Bruchac created a wellwritten and thoughtful story in The Heart of a Chief, This book offers students a different perspective as the story is told by a preteen Native American boy, which allows students to see and feel what he does throughout the story.
The main character, Chris, shares his “two sides” throughout the story as seen, for example, in the first chapter when Chris shares information about his name in both Christian terms and beliefs and in Penacook terms and beliefs.
A varied perspective is also offered when Chris and his friend Katie share their view on the holiday Thanksgiving,
This text can also give rise to critical inquiry, One example being the discussion that Chris and his classmates get into of giving Indian names to sports teams, The other issue that divided the Penacook tribe was the building of a casino on their reservation, Students could initiate a discussion of casinos and the pros and cons of having one in their community,
I think this book was very good, It was about a kid named Chris in an Indian rezervation, Manages to remain an authenticfeeling account of life on the reservation without resorting to inappropriate language or content, Ending doesn't feel earned, though a little cute, somewhat "after school special" tone, Chris lives on a Penacook reservation, but attends school in town, He lives with his grandfather and great Aunt after the death of his mother and the alcoholic problems of his father, Chris misses his father terribly and longs for his return, Especially since the reservation is facing the serious difficulties of unemployment and the possibility of a casino being built on their island, Meanwhile, at school, language arts class presents Chris with the opportunity of taking on another issue: using Indians as mascots for athletic teams, With Chris leading the way, his group researches a topic close to home and present their argument before their class, the principal and the school board.
I really liked the theme and message that this book gives, I think that no school or sports teams should have a Native American or anything related to as their mascot, because it is just very disrespectful.
I'm very happy that my school changed their mascot from the Redskins to Red Hawks,
because I don't want to be grouped into a race/culture that I am not.
Plus, I don't see how my school was promoting Native Americans in any way, and it ticks me off when I see people from my school dress up as stereotypical Indians to promote or cheer for the athletes.
At first I was confused and frustrated because I thought my teacher was making us read a lame book, but I was wrong I'm now very thankful that she made our class read it amp now I also know why.
The main character in this story is Native American both his parents are and shares his culture and opinions about certain topics that I completely agree with and can somewhat related to.
I'm happy that I'm now a little more educated about native Americans and what they have to say about their culture being abused, mistreated, and stereotyped.
I highly recommend this book for ignorant people who stereotype everything, and for those who want to be more educated in other cultures, Things I loved about this book: contemporary native american kid, being a contemporary kid, Sensitive depiction of the Reservation the safety and comfort it represents to residents vs what it looks like to outsiders, Chris' strength and articulate selfexpression, The fearless tackling of large issues the use of Native American stereotypes for sports teams, the debates over what a casino brings to a community/takes from a community, the pain of alcoholism and how it affects entire families this is not a Native American specific issue by any means, but it is handled very well here.
The way community support really makes a difference in the lives of all of the kids depicted, from the families on the rez to the school staff.
The beauty of Penacook rules for meetings and coming to consensus rather than majority rules,
lots. I loved lots of things about this book,
Bruchac's novel is moving and persuasive, He offers many issues for young readers to discuss regarding the Native American community, especially the issue of using the names of tribes for sports teams.
He addresses the false tendency to think of the names as honoring the pride and strength of a native nations heritage, The examples and the personalizing of the issue through the eyes of young Chris Nicola will engage young readers as they come to understand how even if the names intend on harm, they still do cause a deep degree of hurt.
Bruchac explains how using the names of tribes degrades and makes a "joke" of them, This puts the issue in a quandary, but the people who experience the hurt should not be dismissed, Bruchac provides a clear picture of the need for awareness, He states that understanding “isn't just what was done in the past that's important it's also what we do now, ” The book presents insight into native cultures and gives readers an idea of the hardships on a reservation, The issue of native casinos is also dealt with, Mito's words in the letter Chris reads at the meeting resonate with wisdom: “to build that casino on a place in the heart of our land has been like a decision to cut out the heart of our people.
” Bruchacs book does an excellent job of showing the importance of preserving the past and viewing nature as a cycle that is disrupted when its balance is offset.
He also addresses the pros and cons to the issue of money, It gives the tribe a chance to elevate itself while at the same time they can still honor the heart of their land, Joseph Bruchac, a Native American of Abenaki descent, is one of my alltime favorite children's authors, and I am always amazed at the almostcomprehensive catalogue of genres he has mastered.
From picture books to plays, folktale collections to nonfiction, as well as historical, contemporary, fantasy and horror fiction, his work is diverse in form, but consistent in both its quality, and its commitment to issues relevant to America's indigenous peoples.
Heart of a Chief is no exception, An engaging middlegrade novel, it follows the story of elevenyearold Chris Nicola who, in addition to grappling with some very tough family issues, finds himself confronting the question of Indian mascots in his class at school, and the even thornier dilemma of gambling on his New Hampshire reservation.
Bruchac handles these controversial subjects with sensitivity, particularly the issue of gambling, which has been very divisive among Native communities, Although it does address some serious problems, Heart of a Chief is a fairly optimistic book, and young readers will appreciate Chris's fairminded, tolerant approach to life, as well as Bruchac's message that children can have a positive effect upon the world around them.
I had fun reading the book It was a nice read!! Chris lives on a fictional reservation, the Penacook reservation in New Hampshire, However, the issues he has to deal with, like the alcoholism of his father, the potential building of a lucrative casino on a sacred island, and most of all, fitting in in the sixth grade at Rangerville Junior High, are real issues facing Indian children today.
He unexpectedly takes a leadership role in a group project in social studies class involving protesting the name of the school team, the Chiefs, that is disrespectful to the Indians, and learns a lot about dealing with people in authority to promote the goals of his tribe: developing the heart of a Chief.
I really enjoyed this story, It tackled not one, but many social struggles that could be facing a young American Indian, Learning about the Penacook culture and language was inspiring as was following Chris as he grew throughout the story, The issue of racist sport team names is a great topic to present to younger readers as some teams remove certain names and figures while others fight to maintain others.
Excellent class debates could be held after reading this book, It will also keep students alert to similar racist themes in costumes, clothing, and speech that they may come across and feel a need to stand up against.
InAbercrombie and Fitch had a series of tshirts depicting Asian Americans ass slanteyed cartoons with sayings like “Wong Brothers Laundry Service Two Wongs Can Make It White”.
This book may well help students be much more sensitive to these demeaning items, .