Martin reviewed Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Review of 'Before We Were Yours' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This was a gripping mystery and exposé, even if the reader can intuit the outcomes early. The characters are well developed and their narrative real and emotive. All in all, an excellent book I would recommend.
It's hard not to read this, as a Canadian, with the overriding stories of residential schools in the background. A difference that stood out starkly to me was the clear recognition of children as having value as assets to the agencies, which achieved by a quick placement. That inherent (financial) value limits the tolerance of abuse, though obviously does not extinguish it. What happened in the residential schools was nothing alike, in that the children as received were seen to be of no value, and only potential for what they might need forced to become. Anything that "killed the Indian" was tolerated.
Still, this book is a reminder that theft of children is not …
This was a gripping mystery and exposé, even if the reader can intuit the outcomes early. The characters are well developed and their narrative real and emotive. All in all, an excellent book I would recommend.
It's hard not to read this, as a Canadian, with the overriding stories of residential schools in the background. A difference that stood out starkly to me was the clear recognition of children as having value as assets to the agencies, which achieved by a quick placement. That inherent (financial) value limits the tolerance of abuse, though obviously does not extinguish it. What happened in the residential schools was nothing alike, in that the children as received were seen to be of no value, and only potential for what they might need forced to become. Anything that "killed the Indian" was tolerated.
Still, this book is a reminder that theft of children is not unique, and has always been perpetrated against the marginalized by the wealthy and powerful.
