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In Search of April Raintree
Two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless to change their fortunes, they are separated, and each put into different foster homes. Yet over the years, the bond between them grows. As they each make their way in a society that is, at times, indifferent, hostile, and violent, one embraces her Métis identity, while the other tries to leave it behind. In the end, out of tragedy, comes an unexpected legacy of triumph and reclamation.
In this Critical Edition, editor Cheryl Suzack has chosen ten critical essays to accompany one of the best-known texts by Canadian Aboriginal author Beatrice Culloden/Mosionier.
In this Critical Edition, editor Cheryl Suzack has chosen ten critical essays to accompany one of the best-known texts by Canadian Aboriginal author Beatrice Culloden/Mosionier.
343 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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March 31, 2022
This is my Personal Childhood (Teen) Re-Read Challenge for this month
I first read this in first year university. I think it was for a Sociology course. I was blown away by it then and I was once again blown away by it now!! This time I saw the audio was on Hoopla so I opted to listen to it. Either way if you listen to it or read this book you will be moved by either experience.
This is such a sad, difficult and emotional story. I remember crying buckets reading it the first time and again I cried my eyes out while I listened to it this time. It has become a Canadian classic and a must-read story.
The story is about two sisters, April and Cheryl Raintree who are both of Métis (half Indigenous and half white-usually French) heritage. The story begins in the 1950's in Manitoba and the sisters are put in the foster care system (not residential schools as they are not considered Indigenous) and the story follows their struggles into adulthood.
It's an excellent but heartbreaking story. I highly recommend this.
The author's notes are a must to read or listen to at the end. She explains as a Métis woman herself what compelled her to write this story. Her notes try to inspire and empower her people.
There are strong themes in the book that involve alcohol abuse, neglect, rape and suicide that may be triggers for some
I first read this in first year university. I think it was for a Sociology course. I was blown away by it then and I was once again blown away by it now!! This time I saw the audio was on Hoopla so I opted to listen to it. Either way if you listen to it or read this book you will be moved by either experience.
This is such a sad, difficult and emotional story. I remember crying buckets reading it the first time and again I cried my eyes out while I listened to it this time. It has become a Canadian classic and a must-read story.
The story is about two sisters, April and Cheryl Raintree who are both of Métis (half Indigenous and half white-usually French) heritage. The story begins in the 1950's in Manitoba and the sisters are put in the foster care system (not residential schools as they are not considered Indigenous) and the story follows their struggles into adulthood.
It's an excellent but heartbreaking story. I highly recommend this.
The author's notes are a must to read or listen to at the end. She explains as a Métis woman herself what compelled her to write this story. Her notes try to inspire and empower her people.
There are strong themes in the book that involve alcohol abuse, neglect, rape and suicide that may be triggers for some
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March 26, 2021I will not rate this particular book for a number of reasons. This is the author's truth and I respect her for sharing this semi biographical novel. It was a couragous undertaking in 1983.
It is a raw, authentic and heart- rending story. The sheer fact that this book was published in 1983 is a testiment to Ms. Mosionier and the publisher! I am sure it was not an easy road.
Today this book still speaks truth and I thank Ms.Mosionier for sharing this story. It created the opportunity for many others to follow and speak up and push back against stereotypes, the attitude and treatment of First Nations people within the system and in the community.
It is a raw, authentic and heart- rending story. The sheer fact that this book was published in 1983 is a testiment to Ms. Mosionier and the publisher! I am sure it was not an easy road.
Today this book still speaks truth and I thank Ms.Mosionier for sharing this story. It created the opportunity for many others to follow and speak up and push back against stereotypes, the attitude and treatment of First Nations people within the system and in the community.
May 13, 2021
Listening to the audiobook I found this book equally as tragic as it was authentic. The author wrote a compelling story that illuminated the why behind lives I want to understand. The feelings April shares about her heritage and how they contrasted with her sisters brought a new awareness of the possible reasons behind the alcoholism and suicide that prevails. This is an important book that should see more readership. The authors words at the end of the audiobook was the first I realized that this book was , in part , her own story. Brave, unvarnished and raw emotion are what elevate this book but it comes with trigger warnings. Truth can be brutal.
February 10, 2017
Métis sisters April and Cheryl are put into different foster homes because the State has deemed their parents unable to take care of them. Although they remain in touch, the two sisters grow up very differently. April is put into a racist foster family that makes her ashamed of heritage, where as Cheryl is put into a part Métis family that makes her proud of it. Of the two, April looks less "Native" and can pass for white. Through her negative experiences she comes to the conclusion that the only way to survive in this world is to be white. Cheryl wants to train to be a social worker to help her people, but has little actual experience with the harsh and brutal reality.
Set in Manitoba in the 1950s-70s in Search of April Raintree tells the story of what it's like to grow up as a First Nation in Canada. There is nothing romantic about it, in fact parts are highly disturbing, yet it's highly readable. I think this book should be required reading, but warning; there is a very graphic rape scene! Even though the subject matter can be hard, this is a book that also gives hope.
Set in Manitoba in the 1950s-70s in Search of April Raintree tells the story of what it's like to grow up as a First Nation in Canada. There is nothing romantic about it, in fact parts are highly disturbing, yet it's highly readable. I think this book should be required reading, but warning; there is a very graphic rape scene! Even though the subject matter can be hard, this is a book that also gives hope.
January 29, 2022
This is a powerful story about two sisters, April and Cheryl who are taken from their alcoholic parents and put in separate foster homes. The story is told in simplistic language, but that could be because it is told from April's point of view, and she is a young child when the story begins.
Sadly, not much has changed since this book was originally written in 1983. This heartbreaking book sparked great conversation in our ZOOM Book Club.
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Sadly, not much has changed since this book was originally written in 1983. This heartbreaking book sparked great conversation in our ZOOM Book Club.
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
September 23, 2014
This was an assigned novel in my Canadian Lit course in my undergrad. I still remember it many years later (and have re-read it since). It's a gritty and depressing story of two Métis sisters who are removed from the care of their parents, who are alcoholics, and placed in separate foster care homes. One sister denies her Métis heritage to "pass" as non-Aboriginal, and one sister tries to proudly preserve her heritage. It isn't an easy story to read--it deals with rape, prostitution, and abuse--but it is a gripping read. It is still (unfortunately) relevant and addresses many of the issues affecting Aboriginal people in Canada today.
November 7, 2016
The simple writing style leaves a bit to be desired and the dialogue doesn’t always ring true but the story itself is heart-rending and an important one to read.
May 7, 2015
There have been more than a few times over the last couple of years that my book club has chosen a book that I never would have looked twice at. This was one of them.
When I mentioned to a few non-book-club friends that I was reading this book, they surprised me by telling me they'd read it in high school, and as I researched a little, I discovered that this is a fairly common school novel for teens in Canada. Being Canadian by immigration rather than birth, I started to look forward to reading it; in discussions I've discovered that my husband and I vary vastly on the books we read in school, and the same goes with some of my friends. They weren't taken by To Kill a Mockingbird or The Grapes of Wrath, two of the books in school that taught me to absolutely love books, and I realize looking back, that those are fairly classic American tales. In Search of April Raintree on the other hand is a classic Canadian tale of a Metis woman, and her struggles in Canadian society.
April, born to alcoholic parents in a poor neighborhood, doesn't really understand how different her situation is from most Canadian kids until she is taken from her parents, along with her little sister Cheryl, and is placed in foster care. Oh, she was aware she was different, particularly from white children as they taunted her and others in the playground. She knew that her family looked different, acted differently, were seperate from white Canada, but that rift became accentuated when she was placed in a white foster family.
My heart broke for April as she struggled to come to terms with her nationality, attempting to both pass for white and embrace her native half in various parts of her life. Her denial through school was easy enough, as she looked more "white" than her sister, but that relationship gave her away every time.
The style of writing in this book is sparse, and it reads much as though it was written for a younger audience (which I'm guessing it was). I usually like YA books, but most contemporary YA is written in a more adult style for a more sophisticated breed of young adults than I think this was originally written for. As such, I found myself rolling my eyes and being annoyed in some places. The dialogue is stilted and sometimes unbelievable, but the lessons and experiences in the novel are worth the occasional frustration with the writing itself. In Search of April Raintree speaks of a wound to the Metis people of Canada that has festered for generations, and has infected both sides of the divide, from the stereotyped "poor, drunk Indians" to the ignorant white populace who lost out on a chance at cultural diversity. It's sad, almost unbearably so, to follow a child's suffering, but has it's moments of triumph as well, which is what earned it a three-star rating from me, despite the technical problems with the prose.
This isn't a relaxing read, or necessarily one you'll enjoy, but it can be an important one if you are interested in becoming more sensitive to the plight of the Metis people.
When I mentioned to a few non-book-club friends that I was reading this book, they surprised me by telling me they'd read it in high school, and as I researched a little, I discovered that this is a fairly common school novel for teens in Canada. Being Canadian by immigration rather than birth, I started to look forward to reading it; in discussions I've discovered that my husband and I vary vastly on the books we read in school, and the same goes with some of my friends. They weren't taken by To Kill a Mockingbird or The Grapes of Wrath, two of the books in school that taught me to absolutely love books, and I realize looking back, that those are fairly classic American tales. In Search of April Raintree on the other hand is a classic Canadian tale of a Metis woman, and her struggles in Canadian society.
April, born to alcoholic parents in a poor neighborhood, doesn't really understand how different her situation is from most Canadian kids until she is taken from her parents, along with her little sister Cheryl, and is placed in foster care. Oh, she was aware she was different, particularly from white children as they taunted her and others in the playground. She knew that her family looked different, acted differently, were seperate from white Canada, but that rift became accentuated when she was placed in a white foster family.
My heart broke for April as she struggled to come to terms with her nationality, attempting to both pass for white and embrace her native half in various parts of her life. Her denial through school was easy enough, as she looked more "white" than her sister, but that relationship gave her away every time.
The style of writing in this book is sparse, and it reads much as though it was written for a younger audience (which I'm guessing it was). I usually like YA books, but most contemporary YA is written in a more adult style for a more sophisticated breed of young adults than I think this was originally written for. As such, I found myself rolling my eyes and being annoyed in some places. The dialogue is stilted and sometimes unbelievable, but the lessons and experiences in the novel are worth the occasional frustration with the writing itself. In Search of April Raintree speaks of a wound to the Metis people of Canada that has festered for generations, and has infected both sides of the divide, from the stereotyped "poor, drunk Indians" to the ignorant white populace who lost out on a chance at cultural diversity. It's sad, almost unbearably so, to follow a child's suffering, but has it's moments of triumph as well, which is what earned it a three-star rating from me, despite the technical problems with the prose.
This isn't a relaxing read, or necessarily one you'll enjoy, but it can be an important one if you are interested in becoming more sensitive to the plight of the Metis people.
April 3, 2021
Audio book.
This was a well told story. It was shocking how the whole process of taking April and Cheryl away from their parents into care was carried out. Taken from their own home (for good reason) but then put in the care of the nuns and separated. No obvious feeling of care.
Throughout their time in foster care the people who were supposed to be looking after them (their "workers" and the teachers) just seem set on giving speeches and not giving the girls a chance to give their side. And the excuse that one of the workers had a lot on to notice what was going on in the foster homes was shocking.
The tragic happenings through their lives was heart wrenching. The stigma of their heritage jars with April as her skin does not show that heritage like Cheryl's does.
Worth a read.
This was a well told story. It was shocking how the whole process of taking April and Cheryl away from their parents into care was carried out. Taken from their own home (for good reason) but then put in the care of the nuns and separated. No obvious feeling of care.
Throughout their time in foster care the people who were supposed to be looking after them (their "workers" and the teachers) just seem set on giving speeches and not giving the girls a chance to give their side. And the excuse that one of the workers had a lot on to notice what was going on in the foster homes was shocking.
The tragic happenings through their lives was heart wrenching. The stigma of their heritage jars with April as her skin does not show that heritage like Cheryl's does.
Worth a read.
July 27, 2020
Just okay. The plot isn't bad, but the writing style is very simplistic.
March 26, 2021
This is set in Canada. It is a story about two sisters who are Canadian natives. Their story was heartbreaking.
As this one started I wasn't sure I wanted to finish it. April's voice was strong but it felt like a lecture at first. Once I fell into the rhythm, I knew I wasn't going to put it down. I could feel her identity crisis. She straddled the line with one foot in the Anglo world and one in the Indian world. This story reminded me of some long conversations I had with my dad because he had similar feelings about straddling the two worlds as well. He never felt welcome in either world and neither did our MC, April.
Also I grew up in Alaska, and the Native population there often had the same negative stigma attached to them. It really is tragic. And there were also so many hard topics here: alcoholism, losing children to the foster care system, racism, child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and then some. It is sad when those who are supposed to care for us the most, can't, won't, or are just not able to do it. So 4 stars for this one.
As this one started I wasn't sure I wanted to finish it. April's voice was strong but it felt like a lecture at first. Once I fell into the rhythm, I knew I wasn't going to put it down. I could feel her identity crisis. She straddled the line with one foot in the Anglo world and one in the Indian world. This story reminded me of some long conversations I had with my dad because he had similar feelings about straddling the two worlds as well. He never felt welcome in either world and neither did our MC, April.
Also I grew up in Alaska, and the Native population there often had the same negative stigma attached to them. It really is tragic. And there were also so many hard topics here: alcoholism, losing children to the foster care system, racism, child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and then some. It is sad when those who are supposed to care for us the most, can't, won't, or are just not able to do it. So 4 stars for this one.
December 16, 2023
I’ve read so many amazing Indigenous books this year including now IN SEARCH OF APRIL RAINTREE by Beatrice Mosionier. This novel was originally published in 1983 and follows the lives of two Métis sisters, April and Cheryl, in the 1960s who are taken from their home and put into two different foster homes. Their lives take different paths and there is sadness, tragedy, love and perseverance. I appreciated the content warning at the beginning as there were some very hard parts to read that were very emotional. I enjoyed the straight forward writing and the audiobook narrator Michaela Washburn was really great. I loved the moments when April was very self aware and Cheryl was so smart. This is an important book that is still very relevant to today. The author’s note at the end was very touching. This is a novel that will stay with me.
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Thank you to ZG Reads and Highwater Press for my gifted review copy of the new 40th anniversary edition!
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Thank you to ZG Reads and Highwater Press for my gifted review copy of the new 40th anniversary edition!
October 11, 2021
I think this is an important book as it highlights the challenges of Canadian Indians (and similarly Native Americans in US), primarily poverty, prejudice and alcoholism. It’s a sad story, but strangely unemotional. Characters remained flat and one dimensional. I listened in Audible and the narration may have contributed, but I can’t imagine the written page was much different.
March 19, 2021
This book gave me a view into the lifetime struggles of a family - a lot of heartbreak and sadness - accompanied by joy. Well written
August 24, 2020
Précis of Book from Publisher’s Website
Two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless to change their fortunes, they are separated, and each put into different foster homes. Yet over the years, the bond between them grows. As they each make their way in a society that is, at times, indifferent, hostile, and violent, one embraces her Métis identity, while the other tries to leave it behind. In the end, out of tragedy, comes an unexpected legacy of triumph and reclamation.
My Review
In 1983 at the time of its first publication, Beatrice Moisonier (Beatrice Culloden at that time) was one of the first Indigenous authors to write a book about the negative impact residential schools had on its residents and their families. Kudos to Beatrice Mosionier, a Métis author, for being a trailblazer and publishing this important story to share with English readers, thirty five years before this book review was written.
While In Search of April Raintree is billed as fiction, it reads very much like a non-fiction. But whether it is a memoir or a biography is not important. It tells an all too common real life story of the many children who were residential school survivors. These children were often placed in foster care due to the results of their parents� hardships and childhood experiences. The violence experienced by residential school survivors (sexual, emotional and physical) and the stripping and mocking of their cultural heritage and identity and their removal for too many years from contact and relationships with their loving families caused terrible damage. After growing into adulthood, many survivors turned to despair, continued violence, alcoholism, drug dependence and suffered from an inability to effectively parent their own children.
In this story, like many others, we learn that not all foster parents treat children under their care in a humane manner. Some caregivers regularly treat children like slaves in a very negatively impactful manner, using physical, sexual and emotional abuse on a regular basis. These children are subject to racist comments and substandard living conditions by people who are were being financially compensated to care for these foster children. Some children survived and others unfortunately succumbed to despair and frequently turn to alcohol and drugs to numb their pain and later to prostitution to support themselves and their families. It is very sad.
The edition I read was the 25th Anniversary Edition of the book published in 2008 by Portage and Main, a reprint of the 1st edition. Beatrice Mosionier (formerly Beatrice Culloden) is a Métis author who grew up in Manitoba and lost two older sisters to suicide. While this issue is not isolated to Manitoba, unfortunately much of this twenty five year old storiy sounds very much like current stories and real life reports we are still hearing and reading about today. Things have not changed much on many reserves or in urban centres. Female prostitutes, native and non-native, continue to be physically beaten, raped and murdered.
Oftentimes, predators target indigenous females in particular. Indigenous females suffer more abuse and murder than white females primarily because of the racist attitudes of their perpetrators. Just as important, if not more so, the cause of this high indigenous violence is the prevalent and overriding systemic racism embedded in our society, its attitudes and institutions. Racism is often found and demonstrated by many caregivers and service providers who are supposed to assist and protect children and adults who are violated and hold their perpetrators accountable and to bring them to justice for their wrongdoings. Courts, police, teachers, churches etc. have all failed to hold people responsible for violence against women, especially Indigenous women, accountable for their violence. Women who turn to the streets to make a living are considered unworthy of being treated humanely. Their very existence is perceived as something to be taken and used by predominantly racist and violent males as they see fit. It is so sad and so inhumane. What is even sadder is that many people, including many police officers, do not feel that investigating the deaths of these women is necessary or worthwhile.
In a 2017 article from Surtel is a Statement from The Women’s March Committee. “The Annual Women’s Memorial March held on Valentine’s Day in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to honour the memory of all women who have died due to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence as part of a national crisis of at least 1,200 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. These are reported cases. It is expected that the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada is much higher. The march was founded 25 years ago when Cheryl Ann Joe, 26-years-old and mother of three, was assaulted for two hours, mutilated and then murdered. Indigenous women disproportionately continue to go missing or be murdered with minimal action to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism."
The book spoke a lot to the issue of racism towards people of colour. The older Metis daughter could pass for white and chose to do so whenever she could because it was easier. She realized from a very young age that passing as white entitled her to many privileges she wouldn’t have as a person of colour. The younger daughter was visibly native and proud of her heritage. She read about Métis history and shared her pride about it whenever the opportunity arose. The two sisters were very close - the elder taking care of the younger - but neither really discussed their very different feelings about being Indigenous.
In addition to the skin colour differences, the elder daughter had seen more and experienced more of her parents� alcoholic issues, was angry at their causing the family’s breakup and made a deliberate choice to live a lifestyle as different as possible from the lifestyle her parents had led. Foster care intervened but unfortunately the older child was put into an abusive foster care family. The younger child was fortunately put into a more loving and accepting family. Living apart with their new foster parents, the two of them grew father apart from each other and their pride in their ancestry. The older daughter was ok to deny it for the life she wanted. The younger daughter wanted to help Métis take pride in their heritage and help them build a better life for themselves on Métis terms. The reality of life and racism in action played a major role in each of the two sisters� lives and how things turned out. The book is definitely an eye opener and a very powerful story. 4 stars.
Two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless to change their fortunes, they are separated, and each put into different foster homes. Yet over the years, the bond between them grows. As they each make their way in a society that is, at times, indifferent, hostile, and violent, one embraces her Métis identity, while the other tries to leave it behind. In the end, out of tragedy, comes an unexpected legacy of triumph and reclamation.
My Review
In 1983 at the time of its first publication, Beatrice Moisonier (Beatrice Culloden at that time) was one of the first Indigenous authors to write a book about the negative impact residential schools had on its residents and their families. Kudos to Beatrice Mosionier, a Métis author, for being a trailblazer and publishing this important story to share with English readers, thirty five years before this book review was written.
While In Search of April Raintree is billed as fiction, it reads very much like a non-fiction. But whether it is a memoir or a biography is not important. It tells an all too common real life story of the many children who were residential school survivors. These children were often placed in foster care due to the results of their parents� hardships and childhood experiences. The violence experienced by residential school survivors (sexual, emotional and physical) and the stripping and mocking of their cultural heritage and identity and their removal for too many years from contact and relationships with their loving families caused terrible damage. After growing into adulthood, many survivors turned to despair, continued violence, alcoholism, drug dependence and suffered from an inability to effectively parent their own children.
In this story, like many others, we learn that not all foster parents treat children under their care in a humane manner. Some caregivers regularly treat children like slaves in a very negatively impactful manner, using physical, sexual and emotional abuse on a regular basis. These children are subject to racist comments and substandard living conditions by people who are were being financially compensated to care for these foster children. Some children survived and others unfortunately succumbed to despair and frequently turn to alcohol and drugs to numb their pain and later to prostitution to support themselves and their families. It is very sad.
The edition I read was the 25th Anniversary Edition of the book published in 2008 by Portage and Main, a reprint of the 1st edition. Beatrice Mosionier (formerly Beatrice Culloden) is a Métis author who grew up in Manitoba and lost two older sisters to suicide. While this issue is not isolated to Manitoba, unfortunately much of this twenty five year old storiy sounds very much like current stories and real life reports we are still hearing and reading about today. Things have not changed much on many reserves or in urban centres. Female prostitutes, native and non-native, continue to be physically beaten, raped and murdered.
Oftentimes, predators target indigenous females in particular. Indigenous females suffer more abuse and murder than white females primarily because of the racist attitudes of their perpetrators. Just as important, if not more so, the cause of this high indigenous violence is the prevalent and overriding systemic racism embedded in our society, its attitudes and institutions. Racism is often found and demonstrated by many caregivers and service providers who are supposed to assist and protect children and adults who are violated and hold their perpetrators accountable and to bring them to justice for their wrongdoings. Courts, police, teachers, churches etc. have all failed to hold people responsible for violence against women, especially Indigenous women, accountable for their violence. Women who turn to the streets to make a living are considered unworthy of being treated humanely. Their very existence is perceived as something to be taken and used by predominantly racist and violent males as they see fit. It is so sad and so inhumane. What is even sadder is that many people, including many police officers, do not feel that investigating the deaths of these women is necessary or worthwhile.
In a 2017 article from Surtel is a Statement from The Women’s March Committee. “The Annual Women’s Memorial March held on Valentine’s Day in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to honour the memory of all women who have died due to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence as part of a national crisis of at least 1,200 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. These are reported cases. It is expected that the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada is much higher. The march was founded 25 years ago when Cheryl Ann Joe, 26-years-old and mother of three, was assaulted for two hours, mutilated and then murdered. Indigenous women disproportionately continue to go missing or be murdered with minimal action to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism."
The book spoke a lot to the issue of racism towards people of colour. The older Metis daughter could pass for white and chose to do so whenever she could because it was easier. She realized from a very young age that passing as white entitled her to many privileges she wouldn’t have as a person of colour. The younger daughter was visibly native and proud of her heritage. She read about Métis history and shared her pride about it whenever the opportunity arose. The two sisters were very close - the elder taking care of the younger - but neither really discussed their very different feelings about being Indigenous.
In addition to the skin colour differences, the elder daughter had seen more and experienced more of her parents� alcoholic issues, was angry at their causing the family’s breakup and made a deliberate choice to live a lifestyle as different as possible from the lifestyle her parents had led. Foster care intervened but unfortunately the older child was put into an abusive foster care family. The younger child was fortunately put into a more loving and accepting family. Living apart with their new foster parents, the two of them grew father apart from each other and their pride in their ancestry. The older daughter was ok to deny it for the life she wanted. The younger daughter wanted to help Métis take pride in their heritage and help them build a better life for themselves on Métis terms. The reality of life and racism in action played a major role in each of the two sisters� lives and how things turned out. The book is definitely an eye opener and a very powerful story. 4 stars.
December 16, 2022
really really sad. Not sure I was in the right mindset for that. I still have the essays at the back to read, but I need a breather. Important read, but it’s heavy and gruesome. TW rape.
Beatrice Culleton Mosionier really did let us into what it’s like being Métis in a really honest way. I think this book is really important for that reason.
Great interview of Beatrice talking about her book on CBC’s Unreserved
Beatrice Culleton Mosionier really did let us into what it’s like being Métis in a really honest way. I think this book is really important for that reason.
Great interview of Beatrice talking about her book on CBC’s Unreserved
January 15, 2020
From a young age April and Cheryl have been in and out of foster homes years and years of being told their indigenous background means nothing while the oldest April loses hope and is unsure what to really think about her indigenous culture her sister Cheryl seeks hope and closure for all her unanswered questions. Secrets, lies and emotions quickly come between them.
In the book in search of April Raintree theres mostly one opinion so its easy to follow out through the book although didn’t enjoy the book mostly being one sided. The choice of words in the book and the diololouge was well done as it suited the characters and was always intrigued at all times in the book.
April raintree is a book of real struggles the audience suited for this book would be 15 and up the message conveyed to always be who you are and embrace it never be ashamed of your indigenous background. Some of the events in this book I would also recommend for mature readers as some parts are emotional.
In this book readers will understand how hard it was for people to fit in and even now a days and how unfairly they were treated in foster care and even walking down the streets this book was super educational for readers who don’t know much about metis culture.
April Raintree is a book filled with obstacles and challenges it shows how when sisters push through all the hard times together you can find some light an closure they have waited for this book has educated me greatly and made me view some aspects of life different.
In the book in search of April Raintree theres mostly one opinion so its easy to follow out through the book although didn’t enjoy the book mostly being one sided. The choice of words in the book and the diololouge was well done as it suited the characters and was always intrigued at all times in the book.
April raintree is a book of real struggles the audience suited for this book would be 15 and up the message conveyed to always be who you are and embrace it never be ashamed of your indigenous background. Some of the events in this book I would also recommend for mature readers as some parts are emotional.
In this book readers will understand how hard it was for people to fit in and even now a days and how unfairly they were treated in foster care and even walking down the streets this book was super educational for readers who don’t know much about metis culture.
April Raintree is a book filled with obstacles and challenges it shows how when sisters push through all the hard times together you can find some light an closure they have waited for this book has educated me greatly and made me view some aspects of life different.
June 5, 2021
Although listed as fiction, this story is semi-autobiographical. It tells the poignant story of April Raintree and her sister Cheryl, two Canadian Metis women. The story starts with them at a very young age and facing significant challenges (beyond those which any child should have to face), and follows them through into adulthood. I didn't realize until listening to the author's note at the end how old this book is (at least 20 years old at this point), and it's a story that more people should be reading and talking about. It seems to me that that's a good reflection of the quality of the writing (as well as the sorry state of affairs in our society), that this story things so true that it still feels equally relevant two decades later.
It was interesting to read this not long after reading a story about "passing" ("The Vanishing Half", by Brit Bennett) in the Black community, because in many ways this story address this as well. The sisters, though similar in age and biologically full siblings, have different outward appearances, and one (April) embraces their white heritage, while the other (Cheryl) embraces their Metis heritage. The story addresses the ramifications and experiences connected to those choices.
This is a book everyone should read, if only to have a stronger understanding of the harm we have caused to the Indigenous peoples of the lands on which we live, as well as the systemic racism that continues to be built into our society.
It was interesting to read this not long after reading a story about "passing" ("The Vanishing Half", by Brit Bennett) in the Black community, because in many ways this story address this as well. The sisters, though similar in age and biologically full siblings, have different outward appearances, and one (April) embraces their white heritage, while the other (Cheryl) embraces their Metis heritage. The story addresses the ramifications and experiences connected to those choices.
This is a book everyone should read, if only to have a stronger understanding of the harm we have caused to the Indigenous peoples of the lands on which we live, as well as the systemic racism that continues to be built into our society.
April 27, 2025
When In Search of April Raintree came up as an available audiobook through my public library, I instantly knew it was time to reread this fictionalization of Mosionier's experiences growing up with Metis heritage in Manitoba in the 1970s and 80s. In Search of April Raintree is threaded with the strength of sister's love and determination, but also with racism, abuse, and addictions. It is an amazingly powerful novel. I recommend this empathy-building novel for readers 16+.
Note: The audiobook version was very well-done, except for a few mispronunciations of local slang - I'm actually surprised they didn't "correct" these! (If you are from Winnipeg, you know how to pronounce Portage Avenue! ;-)
Reread 2025 - After attending a conference where Beatrice Mosionier was one of the keynotes, I wanted to reread In Search of April Raintree once again. I don't reread many books, especially considering this was at least my third time. A true testament to the power of this story.
Note: The audiobook version was very well-done, except for a few mispronunciations of local slang - I'm actually surprised they didn't "correct" these! (If you are from Winnipeg, you know how to pronounce Portage Avenue! ;-)
Reread 2025 - After attending a conference where Beatrice Mosionier was one of the keynotes, I wanted to reread In Search of April Raintree once again. I don't reread many books, especially considering this was at least my third time. A true testament to the power of this story.
April 18, 2021
I picked this one because it was available electronically from my library and the title caught my attention. I really knew nothing about it. I was not prepared for what it held.
This (historical fiction) is the story of the author's life experiences as a half native Méti Indian in Canada, and her struggles from childhood on. She and her sister were taken from her family and lived in a series of foster homes. They also experienced incredible hardships, challenges and cruel discrimination. It reminded me of Before We Were Yours and Educated in certain respects, but with the addition of the experience of ethnic discrimination. It is raw and heartwrenching, like reading someone's painful diary. At times I felt like I couldn't continue reading, but since the author was brave enough to write it, I felt I owed it to be brave enough to read it. Be prepared. Definitely not a light read.
January 20, 2012
This is a great book to read - especially as a Manitoban. It is about two Metis sisters growing up in Manitoba (and eventually move to Winnipeg) and their struggles with coming to terms with who they are. It is a very intense book that deals with a lot of difficult, adult issues such as alcholism, foster care, abuse (various kinds), rape, prostitution and suicide. I have found that reading this book really opened up my eyes to a culture that I am not a part of and seeing how different choices create very different, often hazardous paths. I like the honestly of the book. It does not ask for sympathy but tells it to you straight. I have taught this at the grade 10 level and often students are shocked into the real world around them.
October 4, 2018
Heart-breakingly beautiful - Culleton's unforgiving and raw story so strikingly forces us to confront the deep-seated racism of settler society here in Canada as she brilliantly weaves us into the lives of April Raintree and her younger sister, Cheryl, and their very different journeys to find themselves - April, who desperately wants to pass as white and, ultimately finds little satisfaction in denying her heritage, and her sister, who tries to proudly find ways to integrate being Metis into her life, and is swallowed up by the struggle. This is exactly why we can be Idle No More.
September 6, 2021
This is the second time I've read this powerful little book. I owned it, and when I got rid of almost all of my books, I kept this one. So I thought I should take another look. It was very real and the voice of the author was compelling. I loved the Winnipeg references (Jarvis St and so many others) and the fact that it was related to my former work placing foster and adopted children. It was interesting to read the perspective from the other side.
June 24, 2013
The story was quite moving but the writing itself was frustrating. None of the dialogue rang true, at all. As an example; the scene where Cheryl remembers an entire essay word for word from years before - honestly there were many other ways that could have been handled to make it realistic.
April 12, 2021
A touching story of April Raintree, The life she lived and tried to run from.
June 26, 2019
In Search of April Raintree is a standalone young adult contemporary novel written by Canadian Métis author Beatrice Culleton Mosionier. It stars April and Cheryl Raintree, two Métis sisters, growing up in foster homes in Manitoba, Canada, and chronicle their lives from childhood to adulthood. This edition also has ten critical essays that was collected and edited by Cheryl Suzack.
This book serves as an entry (A book from Read Indigenous list) in the Toronto Public Library Advanced Reading Challenge 2019. This listed the notable books written by Canadian Indigenous authors about the Indigenous experience.
April and Cheryl Raintree were taken from their home and family. They are powerless to change their fates as they are separated and placed in different foster homes. However, over the years, they managed to keep in touch with each other. As they each make their way in a society that is, at times, indifferent, hostile, and violent, Cheryl embraces her Métis identity, while April tries to leave it behind.
In Search of April Raintree is written rather well. Mosionier narrative is powerful, moving, and tragic as these two sisters suffer not just the breakdown of their family, but at the injustices of the social services system. The ten critical essays that followed were written rather well and delved into the many injustices that the Indigenous suffer, which are tangentially related to the narrative in the book.
All in all, In Search of April Raintree is a wonderfully written novel about a typical Indigenous experience, based on Mosionier's real life experiences.
This book serves as an entry (A book from Read Indigenous list) in the Toronto Public Library Advanced Reading Challenge 2019. This listed the notable books written by Canadian Indigenous authors about the Indigenous experience.
April and Cheryl Raintree were taken from their home and family. They are powerless to change their fates as they are separated and placed in different foster homes. However, over the years, they managed to keep in touch with each other. As they each make their way in a society that is, at times, indifferent, hostile, and violent, Cheryl embraces her Métis identity, while April tries to leave it behind.
In Search of April Raintree is written rather well. Mosionier narrative is powerful, moving, and tragic as these two sisters suffer not just the breakdown of their family, but at the injustices of the social services system. The ten critical essays that followed were written rather well and delved into the many injustices that the Indigenous suffer, which are tangentially related to the narrative in the book.
All in all, In Search of April Raintree is a wonderfully written novel about a typical Indigenous experience, based on Mosionier's real life experiences.
April 11, 2020
In Search of April Raintree is an insightful literary fiction account of growing up Métis in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The two protagonists, April and Cheryl, are strong young woman who deal with their issues in completely different ways. In Search of April Raintree is one of several books written by the author and playwright Beatrice Culleton Mosionier.
The Raintree girls are sent into foster care at an early age. April is sent to a family who has the system fooled. April is treated like a slave but no one but Cheryl believes her. She dreams of the day she will be rich and move on from her life in the foster system. Cheryl, on the other hand, grows up proud of her native heritage and dreams of being a social worker where she can help her people. Both get to realise their dreams but then must deal with the consequences of the life they have chosen. The secrets they have kept from each other turn out to be their greatest challenges.
My favorite part of the novel is the direct straightforward language used. The story appears to be simple, but the issues behind the story are incredibly complex. It is one of those stories that will keep me thinking long after I have closed the book. There are things that happen in the book that I still do not understand and maybe never will, but I am happy to have been exposed to these issues.
In the copy I have, there are 10 critical essays included. I highly recommend getting an issue that includes these thought provoking works. They make this book ideal for book club discussions and/or workshops. To quote the back cover “The essays address such issues as racism and the socialization of Native children, “truth-telling� and the representation of social discourse, and First Nations history and the quest for identity�.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of First Nation issues. I give it a 5 on 5 because, in my opinion, Beatrice Culleton Mosionier helps makes some very complicated issues reachable for the readers.
The Raintree girls are sent into foster care at an early age. April is sent to a family who has the system fooled. April is treated like a slave but no one but Cheryl believes her. She dreams of the day she will be rich and move on from her life in the foster system. Cheryl, on the other hand, grows up proud of her native heritage and dreams of being a social worker where she can help her people. Both get to realise their dreams but then must deal with the consequences of the life they have chosen. The secrets they have kept from each other turn out to be their greatest challenges.
My favorite part of the novel is the direct straightforward language used. The story appears to be simple, but the issues behind the story are incredibly complex. It is one of those stories that will keep me thinking long after I have closed the book. There are things that happen in the book that I still do not understand and maybe never will, but I am happy to have been exposed to these issues.
In the copy I have, there are 10 critical essays included. I highly recommend getting an issue that includes these thought provoking works. They make this book ideal for book club discussions and/or workshops. To quote the back cover “The essays address such issues as racism and the socialization of Native children, “truth-telling� and the representation of social discourse, and First Nations history and the quest for identity�.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of First Nation issues. I give it a 5 on 5 because, in my opinion, Beatrice Culleton Mosionier helps makes some very complicated issues reachable for the readers.
September 24, 2021
I don't know what 'Critical Edition' is, that is not on the edition I listened to. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars if goodreads would let me actually, even 4 for most of the book. I have mentioned how my random book choices so often end up connected, I was concurrently listening to this and Braiding Sweetgrass. Both authors are indigenous women and the difference in personalities is striking, but perhaps family is the difference. Wall-Kimmerer grew up in a supportive family atmosphere while Culleton-Mosionier grew up, like the characters in her novel, in foster homes. Family is important, that is clear. One focus of this book is the treatment of Indigenous people in North America, specifically Canada. This is touched on in Sweetgrass, but the focus there is clearly the relationship of all people with our Mother Earth. April Raintree touches on that when April and Cheryl attend a Pow Wow.
The sisters characters are well developed, probably from familiarity as they clearly represent the author and her own sisters. I enjoyed getting to know them and learning about the Metis culture and was saddened by the outcome of Cheryl's choices and the implied inevitability. Our heritage, parenthood and circumstances do have an effect our outcome, but one hopes that one can overcome and make different, better choices than our forbearers.
Great Quote: Cheryl on History:
"History should be an unbiased representation of the facts and if they show one side they ought to show the others side equally."
Other than the very graphic description of a rape, I am glad that I chose this book.
The sisters characters are well developed, probably from familiarity as they clearly represent the author and her own sisters. I enjoyed getting to know them and learning about the Metis culture and was saddened by the outcome of Cheryl's choices and the implied inevitability. Our heritage, parenthood and circumstances do have an effect our outcome, but one hopes that one can overcome and make different, better choices than our forbearers.
Great Quote: Cheryl on History:
"History should be an unbiased representation of the facts and if they show one side they ought to show the others side equally."
Other than the very graphic description of a rape, I am glad that I chose this book.
October 5, 2021
As said earlier, one cannot rate such a story. I wanted to read this story to get one step closer to understanding the first hand experiences of residential school survivors. I read this with a heavy heart....filled with waves of intense emotions and cannot truly fathom the impacts of these experiences on Beatrice and others. I could not put this book down. I was hooked. The sisters went through such hardships and overcame adversities...i was moved by their fight to stay connected despite how powerless they were .... At times i felt a sense of encouragement but at the heart of it, this book was really about the importance of identity, the act of identification and the longing for an acceptable identity....and if such identity need be binary... I found important fragments of Métis history. Reading about the history made me realize that there are some similarities between the mixed societies of South Africa and Canada. And I've made a mental note to explore this further.
May 5, 2019
I read this book for the Reading Women challenge. One of the challenges was to read a book written by an indigenous woman. I am embarrassed to say that (inlcuding this book) I've only read two books by indigenous women. In Canada, there is a big movement towards reconciliation. I think that this is a must-read for this political climate, also I am shocked that this book wasn't included in school reading lists (both high school and university). Looking back, school was heavily centred around books written by white men. This book is definitely more memorable than those I read in high school. It is powerful, and heartbreaking. The lives of these two girls unravel in just a short book, and at the end you can see how each event affected their lives. This is a MUST READ!
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