He Who Dreams

Red-headed teenager John has Cree and Irish parents and feels caught between these two worlds. When he discovers an Indigenous dance class he begins a journey of self-discovery but also experiences prejudice from both his white teachers and his Indigenous peers and it takes John strength to learn to rise above the criticism and embrace both his Cree and Irish heritage. This Canadian coming-of-age tale sensitively explores racism, prejudice, cultural appropriation, and self-discovery, weaves in information about Cree culture, and would be a useful class read-aloud for younger intermediate grades and also useful for senior social studies classes.