Book Review

Five Little Indians

by Michelle Good

Serena’s Pick

By Serena Peck

Ifi rst picked up this book in January 2022 as part of the Institute of Medical Science Student Association (IMSSA) EDI book club. Five Little Indians, written by Michelle Good, is a fi ctional exploration of children’s lives in and outside of residential schools set in the 60’s. Michelle Good is a Cree writer, lawyer, and member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

Th e novel follows the stories of Kenny, Lucy, Maise, Clara, and Howie as they are taken to a residential school on Vancouver Island, Canada. We travel through the children’s lives from their point of view as they are either released or escape from the residential school to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Each of the stories are interwoven and the novel switches from the past to present throughout. Th e characters may travel to diff erent locations throughout their lives, but they are haunted by similar trauma. portray the real hardships faced by survivors as they are left with no social or fi nancial assistance to transition into the world outside of the residential school system. Th e following quote stood out to me the most as it is fi lled with such honest refl ection,

Lucy leaned back in her chair, hands folded in her lap. “Th ey call us survivors.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I survived. Do you?”

Reading this novel also made me refl ect on what I had or had not learned on this topic growing up in Canada. I only started to educate myself on this topic in my adult life. Reading Five Little Indians has encouraged me to continue educating myself and reading books by Canadian Indigenous authors. Due to the fi ctional nature of this novel, it may be an easier read for those who are interested in learning about the residential school experience for the fi rst time. Th e characters are formed with compassion, and it is written in a non-judgmental tone.

For anyone reading this book, no matter your prior knowledge of the topic, I think it will make you look deeper into the systemic issues surrounding indigenous culture that remain present today in Canada. Residential Schools were created in 1886 under the Indian Act. For more information on the Indian Act another book recommendation is “21 Th ings You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality”. To hear stories on what the experience is like, I recommend Five Little Indians as a powerful exploration into the lives of the residential school “survivors”.

Five Little Indians is a fantastic portrayal of the hardships and abuse these “survivors” suff er during and aft er their time in residential schools. Th eir stories highlight the physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, and systemic abuse they face inside and outside of these schools. Th eir pain and suff ering do not end once they are physically “free” from the school.

I think the most powerful message this book portrays is how damaging the residential school system is and the how the Canadian government failed to support these “survivors”. Th e characters

Five Little Indians

Book Cover (Left)