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  • Five Little Indians

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Michelle Good
  • Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
  • Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (917 ratings)

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Five Little Indians

Written by: Michelle Good
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
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Publisher's Summary

WINNER: Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction

WINNER: Amazon First Novel Awards

Finalist: Scotiabank Giller Prize

Finalist: Atwood Gibson Writers Trust Prize

Finalist: BC & Yukon Book Prize

Shortlist: Indigenous Voices Awards

Finalist: Kobo Emerging Author Prize

National Best Seller; A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book of the Year; A CBC Best Book of the Year; An Apple Best Book of the Year; A Kobo Best Book of the Year; An Indigo Best Book of the Year

Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention.

Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn’t want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission.

Fuelled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can’t stop running and moves restlessly from job to job—through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps—trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew.

With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.

©2020 Michelle Good (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about Five Little Indians

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  • Overall
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Beautiful and heartbreaking story

Glad to have listened to such a vulnerable and honest perspective of residential schools.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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This book is a must...

Why is it only now that these stories are being heard? The discovery of 215 children's bodies at the Kamloops residential scool just last week horrifies me. The test of Canada's moral compass will be measured by the courage it will take to uncover what lies beneath the residential schools. Even though the Pope can't say sorry I will. I am so sorry...

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  • Overall
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wonderfully heartbreaking

An intimate look into the hearts and minds of residential school survivors and their families.

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Too True

After have the honors of working many years in addictions and in many Indigenous communities, I have heard these stories told over and over. Thank you Michelle Good for putting them in print. These children suffered incredible hardships under the watchful eyes of the “church” and government and their families spirits and cultures were cast to the winds. This book is a wake up call and a tool for understanding.

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Heartbreakingly beautiful

Such a beautiful book. I felt every word of this book in my soul and mourn for the characters. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

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Amazing

I loved this story. It made me mad at times and sad for all the pain and hurt these 5 characters and their families were faced with daily. The author wrote this story so a personal connection was felt with each character as a person, not for what they had experienced at the residential schools and as adults.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Didn’t meet my expectations…..

Really looked forward to listening to this book but was put off by the reader……the voices didn’t come across as “true”. Ended up switching to the hard copy to finish reading it. Thought the author did a great job of portraying the tragic fallout from residential schools and the inter-generational trauma suffered by countless Indigenous people in Canada.

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Empathy building. Best book in awhile

Wish this never happened to these children. Reading this helps to understand our current world. Shows the strength and love in Indigenous people. Also shows how harmful white supremacy and some religious beliefs and systems can be

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A fantastic read.

A heartfelt story about the atrocities of residential school, the losses and those who were able to rise from the ashes.

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Absolutely beautiful.

Loved it. Stories of hearbreake, love and survival.
Wonderful job by the narrator. Astounding book

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