Fiction Native American & Aboriginal
In Search of April Raintree
- Publisher
- Portage & Main Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2023
- Category
- Native American & Aboriginal, Siblings, 20th Century, Coming of Age
- Recommended Age
- 18
- Recommended Grade
- 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781894110433
- Publish Date
- Jan 1999
- List Price
- $26.00
-
Downloadable audio file
- ISBN
- 9781773054506
- Publish Date
- Jul 2019
- List Price
- $26.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781774920916
- Publish Date
- Sep 2023
- List Price
- $22.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781774920923
- Publish Date
- Oct 2023
- List Price
- $18.00
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Memories. Some memories are elusive, fleeting, like a butterfly that touches down and is free until it is caught. Others are haunting. You'd rather forget them, but they won't be forgotten. And some are always there. No matter where you are, they are there, too.
In this moving story of legacy and reclamation, two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless in a broken system, April and Cheryl are separated and placed in different foster homes. Despite the distance, they remain close, even as their decisions threaten to divide them emotionally, culturally, and geographically. As one sister embraces her Métis identity, the other tries to leave it behind.
Will the sisters’ bond survive as they struggle to make their way in a society that is often indifferent, hostile, and violent?
Beloved for more than 40 years, In Search of April Raintree is a timeless story that lingers long after the final page. This anniversary edition features a foreword by Governor General’s Award–winning author Katherena Vermette, and an afterword by University of Regina professor, Dr. Raven Sinclair (Ôtiskewâpit), an expert on Indigenous child welfare.
About the authors
Beatrice Mosionier (formerly Culleton) was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba. The youngest of four children, she grew up in foster homes. Following the second suicide in her family, she decided to write a novel. First published in 1983, In Search of April Raintree has become a Canadian Classic.Mosionier's second novel is In the Shadow of Evil, now a re-edited version. A psychological thriller with many plot twists, it tells the story of a Metis woman, Christine, and of her experiences of prejudice, sexual abuse and foster homes in Canada. Her story is juxtaposed by the life struggles of a family of wolves at the fictional Shadow Lake. As with much of her works, this novel focuses on themes of self-forgiveness, power, healing, and how one must deal with the past before moving forward effectively.She has also written children's books, including Unusual Friendships: A Little Black Cat and a Little White Rat. Her most recent work is Come Walk with Me: A Memoir. Beatrice lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Beatrice Mosionier's profile page
KATHERENA VERMETTE is a Métis writer from Treaty One territory, the heart of the Métis nation, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her first book, North End Love Songs (The Muses Company), won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Her National Film Board short documentary, this river, won the Coup de Coeur award at the Montreal First Peoples Festival and a Canadian Screen Award.
Her first novel, The Break, was a national bestseller and won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award; the Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Young Adult Literature; and three Manitoba Book Awards. It was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and CBC’s Canada Reads. She is also the author of the children’s picture book series The Seven Teaching Stories and recently published the first book, Pemmican Wars, in the young adult book series A Girl Called Echo. Ms. Vermette’s second book of poetry, river woman, is forthcoming in the fall of 2018 from House of Anansi Press.
Katherena Vermette's profile page
Dr. Raven Sinclair (Ótiskewápíwskew) is Cree/Assinniboine/Saulteaux from Gordon’s First Nation. She is a survivor and expert on the Sixties Scoop, and has published extensively on the topic. Her work has been cited in publications such as the Canadian Encyclopedia and she has appeared as an expert on CBC's The National. She is an outspoken critic of the treatment of Indigenous people in the current child welfare system in Canada. She is a professor, filmmaker, author, and facilitator. Dr. Sinclair is currently a full professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina.
Editorial Reviews
[An] influential Indigenous novel, Beatrice Mosionier's story of resilience, sisterly love and identity paved the way for Indigenous storytellers.
CBC Books
[The] author’s seminal novel remains relevant even after 40 years. Heartbreaking and uplifting...a story that resonated mightily.
Windspeaker
As crafted by Mosionier, April’s history shines a light on a place and its iniquities; and it exposes a citizenry, composed of the kindhearted and cruel, whose own journey to civility is far from complete.
The British Columbia Review
Forty years on, In Search of April Raintree remains a groundbreaking novel.
Quill & Quire
