A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, C. L. (2021). RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME.New York, Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN:9780380733002
B. PLOT SUMMARY
It's been six months since Cassidy Rain Berghoff’s best friend, Galen, died, and up until now she has succeeded in shutting herself off from the world. But when controversy arises around Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp in their mostly white midwestern community, Rain decides to face the outside world again, with a new job photographing the campers for her town’s newspaper.
Soon, Rain has to decide how involved she wants to become in Indian Camp. Does she want to keep a professional distance from her fellow Native teens? And, though she is still grieving, will she be able to embrace new friends and new beginnings?
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS( INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Author Cynthia Leitich Smith is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and writes for the younger audience about modern Native American culture. Cassidy Rain Berghoff (Rain) is a teenaged girl battling with the loss of both her best friend and her mother.
In her journal, Rain reveals that she is Muskogee Cherokee and Scots-Irish on her mother’s side and Irish-German with Saginaw Chippewa on the side of her father. Her mother called them her “patchwork tribe.” An interesting fact, though, is that despite her being of native descent, she is baptist on her father’s side, but never discussed her spiritual beliefs on her mother’s. Rain’s town of Hannesburg is largely comprised of German-American and “other whites” while there are only three Native American families in the community. Rain also makes note about how she is much lighter than her brother Fynn and gets asked questions like “How much Indian are you?” During one of Rain’s conversations with Flash, she is surprised to learn that he is Jewish, which is a stereotypical way of identifying someone’s ethnicity or race.
Smith emphasizes how despite the fact that there are very few Native Americans in the community, they still held their beliefs very strongly as she mentions how the rice harvest, a celebration of the Ojibewa, is of “supernatural significance” to them.
Relationships have been, and still are, very scrutinized in many cultures. In this story, Natalie, a white, non-Native female from the suburbs, was dating Fynn, a Native, and became pregnant with his child. The author writes how she thought Natalie was rebelling about her life by taking a job with the Examiner, the town’s newspaper, and living in “sin” with Fynn.
This book was a very interesting read but a bit confusing at times as characters popped in and out without being fully explained or developed. The message of love, loyalty, and community, however, were very present. This story is appropriate for middle school-aged students because it requires a little more of the reading skills in order to follow some of the plot.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her 'patch-work tribe." -- School Library Journal
“Rain's observations are appealingly wry, and readers …will find food for thought in this exploration of cultural identity. ” -- The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books
E. CONNECTIONS
-Students can consider cultural representation in the text by comparing and contrasting their own experiences with elements of the story using drawing and guided reflection.
-Students can write the theme of the story.
Other books: Hearts Unbroken ISBN: 978-1536213133
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