Book Review: A Study of Themes in Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce

This book review analyzes Joseph Boyden's novel, 'Through Black Spruce,' focusing on its portrayal of the Cree community and its significance in Canadian literature. The review highlights the novel's narrative structure, character development, and the exploration of themes such as family, cultural identity, and the challenges faced by indigenous communities. It emphasizes the importance of including such works in academic curricula to promote awareness and understanding of diverse cultural perspectives. The review also discusses the author's background and the novel's literary merit, including its potential to challenge stereotypes and offer insights into the lives of indigenous people. Furthermore, the review advocates for the novel's place in academia, citing its contribution to the understanding of Canadian history and culture. The reviewer provides a bibliography of the book and other relevant works by the author, supporting the analysis and providing context for the reader.

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BOOK REVIEW
Through Black Spruce is the second novel by Joseph Boyden concerning the Cree
community which had been a pertinent them in Boyden’s previous novel Three Day Road.
The novel is narrated through first-person perspective, giving the readers memorable
characters like Will Bird and Annie Bird, the characters teaching about the significance of
family as a source of replenishment and a perennial source of strength required for survival.
Another exceptional character that would be etched in readers’ mind is Annie Bird, a woman
in her twenties and the narrator of the novel, personification of strength and determination.
Over the time, the Canadian curriculum has included the book within its syllabi
irrespective of the mounting controversy regarding his indigenous identity. The author has
conveyed through his numerous interviews about the sense of belonging to one’s roots and
culture. Even in his books we get the stinging pain that is a consequence of deliberate
departure from one culture and community and the grievance of such action. The study about
Cree community of which his books are powerful commentaries is one of the ways by which
the students can be introduced to socio-cultural background of Cree community. According
to my opinion, it is a subject of utmost importance that curriculum should introduce the
Canadian students with the indigenous community of Cree which forms a backbone of
Canadian history. In the face of globalization, it is the core responsibility that literature
should be the foundation upon which students should build an awareness regarding the
cultural elements of indigenous people.
With the study of a book, it becomes imperative to know in-depth about the author in
order to gain a deep understanding of themes and subjects of the book, the literary merit of
the book. In this regard Joseph Boyden and his preaching is definitely a substantial part as his
personal take on indigenous roots and culture, his interweaving of emotion and traditional
ways of Cree community into novels is an act of preserving the Cree culture. The narration of

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the book almost gives the readers a distinct flavour of oral recitation which once sustained the
Cree community tales and literature.
One of the cons of preserving the text in academic curriculum is the novel uphold the
tenets and cultural doctrines of Cree community, thereby providing the students with a brief
idea of literature which is different from the mainstream literature. Including the novel within
the academic periphery is a clear instance of literature and its responsibility to be a reflection
of the society. Obliterating novel that deal with indigenous background and cultural roots
would be an act of depriving indigenous people of their rightful identity. Through Black
Spruce exposes the students to one of the many aspects of literature that acts as an instrument
of society and its lives. The book documents Cree community, the challenges and limitations
that it once faced and the abyss of darkness into which it once descended. The book
challenges the stereotypical notions that surround around indigenous people thereby making
the book the well-deserving for Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2009. These are some of the
reasons why I would advocate for the inclusion of book in academia.

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Bibliography List:
Boyden, Joseph. Three day road. Penguin, 2006.
Boyden, Joseph. Through black spruce. Penguin, 2009.