This is a rough, emotional story, but also a story full of hope and love. Opin is living in a car with his mom and older brother, Emjay, since they left his father several years ago because he was violent and abusive. Emjay has a tendency to run off when they stop places on their way to Watts Los Angeles and is full of anger, which sometimes is expressed in violence and being cruel with his words towards his family. But Opin finds a dog, Ani, one night and it rekindles some hope because having Ani gives him something to protect and keeping moving forward for.
This story broke my heart in so many ways, but I also think this story is so important because there is so much messaging about homelessness and the situation of unhoused people as less than human, from the legislation regarding tent cities to the benches being built so no one can comfortably or safely sleep on them. And homelessness is an experience many have at various times. I can easily see this being a book to helps someone feel seen and validated, all while also offering home.
But this isn’t just a story of struggle. There are so many messages about history and how American government has worked to eliminate Native people and history from this country. It also talks about how even as names of the government entities have changed, their purposes remain the same – keep poor people poor, take Native children from their family and community to assimilate them, vilify people who are working the hardest and getting the least return for their efforts. I really loved the historical mentions and framing, as well as the way it works to show that even as white people have tried to erase Indigenous people, they continue to survive, and that is exactly what Opin and his family are doing – surviving and keeping the blood of their ancestors alive.
I really loved this book, even as I struggled with it at times because it made me confront some of my own privileges and the things I take for granted. But I’m also glad it showed that even when things are hard, there is still hope, family, happy moments that make the hard times even a little easier. Opin is such a great narrator, and seeing his growth over the course of the story was so good. Just, I absolutely think people need to read this book, because this is a story that needs to be heard.