Buffalo Dreamer

By Violet Duncan

Dreams reveal a haunting past as unmarked graves are discovered. Can Summer uncover the truth?

4.2/5 Goodreads · 1,347 ratings

128 pages· 20,079 words· Est. 3 hour read

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Summer's peaceful summers in Alberta are shattered by vivid dreams of fleeing a residential school. When unmarked graves are found at her grandfather's old school, the community's painful history resurfaces. As survivors, including her grandfather, share their stories, Summer is determined to honor her heritage and confront the past. At a town rally, she seeks answers to her dreams and hopes for healing. Will she uncover the truth behind her visions and help her community reclaim their history?

From the publisher

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author’s family history Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she’s running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children’s graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on. When the town holds a rally, she’s proud to take part to acknowledge the painful past and speak of her hopes for the future, and anxious to find someone who can fill her in on the source of her unsettling dreams.