The Inuit and the Residential School System

The Legacy of Hope Foundation has released an overview report on The Inuit and the Residential School System (http://www.legacyofhope.ca/downloads/inuit-and-the-rss.pdf).

This provides useful background information for units on this subject built around books such as Christy Fenton-Jordan's Fatty Legs and A Stranger at Home.

    
Although it might not address the issue of residential schools directly, Susan Aglukark's song "Arctic Rose" demonstrates the use of metaphor to evoke the alienation of youth in the North who find themselves exiled from their communities.

Homeland

In the interview Cory Doctorow did for the Winter 2011 issue of School Libraries in Canada, his concern for social justice, his dedication to intellectual freedom and his passion for books are all apparent. His most recent YA novel, a sequel to Little Brother, brings his concerns and passions into focus for a generation that is confronted with the economic, social, political and technological complexities of our digital age. He depicts a world where student debt and unemployment have become middle class problems and where money seems to grant impunity of action. Without being pedantic, Homeland explores issues of privacy and the distribution of wealth and power, while showing how technology can be a tool for oppression or for liberation. It depends on who is using it and how it is being used.


This novel could be a great tool for making students aware of issues surrounding privacy and for encouraging them to be proactive in participating in building the society in which they will want to live. Although the free version of the novel is frequently interrupted with plugs for a range of book stores where readers can purchase either the book or DRM-free e-books, this does not significantly detract from a highly-engaging, action-packed read. The free-download is posted at http://craphound.com/homeland/download/ on Doctorow's Craphound web site.