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7 Generations #1-4
7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga
The 7 Generations series is available in one book, and the illustrations are in vivid colour. 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga includes the four graphic novels: Stone, Scars, Ends/Begins, and The Pact. Edwin is facing an uncertain future. Only by learning about his family's past--wars, the smallpox epidemic, a residential school--will he be able to face the present and embrace the future.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2012
19 people are currently reading
771 people want to read
About the author
David Alexander Robertson
60 books768 followersDAVID A. ROBERTSON is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, as well as the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He was honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba for outstanding contributions in the arts and distinguished achievements in 2023. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
November 27, 2018
Though a little rough around the edges in story and art, this book offers a good overview of some of the hardships the Cree people have seen in the last two centuries and a glimpse of how that trauma is still echoing today.
August 2, 2016
I'm not much for graphic novels or comics, but this was a really moving work of art. I heard Robertson interviewed on a podcast many months ago and finally got around to reading it. It's a healing, touching, important story: well told and gorgeously illustrated.
June 30, 2023
This was an absolutely fantastic graphic novel. In 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga David Robertson pairs the story of a struggling Indigenous teen, Edwin, with historical (some in the not-so-distant past) accounts. It highlights the impact of colonization, residential schools, and inter-generational trauma. It explores themes of loss, love, family, culture, resilience, and life. I will definitely be recommending this to whoever I can, and I wish there was more to read in this series!
Also: I read this as a part of my professional development for work, and as such, I have included summaries and reflections below.
1. Stone
Summary: The story opens with our Indigenous protagonist committing an attempt on his life. His mother manages to get him to the hospital, and when his life is saved, his mother proceeds to tell him a story about where he came from. The remainder of this story is about the son's Cree ancestors. Stone is a story of family, love, and loss. The story highlights the importance of family, and what this historically looked like to this Indigenous community. Within the story we also see many cultural practices highlighted, such as a sweat and different competitions.
Reflection: I really enjoyed how violence was explored in this section. The son asks his mom about the term "savages" in terms of getting revenge on a fallen family member. His mother turns this idea on its head, suggested that the intent behind revenge is not because they are savage, but because they deeply care for one another, and its a way of showing whose side you're on. The story ends with this quote: "In taking this journey, maybe you will know that someone is fighting for you too." I really admire the Indigenous perspective on family, and the way this mother showed her son that he does not have to do life alone, but rather, life should be lived as a community.
2. Scars
Summary: Edwin continues to struggle with his mental health in this section. The second story Edwin's mother tells him sets place in 1870 during a smallpox epidemic, and is intended to show Edwin that "to live in the hearts of others is not to die." The moral of this story is that if you love someone, you must let them go. Sometimes this means that we are left feeling alone in this world. Edwin's mother ends the story by stating "the past does not have to define us. In the end, we define ourselves by the actions we take; how was address the past and look to the future. We can choose to give up or we can choose to survive. Nobody can do this for us, no matter how hard they try."
Reflection: This story was incredibly difficult to read because it was wrought with death and loss from an epidemic brought to these people by settlers. What stood out to me in this story especially was the resilience White Cloud had. Despite death after death, and loss after loss, White Cloud continued on his journey. It is clear that his culture and family ground him, which highlights and reflects on the importance of these elements in peoples' lives today.
3. Ends/Begins
Summary: This story shifts from the previous two, as we hear a story from Edwin's father, James'. We learn that James attended residential school with his brother and experienced all sorts of horrors whilst there. We also got to see smudging depicted in this story!
Reflection: This story was also very tough to read, though in such a way that is more familiar to me. While I am informed about residential schools, seeing/hearing personal accounts (yes, I know this is fiction, but it comes from a place of truth) is never less horrifying. The way this story ends does a great job at showing how inter-generational trauma effects Indigenous individuals to this day.
4. The Pact
Summary: This final story also follows Edwin's father, but this time in the more recent past. This story connects residential schools to addiction and trauma. This story also delves a lot deeper into inter-generational trauma, and how the effects of colonization continue to harm Indigenous peoples in the present day.
Reflection: What stood out to me, again, in this story, is the resilience that it shows. I loved the focus on healing oneself through connection to culture. The empowerment embedded in this story was profound and got to the heart of what healing is about. I was also struck when James mentioned that in some ways, he sought out the feeling of guilt. Almost as if he felt he deserved it. I see that quite often in the lives of the women I work with, and it is so heartbreaking.
Also: I read this as a part of my professional development for work, and as such, I have included summaries and reflections below.
1. Stone
Summary: The story opens with our Indigenous protagonist committing an attempt on his life. His mother manages to get him to the hospital, and when his life is saved, his mother proceeds to tell him a story about where he came from. The remainder of this story is about the son's Cree ancestors. Stone is a story of family, love, and loss. The story highlights the importance of family, and what this historically looked like to this Indigenous community. Within the story we also see many cultural practices highlighted, such as a sweat and different competitions.
Reflection: I really enjoyed how violence was explored in this section. The son asks his mom about the term "savages" in terms of getting revenge on a fallen family member. His mother turns this idea on its head, suggested that the intent behind revenge is not because they are savage, but because they deeply care for one another, and its a way of showing whose side you're on. The story ends with this quote: "In taking this journey, maybe you will know that someone is fighting for you too." I really admire the Indigenous perspective on family, and the way this mother showed her son that he does not have to do life alone, but rather, life should be lived as a community.
2. Scars
Summary: Edwin continues to struggle with his mental health in this section. The second story Edwin's mother tells him sets place in 1870 during a smallpox epidemic, and is intended to show Edwin that "to live in the hearts of others is not to die." The moral of this story is that if you love someone, you must let them go. Sometimes this means that we are left feeling alone in this world. Edwin's mother ends the story by stating "the past does not have to define us. In the end, we define ourselves by the actions we take; how was address the past and look to the future. We can choose to give up or we can choose to survive. Nobody can do this for us, no matter how hard they try."
Reflection: This story was incredibly difficult to read because it was wrought with death and loss from an epidemic brought to these people by settlers. What stood out to me in this story especially was the resilience White Cloud had. Despite death after death, and loss after loss, White Cloud continued on his journey. It is clear that his culture and family ground him, which highlights and reflects on the importance of these elements in peoples' lives today.
3. Ends/Begins
Summary: This story shifts from the previous two, as we hear a story from Edwin's father, James'. We learn that James attended residential school with his brother and experienced all sorts of horrors whilst there. We also got to see smudging depicted in this story!
Reflection: This story was also very tough to read, though in such a way that is more familiar to me. While I am informed about residential schools, seeing/hearing personal accounts (yes, I know this is fiction, but it comes from a place of truth) is never less horrifying. The way this story ends does a great job at showing how inter-generational trauma effects Indigenous individuals to this day.
4. The Pact
Summary: This final story also follows Edwin's father, but this time in the more recent past. This story connects residential schools to addiction and trauma. This story also delves a lot deeper into inter-generational trauma, and how the effects of colonization continue to harm Indigenous peoples in the present day.
Reflection: What stood out to me, again, in this story, is the resilience that it shows. I loved the focus on healing oneself through connection to culture. The empowerment embedded in this story was profound and got to the heart of what healing is about. I was also struck when James mentioned that in some ways, he sought out the feeling of guilt. Almost as if he felt he deserved it. I see that quite often in the lives of the women I work with, and it is so heartbreaking.
March 18, 2015
I thought this would be a hard story to get into, but it gripped me from the first page. I have a hard time with historical fiction sometimes, but the historical stuff is woven into the present-day narrative perfectly, and the story itself makes a case for the present day-ness of this history. All without being didactic! My favourite.
The art is fantastic and adds to the storytelling, drawing parallels between the different timelines. The story is beautiful, the characters complicated. An honest look at the legacy of European settlement, even into the personal lives of today's teens. It doesn't oversimplify life before European contact, nor does it offer a neat solution to today's problems. It does offer hope, though.
This book should be on the mandatory reading list in every high school in Canada. A valuable story for First Nations teens and their non-FN peers.
The art is fantastic and adds to the storytelling, drawing parallels between the different timelines. The story is beautiful, the characters complicated. An honest look at the legacy of European settlement, even into the personal lives of today's teens. It doesn't oversimplify life before European contact, nor does it offer a neat solution to today's problems. It does offer hope, though.
This book should be on the mandatory reading list in every high school in Canada. A valuable story for First Nations teens and their non-FN peers.
November 25, 2018
The story is top notch, it grabs you right away. The illustrations and inking could use a bit more finesse. I thought the colours were jarring at times.
August 13, 2023
enjoyed this one.
February 12, 2013
This graphic novel includes several stories, following one Cree family through the generations. The framing story is a mother telling the stories to her son, who just tried to commit suicide. He gains strength through learning about his family's past.
This was a really beautiful story. There are really painful parts in it, from the Europeans bringing smallpox, to the horrors of the residential schools, yet throughout there is still a sense of hope and strength, often coming from the characters' connection with their past.
The art, by Scott B. Henderson, is also lovely. From the simple facial expressions to the intense vision quests, it really brings the story to life.
5 stars.
This review is copied from my blog, The Towering Pile. It was originally published here.
This was a really beautiful story. There are really painful parts in it, from the Europeans bringing smallpox, to the horrors of the residential schools, yet throughout there is still a sense of hope and strength, often coming from the characters' connection with their past.
The art, by Scott B. Henderson, is also lovely. From the simple facial expressions to the intense vision quests, it really brings the story to life.
5 stars.
This review is copied from my blog, The Towering Pile. It was originally published here.
June 3, 2020
4.5 stars
In this graphic novel, Edwin learns from his mother the history, going back seven generations, of their family and his people, the First Nations Cree. We learn about fighting between the Cree and Blackfoot, then when smallpox hit, then the residential schools in the 1960s, where Edwin’s father and uncle attended.
Wow, this started off with a very powerful chapter, as Edwin tries to kill himself as his mother rushes to him in the hospital. Particularly powerful, again, with Edwin’s father and uncle at the residential school. It was a story of Edwin not only learning about the past, but having to come to terms with all of it and to forgive his father. It is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, in colour.
In this graphic novel, Edwin learns from his mother the history, going back seven generations, of their family and his people, the First Nations Cree. We learn about fighting between the Cree and Blackfoot, then when smallpox hit, then the residential schools in the 1960s, where Edwin’s father and uncle attended.
Wow, this started off with a very powerful chapter, as Edwin tries to kill himself as his mother rushes to him in the hospital. Particularly powerful, again, with Edwin’s father and uncle at the residential school. It was a story of Edwin not only learning about the past, but having to come to terms with all of it and to forgive his father. It is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, in colour.
November 15, 2016
This graphic novel is a painful look at some of the devastating effects of residential schools. I would say this should be for the Grade 10 age range. If you want a younger conversation starter start with Sugar Falls by the same author. This book deals with more serious subjects for older audiences. It is very well done and again, well suited to be part of a teaching curriculum.
March 28, 2017
This comic had a very powerful message behind it that I really connected to. However, I really didn't like the formatting and the order in which the story was told. It was a bit hard to follow at times.
April 10, 2014
I love this graphic novel as a plains Cree , I recommend this for all our students . The stories are good and heart warming
January 4, 2022
This graphic novel contains 7 stories following the Cree family through their generations. the book revolves around the mother telling the stories to her son who tried to commit suicide he gains strength and knowledge through learning his family’s past the storytelling of the book is amazing and contains a rollercoaster of emotions. there are really horrific but true facts in the book like the Europeans bringing smallpox to and the tragedy of the residential schools but Edwin still feels a sense of hope and strength to keep living and pushing through life coming from his connection with their past.
this book is beautiful and I recommend it to all high school students there are parts that are hard to get through because it’s based on real-life events in history this is also great for people that share the same feelings as Edwin and it could help them reconnect with their past to regain that strength. the storytelling is fantastic and draws the reader in and it’s almost as if the reader feels the same emotions as the characters in the book getting attached to them. this is overall a good book and I recommend it.
this book is beautiful and I recommend it to all high school students there are parts that are hard to get through because it’s based on real-life events in history this is also great for people that share the same feelings as Edwin and it could help them reconnect with their past to regain that strength. the storytelling is fantastic and draws the reader in and it’s almost as if the reader feels the same emotions as the characters in the book getting attached to them. this is overall a good book and I recommend it.
April 5, 2017
Read as part of Indigenous Comic Book Month 2017.
Art was a tad bit distracting, but not any more rough looking then a number of indie manga I read last month.
While this felt like a good narrative explanation for inter-generational trauma, my limited experience left me wondering why Robertson references 7 generations in the title. While he does cover 7 generations, this does not seem to (again in my limited experience) relate to the 7 generations teaching or 7 grandfathers teaching, which confused me a bit. Although I am likely just being rather silly and ignorant and 7 is just a significant number. Since this does come across as a teaching tool, I did feel like this detracts a bit from the overall experience but also inspires me to seek deeper.
Art was a tad bit distracting, but not any more rough looking then a number of indie manga I read last month.
While this felt like a good narrative explanation for inter-generational trauma, my limited experience left me wondering why Robertson references 7 generations in the title. While he does cover 7 generations, this does not seem to (again in my limited experience) relate to the 7 generations teaching or 7 grandfathers teaching, which confused me a bit. Although I am likely just being rather silly and ignorant and 7 is just a significant number. Since this does come across as a teaching tool, I did feel like this detracts a bit from the overall experience but also inspires me to seek deeper.
January 21, 2018
I’m a huge fan of the dynamic team of David Alexander Robertson and Scott B Henderson. They have collaborated on a number of indigenous stories and in my mind they are gifts to this growing Comics sub genre. Recently I read the Moonshot anthology collection and they had a heavy presence in both.
This book collects 4 graphic novels. We have tales of residential school, small pox, inter generational abuse, and ceremony. I love the art and storytelling and am so pleased that I added this to my collection. I live in a native community and these stories hit home as both similar in scope to my own life and the lives of the students that I work with at the community school.
This book collects 4 graphic novels. We have tales of residential school, small pox, inter generational abuse, and ceremony. I love the art and storytelling and am so pleased that I added this to my collection. I live in a native community and these stories hit home as both similar in scope to my own life and the lives of the students that I work with at the community school.
October 29, 2018
This was depressing, which is to be expected I guess. I don't read a lot of comic books and this one the art was a distraction for me. I kept wondering how old people were supposed to be and sometimes it seemed like it changed from panel to panel, and other times they would flashback 30 years and a character would seem to be only a couple years younger. There were a couple spreads where I wasn't sure of the order of the panels, but that is most likely a flaw in me rather than the book. The final picture was pretty great, but it just made me wish for a more satisfying conclusion.
September 2, 2020
I really got into the epic scope of this story. It was interesting to see this story unfold across so many generations.
October 24, 2020
Read this for the Indigenous book club that I belong to. It's an interesting story and really reminded me of the type of comic books that I read and reread over and over again as a 10-12 year old. It's appropriate for that age group into YA, and covers several generations of trauma as seen through the eyes of one indigenous family.
October 3, 2021
I had to read this for class but I enjoyed it. Most of all, I appreciated the emphasis on intergenerational trauma. I found this graphic novel to be more educational than enjoyable, but not everything has to have entertainment value. Regardless, I'm glad that this was on our course reading list as I may not have picked it up otherwise.
July 3, 2024
Je l’ai lu en français. Oof- traumatisant et pesant comme lecture, mais important comme message.
March 30, 2024
This deeply resonated with me and I spent a lot of time crying. I’d recommend this for anyone trying to parse through intergenerational trauma and their own healing journey.
January 10, 2021
A fantastic depiction of generational trauma. This graphic novel is incredibly informative and educational—it should be read in schools for a true depiction of Canada’s relationship with our Indigenous people.
January 6, 2020
This book needs a bit more polish. The modern storyline is fragmented and incomplete. The historical storylines are short, and since they all feature different characters, don’t give the reader much time to get wrapped up in each.
The art work needed another pass, too. The images go all the way to the inside margins, which obscure some of the details. There is no gutter and sometimes the text can’t even be completely read because it’s inside the binding. A few of the illustrations were poorly done: the faces were inconsistent or the shadows were wrong.
This is an important story that deserved a fiercer editor. Unfortunate.
The art work needed another pass, too. The images go all the way to the inside margins, which obscure some of the details. There is no gutter and sometimes the text can’t even be completely read because it’s inside the binding. A few of the illustrations were poorly done: the faces were inconsistent or the shadows were wrong.
This is an important story that deserved a fiercer editor. Unfortunate.
November 17, 2020
This was a very important and educational graphic novel. There were some very heavy topics, however I felt they were well-tempered with some really heart-warming scenes. Some of the art, especially during the scenes in the distant past, were really stunning! I think that the only area had me a little confused at times were the jumps in time.
April 14, 2013
A decent Canadian graphic novel. It uses several generations of one native Canadian family to demonstrate the power of family story and the ability of an individual to move beyond one's personal history.
July 27, 2013
A very thoughtful, yet short, compilation of stories. A wonderful introduction to Cree history for Manitoba students and beyond.
April 15, 2016
A beautiful, haunting story of the impact that each generation of trauma has on the next. A very emotional read!
July 6, 2016
A sorrowful but powerful saga. The importance of books like these and their contribution to changing hearts and minds as well as carrying us along the path of reconciliation cannot be overstated.
October 5, 2016
Great book with great illustrations
November 16, 2018
CW: suicide, self harm, child abuse, child death
A beautiful and heartbreaking story of a mother trying to heal her depressed son through the voices of his ancestors.
A beautiful and heartbreaking story of a mother trying to heal her depressed son through the voices of his ancestors.
May 18, 2019
Ambitious portrait of Cree history since the conquest never quite settles long enough on one character.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews