girls, who live in the city, is very sad, and very true. Surviving in the city is hard when you are a target.

I love how the spirits of the dead hang around the indigenous peoples, but the white people have an alien spirit that hangs around them. Very to the point.

This is not an easy story to read. But it is also true that this is still happening, right now, and far too many girls and women have been lost to not make a point that we have to care for each other.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4713" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-13-at-8.48.26-AM.png" alt="" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4712" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-13-at-8.49.02-AM.png" alt="" />

And the resource center, mentioned in the book Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. is real (http://www.kanikanichihk.ca/), so this is also a good source for girls and women reading this to know there is a safe space for them.

There is so much going on, that is background for this story, but anyone can read this, and know what is happening, and be aware.

Highly recommended for school, libraries and personal libraries.

Thanks to Netgalley and Highwater Press for making this book available for an honest review.

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A startling, timely, and beautifully illustrated account of the plight of indigenous girls, women, and two-children in Canada. Not to be missed.

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I'm smarter than I was 1/2 hour ago. Before I read this ARC of Surviving the City, I had no idea about the plight of Indigenous women and girls in Canada. This will be going in our middle school library upon release.

In addition to a beautiful, important story, the illustrations of ancestors, spirits, and even evil highlight the importance of the culture and how in tune this population remains. There are many lessons to gain reading these 58 pages. I can't wait for students to learn them.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41215879-surviving-the-city

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