You probably don't imagine me as a skateboarder. As a stroke survivor with residual brain damage I don't need my neurologist (or my children) to tell me what a no good very bad idea that would be. But when I was in junior high it was a whole different story.
I was eleven when I learned about skateboards and passionately yearned for one. My mother had problems with that. It wasn't as acceptable then as it is now. Skaters were pictured as the kind of boys who hung around gas stations and dropped out of school--not college bound girls from "respectable" families. My father loved the idea because my mother hated it. He bought me the most expensive board he could get.
It wasn't easy. I had no one to teach me. So I had to figure it out. I got banged up a lot at first--luckily no broken bones. But when I got the hang of it I was addicted. I was also into bike tricks like standing on the seat, no hands. Seeing the expressions on people's faces was priceless.
So when I discovered Byron Graves' sophomore novel, Medicine Wheels, (Rez Ball was his brilliant debut) at the Orono Public Library I snapped it up like precious Tobago would a Fancy Feast entree. I was captivated from the first page on.
Bryce, Graves' protagonist has been having a hard life ever since he lost his father. His mother has drunk too much, been unable to hold a job, and taken up with men totally unable to handle the realities of relationships or parenting. Two years she fell in with Doug, an extremely volatile, vicious drinker, pulling Bryce away from his extended family and tight knit community.
"They get back from a trip to the liquor store that's right on the edge of the rez line for snacks, cigarettes, and beer. Acting like they're in love. Pretending we have a happy home."
One night after extreme domestic violence Bryce and his mom take off, ending up in a seriously sketchy motel. When she leaves without paying Bryce is locked out of the room with only the clothes on his back. His mother is in jail for parole violation.
Fortunately Bryce's grandmother is able to take him in and he gets to reunite with his friends and connect with his father's legacy. His dad was a highly respected skateboard champion. Bryce has never skated. But talent and dedication have him catching on quickly.
But Bryce's life still has plenty of challenges. He worries about his mom--not only whether she'll ever get well but whether she'll take him away from the place where he feels at home. His beloved grandfather is dying of cancer. And an oil company is trying to build a pipeline with potentially devastating consequences for his reservation.
Graves really knows how to create a believable world and characters it's impossible not to care about and situations that feel urgent because they are urgent. The real life water protectors are fighting poweeful oil companies against steep odds to protect this irreplaceable resource for future generations and the future of our one and only planet.
Medicine Wheels was created in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. There are some wonderful eye opening, thought provoking engaging reads by indigenous authors that have have so much to teach us. We must support and uphold their important work, especially as censors and banners strive to restrict the diversity of the voices we have access to.
On a purrrsonal note, the part of the book where Bryce's grandfather was dying really got to me. I was remembering when my beloved Joey cat was at the end of his life because of cancer. That last summer we could share was sad but also precious beyond measure. I was reading on the Mt. Hope bus and as we arrived at and departed from Walmart I was crying. And I didn't give a damn what people thought. Any book that can stir up feelings like that is powerful beyond measure.
A great big shout out goes out to Graves for crafting such an eloquent, engaging, and hopefully enraging narrative. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
