Pukawiss The Outcast

Joshua, a fourteen-year-old Ojibwe youth, is sent to live with his grandfather, who runs a traditional Ojibwe village, when his parents separate. Joshua works as a tour guide for the summer and learns a lot about his Ojibwe heritage and learns to embrace being gay which has a special place in his culture. This coming-of-age novel uses descriptive language and humour to deal with contemporary topics of self-discovery, stereotyping, cultural and sexual identity, and LGBTQ+ issues, as well as issues facing Indigenous youth, including maintaining language, the role of religion, and traditional practices. Useful for a literature circle, book club, or read-aloud.