Book review: Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story

By Karl Hele

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story is a graphic novel based on the true story of Cross Lake First Nation Elder, Betty Ross.

The novel begins with a young man sitting in class. He is worried about a recent assignment by his highschool teacher to speak with and write a report of his conversation with a residential school survivor. The student, Daniel, is invited to speak with his friend April’s Kokum, Betty. Together they listen to Betty describe her experience of physical and sexual abuse while at school at the hands of a priest.

Betty attributes her survival as well as the retention of her Cree language and culture to a lesson from her father. Prior to being forcefully enrolled at the school, Betty and her dad travelled to Sugar Falls where she learned that family, relationships, and interconnectedness to tradition, Mother Earth, and the ancestors were bound through the thumping rhythm of the drum. He told her to listen to the beating of her heart for that was what connected her to him and everything else. After witnessing the drowning of a friend attempting to flee the abuse at the school, Betty remembered her dad’s lesson and found the light to survive and succeed as Cree in this hostile environment.

Betty’s survival is based on how connections to others enabled perseverance. After leaving the residential school, Betty attended highschool in Winnipeg and eventually became a Cree language teacher and consultant. Thus, Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story is a story of a young girl who never surrendered, endured, and retained her pride in being and speaking Cree. This story, while tinged with horror and sadness, speaks to the adaptability and strength of tradition and the human spirit.

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story is a wonderfully illustrated black and white graphic novel that through images and words, portrays the emotions and experiences of Betty. Its impact on young readers, including university students, provides grounds for discussion and a visual connection to a human experience. It is a definite must-read that is both accessible and engaging, while offering a lesson about the past and engaging with the present.

David A Robertson. Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson. Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story. Winnipeg: Highwater Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-1553793342