Fire Keeper's Daughter Review 2

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Angeline Boulley's novel is set in a town that lives in and out of two countries, Canada and U.S. Daunis, the narrator also grew up in two environments: with her mother, her mother's brother Uncle David, and grandparents.

The second environment is because of her father, a prominent Ojibwe hockey player who made the daughter of the richest white family in town, pregnant. His sister, Teddie Firekeeper a lawyer, is the main person that keeps Daunis grounded as Anishinaabe, which means indigenous people.

"Auntie's my only entry to Ojibwe ceremonies and sometimes she brings me to full-moon ceremonies." Page 24.

This family history is crucial to the reader because it explains the connection between hockey and mushrooms. Mushrooms? Yes, Daunis is a science nerd, preparing to go to Lake Superior State University in the fall. She also loves hockey and has fond memories skating with her father. In fact Levi, her half brother calls her Defense Daunis because of her hockey skills. 

Fire Keeper's Daughter is 488 pages, which might sound intimidating because publishers brought us up on 300 pages, but it's not long, considering the magnitude of the problem. This book is about community hockey. It has a problem and Daunis is in the thick of things because her brother is at the helm of the club.

The solution lies in looking at both environments that formed a person called Daunis. Otherwise, the reader will miss the connection between hockey and mushrooms. 

'Miigwech' which is thank you in Ojibwe,

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

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