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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 (908 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

Featured Article: Finding the Canadian Voice That Speaks To You

The Canadian voice is a powerful, distinct and rich one. From the First Nations and those that have lived in Canada for generations to new immigrants, the tapestry that makes up Canada from Nova Scotia, to Toronto, Winnipeg to Vancouver and every city in between is a colourful combination of people, voices and stories. Whether you’re searching for a relatable experience or seeking to hear a new perspective of this country we love, we’ve compiled a list of 10 amazing audiobooks by Canadian authors to help you find the voice that speaks to you.

What listeners say about Five Little Indians

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  • 2021-03-11

heartwarming & heartwrenching

So sad that we out people through such an experience. And I have no words for the resilience shown by these characters!

Already recommending!

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3 people found this helpful

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Book was amazing. listen at 1.2 speed

I loved this book. I echo what some others have said the narration was a little flat on anything other than characters speaking.
But I changed the listen speed to 1.2 and It was perfect.
Just enough to change the pitch made all the difference in the world!
I would highly recommend this this read.

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1 person found this helpful

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Heartbreaking and lovely at times

Loved listening to this book of five intertwined stories. Chapter 15 had me bawling like a baby. Trigger warning: listening to this book was really hard at times but so necessary to dive into the thoughts of young adults who are residential school survivors. The only issue I found difficult was the narrator - while mostly great, sometimes robotic-like. I appreciated the different voices and tones though - overall a great listen.

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great book

This book is profound and devastating, but should be read by everyone.
The narration, however, was awful. Not sure if it was directed that way, but for the most part it was like an automaton was reading it.....not sure if that was the point (the characters in this book are traumatized), but listening to it was a bit of a torture test, except that the book itself was soooooo good.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read. It will break your heart but mend it back together

Finished this in a weekend. Couldn’t stop. Loved the characters and the way the writer built their journey. Oh man, just read this.

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Must listen

this book is a must read must listen for anyone wondering how to further their journey to Truth and reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples

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great book, needs better narration

I love this book so much I've listened twice. But the second time around I noticed that the narrative voice is very "white" and Indigenous people have very distinct accents. Would have had much better listening experience if it had been narrated by an Indigenous person.

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8 people found this helpful

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Amazing

It's truly a heart wrenching story. Sometimes hard to listen to but amazing. I recommend to everyone.

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History is Now

It took me a long time to listen to this book, with more pauses and silences then ever in audible. We keep on learning, reading, listening, and conversing.

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Must Read!!

Loved this book! The different stories were masterfully woven together. An important book for all to read.

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