Birdie

I loved this book. I can see why it made it as a finalist for Canada Reads. Stick with it. I can seem a little difficult due to the merging timelines but stay with it - its worth the journey.

4.5/5 Star Book. . .Tough story to read. It brings so much onto the table and brings this element of freedom and magic together. I absolutely loved this book. I did have some problems with understanding certain things and there are plot holes I feel , but it's what carries the story,

A difficult read, mostly because of the subject. Skillfully written.

Very interesting , tough and multi faceted

Should be required reading in University. This is not an easy book to read but it is well worth the effort

Difficult to keep holding my attention

Great 1st novel of a realistic look at a 1st nations modern woman! Only problem not released in USA

This is a compelling read. It's a difficult story, but difficult stories are important.

Birdie (short for Bernice) is an indigenous young woman possibly in her mid to late 20s who has had a wide range of experiences in a variety of places and homes. She has 3 really good friends/relatives who care very much about her and are trying to help her to gain some balance in her life — a life that has been so full of turmoil that it seems like she wants to die. She has out of body experiences and a strong belief in the religious rites of her people. It is a story that is fascinating for those of us who look on from outside this culture, as I do, and it is a story about healing.It is also a story about discrimination and abuse within this culture. Birdie’s family lives in a small house just outside a reservation. As a result her family is ostracized by many who live on the reserve or at least looked down on. Her uncles and their male friends sexually abuse her. She tries to escape them but it is difficult when other family members either don’t see or don’t want to see and she has few allies. When she is put into foster care, she resents her new family’s attitude that she should be grateful and feels as if she is a “project” for them rather than an addition to their family. In despair, she leaves and turns to prostitution.But it is also a story about healing. Her out of body experiences, the spirit voices she hears, and the attentions of her friends — Auntie Val, cousin Skinny Freda, and Lola — are all about healing Birdie’s spirit and returning a balance to her life.I’m not sure that I understood all the elements of this process and have struggled with what to write about it. I will probably reread it at some point after I’ve had time to absorb it more fully. Each chapter begins with a native word and its translation which was interesting but I had trouble keeping them straight when I encountered them again. I think it is an important book, fascinating (as I’ve mentioned already), and will eventually, for me, give new insight into a culture with which I am mostly unfamiliar. I highly recommend this book and suggest anyone who reads it should delve into more information about the author and tribal customs and religious rites among the aboriginals. I give it 5 stars.

Not sure what the issue was but I couldn't connect with this book. I usually never come across many books that just didn't do it for me. Maybe I was too distracted by coming back to it for long periods?

If you're interested in Indigenous literature this book is perfect. It deals with many important themes including violence against indigenous women, individual and community healing, and traditional Indigenous practices and languages.

I enjoyed the novel. However, I was considering it for inclusion in a 1st year university English Literature course taken by majors and non-majors alike. I didn't find it suitable for them because of its non-linear plot and lack of what many of them, brought up on movies full of car crashes and explosions, would consider a lack of "action." The better students would enjoy it, but I suspect most of those taking the course just to get a requirement out of the way would not even finish it.

"This book is meant to free, not to capture, a life," author Tracy Lindberg writes in her acknowledgements. That one-sentence explanation helped me make a lot more sense of the story.I would call this a complicated novel, not just because of its subject matter (abuse, mental illness, fractured families, lack of belonging), but because of its style. Part poem, part transcribed oral text, part dream sequence, intermixed with stream-of-consciousness memories/visions, I found the storyline fascinating but confusing to navigate. Despite that, it's worth wading into.I'll be rooting for this book in next week's Canada Reads competition.