Smiler's Bones

The book presents a heartbreaking account of the effects of white exploration on the polar Eskimos of Greenland in the late 19th century. It is based on a true story. Minik is a young Eskimo boy whose life is tragically changed by contact with the Arctic explorer, Robert Peary. Peary’s expeditions bring illness to the community, resulting in death of many including Minik’s mother. Then Peary chooses Minik and his father as part of a group of Eskimos to go to New York which results in his death.