Good for Nothing

by Michel Noël

The year is 1959, and fifteen-year-old Nipishish returns to his reserve in northern Quebec after being kicked out of residential school, where the principal tells him he can look forward, like all Native Americans, to a life of drunkenness, prison, and despair. But despite his new freedom, the reserve offers little to a young Métis man. Both his parents are dead, his father Shipu, a respected leader, dying mysteriously at a young age. When Nipishish is sent to a strange town to live with a white family and attend high school, he hopes for the new life the change promises. But despite some bright spots — a simpatico teacher, a part-time job, a possible girlfriend — the adjustments prove overwhelming. Forced to return to his people, he must try to rediscover the old ways, face the officials who find him a threat, and learn the truth about his father’s death. Michel Noël's vibrant writing brings Nipishish's story — and the ongoing struggle of native communities — to life in this powerful tale.

Genres: Indigenous, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Michel Noël se définit lui-même comme étant « un Québécois d'origine amérindienne ». Il considère que sa culture première est amérindienne car il a vécu les 14 premières années de sa vie en milieu algonquin dans le parc de la Vérendrye et la grande région de l'Abitibi. Michel Noël, en plus d'être un universitaire, est aussi un homme de terrain : il passe la majeure partie de son temps dans les réserves ou sur les territoires ancestraux. Sa production littéraire est imposante et variée : plus de cinquante livres comprenant des albums pour enfants, des livres d'art ou d'artisanat, des pièces de théâtre, de la poésie, des romans pour adultes ou de littérature jeunesse. Il s'est mérité plusieurs prix au cours des années, dont celui du Gouverneur général du Canada en 1997, pour l'excellence de son oeuvre et sa contribution à l'harmonisation des relations entre les peuples. Michel Noël est un excellent communicateur. Il se dit lui-même «conteur» comme l'étaient ses ancêtres et il affirme que son rôle est de transmettre aux autres, particulièrement aux jeunes, toutes les connaissances, la sagesse et le savoir dont il a hérité de ses parents et grands-parents. Michel Noël a été nommé Citoyen du monde par l'Association canadienne pour les Nations Unies (ACNU) pour son implication à la recherche d'une meilleure entente entre les personnes et les peuples. En 2002, il reçoit la médaille de reconnaissance du Sénat pour son apport à la promotion de la langue et de la culture française. En 2008, il reçoit le Prix Saint-Exupéry Valeurs Jeunesse 2008 pour la catégorie «Francophonie».

Reviews

[Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the first in depth book about discrimination that I have read in a long time. It wasn’t about the normal black to white racism that we hear about everyday but Indian to white. I think that this is very important that we remember this because we only talk about what we learn (white to black racism, religion to religion discrimination/racism) The book Good For Nothing is about a boy named Nipishish who must help and save his community from the devastation form the Canadian Government who want to tear down the trees in the forest where they reside. Nipishish’s journey on an intellectual level is about the death of his father and history of his mother. The very interesting thing about this book, besides that it was written in Canada, is that the author uses the character to show the reader how one must think in life rather than just the thoughts of the character. Something else that is really interesting is that this book is very similar to I, Rigoberta Menchu that we have all read. It is biased, the main character is Indian, the government is the antagonist and his father has died as a martyr. I recommend this book to anyone who really enjoyed Rigobeta Menchu's life story. (Although this book is fiction)

[Aya Salah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's much better than the synopsis given at its back cover - that's only the beginning. This novel is gripping, intense, has a hopeful and inspiring ending, and carries strong positive messages for the reader. It is not always when all these elements combine in a story, but here they do!

[Amy Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://amysmarathonofbooks.ca/good-fo...

[Laina SpareTime]

Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.

I don’t know about this one. It certainly was interesting, but I don’t think it was my thing. I’m not sure if it’s a translation thing or a cultural difference in storytelling techniques, but I found it a bit strange how though this was told from Nipishish’s POV, he often narrated what people were doing when he wasn’t around and even what they were thinking. It’s almost an omniscient narrator situation, even though it’s a first person POV.

Not gonna lie, also, to buy into love stories/romances in books, I do generally need the people to have known each other for more than an hour before deciding to get married at sixteen. Maybe that’s just picky.

Overall, this was interesting and it was definitely something different from what I normally read, but I didn’t super love it or anything. However, I’m still glad I read it, as it’s good to switch up what I would normally read.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, only took me two months and FOUR RENEWALS at the library (I didn't even know you could do that - they usually cap me off at three) to finish this quite small book.

My fave line is when, in talking about the death of a character, they say that they removed his possessions and tent so that there would be no trace of him on the earth. I liked that so much that I sat and thought about it for a while, imagining if I lived such a life as that.

Anyway, over all a good read. It was short; it jumps ahead in time sometimes abruptly and without warning; it gives you almost no insight into the protagonist's thought processes, even though it's told in first person; the translation is stiff in some places. But there were some very excellent moments and I like the way the Nipishish is saved through his community and through returning to the place that is right for him.

[Ricki]

I'm only about 20 pages in, but I'm already hooked. Well written and compelling.

Right now I am looking for books up to grade 5. The tone and subject matter of this one is older. E.g. It opens with surveyers telling the protagonist that the government owns the land and will do whatever they please with it. The protagonist muses,
"Where’s it been hiding, this damn government? When you do need something, you never know where to go or who to talk to. The young people say the government’s like a wolverine. You can recognize its tracks, smell it, see the damage it leaves, but it’s still invisible. You can never catch it, and it will avoid any trap you set for it."

I'll definitely come back and finish reading this book in a few years when my kids are able to understand all of it.

[Allison Quiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to try to understand the plight of First Nations people a little better. It definitely delivered!

The first portion of the book was the most difficult to read, as time after time the protagonist experiences injustice. If you follow the news, you will not have a hard time believing that the life of one young man from a reserve could be so hard.

However, the book continues on into a more optimistic time for the protagonist, and the book is hard to put down as you cheer Nipishish along.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in hearing from a voice not often heard on systemic racism that continues to this day.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an easy read because of the negativity of the topic which is why I ate it In Smaller doses. I enjoyed the flow of the writing. I would like to read more by this author for that reason. The story would not let you settle and I am surprised the characters were not always scared or scared more than what they were. The conclusion brought up feelings of personal injustices for me, dealing with horrible people in positions of power. The real story not getting told and bad people getting away with evil. But it ended a bit better which was nice for the characters. Back to fantasy stories for me and less reality.

[Kathleen Kisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, thought provoking book