First published 2026
From the mid-1800s through the late 1930s, the U.S. government removed tens of thousands of Native children from their families and placed them in boarding schools designed to eliminate tribal culture through forced assimilation. These institutions, often operated by religious organizations with minimal oversight, subjected children to beatings for speaking their native languages, food deprivation, and forced labor while separating them from any source of love or comfort. Mary Annette Pember's mother was among these children, sent to a Wisconsin boarding school at age five. The resulting trauma shaped Pember's own upbringing and her relationship with her mother. Through extensive interviews and investigative reporting, Pember documents not only her mother's experience but also the stories of other survivors, their families, and subsequent generations. The book examines how Native communities continue to confront the lasting effects of cultural destruction, religious conversion, and institutional abuse. Pember traces the ongoing resilience and cultural revival of Native nations despite systematic attempts at eradication by the American government.
Genres: history, non-fiction, biography-memoir, social-justice, cultural-studies, american-history
Vibes: emotional, haunting, intimate, investigative, resilient, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-revival, found-family, intergenerational-trauma, survivor-narrative
Setting: Wisconsin, United States, Native American communities
Period: mid-1800s, late 1930s, 19th-century, 20th-century
320 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, colonialism, racism