Rez Dogs
A Review by Amanda Kendall
Bibliography:
Bruchac, Joseph. 2021. Rez Dogs. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0593326210
Plot Summary:
Malian is visiting her grandparents on the Wabanaki reservation when the world shuts down due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. With all travel halted, the reservation goes into lock down and Malian is unable to return to her parents in the city. She remains on the reservation helping to care for her grandparents and attending online school. Unexpectedly, a dog shows up and makes himself a part of the family. Malsum, a rez dog, has shown up at just the right time. He is there to protect and support the family. Together Malian and Malsum navigate life during the pandemic. Malian's grandparents share stories of their people and their history. She makes connections between her reality and her people's experiences in the past. She embraces her heritage more with each story and finds the strength she needs to get through the pandemic is deeply rooted in her family, dog, and history.
Critical Analysis:
Rez Dogs is uniquely relevant to the lives of children and young adults today. Based on the history we are all living, this special novel will connect with many. Rez Dogs beautifully captures the experiences of many living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Bruchac uses free verse poetry to make Malian's story accessible to young readers. Her thoughts and emotions come across clearly
through the poetry allowing the reader to feel her fear and hope every
step of the way. Although the novel is set on the Wabanaki reservation, the experience of being stuck at home for months at a time, unable to see friends and participate in regularly scheduled life is universal for kids who are living through the pandemic. However, the reservation is a lovely backdrop for Malian's story to unfold, giving readers an look at how Native Americans live on a reservation today. As Malian explains, it's not the same as being in the big city where she lives with her parents, but just like the rez dogs, the reservation is a part of her and "a rez dog knows where it needs to be" (Bruchac 2021).
The text reads quickly, telling the story in a direct yet gentle way. Hard historical are covered but not lingered upon. For example, Grampa Roy reflects on his time in "Indian school" saying "every knuckle on both my hands got broken one time or another from being hit with that heavy ruler" (Bruchac 2021). And Grandma Frances explains how "it was still common for the Indian Health Services to make it so that Indian women could not give birth to any more children after they had had two or three...they'd done - an operation to prevent her from ever having more kids" (Bruchac 2021). In both these instances, Bruchac does a masterful job sharing historical truths with sensitivity and in age appropriate ways. This window into the history of Native Americans is expertly woven into the story. The details are included not to teach the outsider, but rather to show Malian the strength that her people have shown time and time again in the face of adversity, and getting through a global pandemic is another obstacle to overcome.
Family and stories are strong themes throughout the novel. Because Malian is locked down with her grandparents, the reader gets a front row seat to the beautiful intergenerational relationship between these characters. Her grandparents are there to protect her, and she is there to protect them. In addition, Malian's grandparents, both master storytellers share stories with her often. They use these stories to teach, guide, and give her strength. Even if she's heard the story before she loves to hear them again because "every storyteller had their own way of seeing a story without really changing it" (Bruchac 2021). At the end of the novel, Malian's teacher assigns an end of the year presentation to "tell your story." After months with her grandparents, Malian is uses her own storytelling skills to present a powerful presentation about her heritage, her family, and the importance of taking care of each other and the land.
Bruchac's
use of cultural markers throughout the text prove why he is one of the
most authentic, skilled, and trusted Native American writers for young
people. By using authentic names, descriptions, and dialogue, Bruchac's
characters are authentic in every way. Malian frequently uses the old
Wabanaki language throughout the novel. For example, she says, "Kwai,
kwai, nidoba. Hello, hello, my friend" (Bruchac 2021) when she first
meets Malsum. Foods and cultural traditions are also included in the story. For
example, her grandmother makes fry bread, and they leave a warm piece of
bread "under a cedar tree to share it with the Manogies, the little
people who are the guardians of the natural world" (Bruchac 2021). The
story is saturated with cultural markers because they are so naturally a
part of the setting and the characters.
Review Excerpts & Awards:
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (May 31, 2021) " Employing the third-person perspective, Bruchac intricately interweaves past and present stories, displaying how Native mistreatment has been cyclical with a deft touch in this rewarding intergenerational narrative."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (May 31, 2021) " Employing the third-person perspective, Bruchac intricately interweaves past and present stories, displaying how Native mistreatment has been cyclical with a deft touch in this rewarding intergenerational narrative."
BOOKLIST (April 15, 2021) "Episodic in structure, it captures the family’s daily lives and shares
the grandparents’ traditional stories, ensuring that a connection
remains between them and the natural world. Readers also learn about
injustices visited on Native peoples and hear Malian’s white teacher’s
declaration that “we need to learn more of each other’s stories.” With
this gentle book, Bruchac offers children another story to expand their
worlds and hearts."
Curricular Connections:
- Invite students to create their own "tell their story" presentation just like Malian's end of the year project.
- Helping others is another important theme in Rez Dogs. Malian's choices while she is staying with her grandparents are always guided by her desire to protect and help her grandparents. Have students make a list of ways they can help and protect their families and others during the pandemic. (Examples: washing hands frequently, staying home when sick, etc.)
More Books by Joseph Bruchac:
- Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two. 0803729219
- Bruchac, Joseph. Peacemaker. 1984815377
- Bruchac, Joseph. Skeleton Man. 0060290757
- Bruchac, Joseph. Two Roads. 0735228868
- Bruchac, Joseph. Talking Leaves. 0142422983
