An Ojibwe boy runs away from a North Ontario Indian School, not realizing just how far away home is. Along the way he's followed by Manitous, spirits of the forest who comment on his plight, cajoling, taunting, and ultimately offering him a type of comfort on his difficult journey back to the place he was so brutally removed from.
Written by Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning author Joseph Boyden and beautifully illustrated by acclaimed artist Kent Monkman, Wenjack is a powerful and poignant look into the world of a residential school runaway trying to find his way home.
This is a short, sad, and moving little book. It's one that all Canadians should try to read at least once. It's based on the true story of an Ojibwe boy, Chanie 'Charlie' Wenjack, who ran away from a Northern Ontario residential school in the mid 1960's. It's a beautifully written book that can easily be read in one sitting and it's a story that one is not likely to forget for a long time, if ever. It comes from a dark period in Canadian history that can never be forgotten, in order for the same thing never to be allowed to happen again.
