Nishga is a memoir of sorts, compiled from poetry, photos, artwork, thoughts, transcriptions and family documentation. At the heart of this work of art is the deep impact of the Residential School system and intergenerational trauma. Growing up so far removed from the Nisga'a people, Jordan has struggled with his identity and where he fits in. Far removed from the language, culture, ancestors and history of his people, he has struggled for years to learn more. He writes about a lot of different literature in the book and the impact it has had on him, as well as Indigenous people in general.

Abel is so vulnerable in this work, laying so much of himself and his family on the page. The pain that he must have felt in stirring up all of the memories and trauma to create this is apparent throughout. By putting all of this on the pages of a book, he has hoped to reach others who don't feel seen, but has risked his own mental health. I deeply appreciated this difficult project, and I'm sure many people have felt seen after reading it.

This was a truly spectacular and deeply personal work about indigeneity, urban indigenous identity, and generational trauma from residential schools. I really enjoyed the nuanced, insightful, and introspective way Jordan Abel pieced together Nishga, including photographs, transcriptions, notes, his father’s artwork, excerpts from Empty Spaces, and even screenshots from websites. It is a purposeful and impactful way of exploring the main themes Abel discusses in the book: the exploration of what can and can’t be found on the page when writing about indigeneity, and how empty space or new forms can be a way to explore an identity fragmented by our country’s colonial history and the generational impact of residential schools.

I really enjoyed how all of the components of this book came together. I got to read and discover a very heartfelt, complex, and powerful outlook on how Abel navigated his own personal identity and history, how certain scholarship and literature have tremendously let down indigenous people, and how piecing together these fragments is a duty, a burden, a witnessing, and so much more.

I loved this, learned from this, and found it heartbreaking all at the same time. If you get the chance to read this, you should.

I loved this book so much. It was an experience, and not just a piece of literature to be read. It was felt with every turn of the page. The combination of pictures, quotes and thoughts from the author was an amazing way of making the audience ponder colonialism and residential schools.

NISHGA is an insightful and well-written inquiry into the intergenerational trauma of the residential school system that is unique in how it pulls from past interviews, both written and recorded. Abel continues to develop unique methods of considering the multi-faceted elements of Indigenous experiences in Canada. A must-read!