Book Review: Home to Medicine Mountain

Santiago, Chiori. Home to Medicine Mountain. San Francisco, California: Children’s Book Press, 1998.

Home to Medicine Mountain written by Chiori Santiago is a wonderful book about two brothers who are separated from their family and sent to live at a government run Indian residential school. The book tells us the hardships that the two young boys faced and how they were able to overcome obstacles. This book is one that can show children what life was like for some Indian children who were forced to leave their families and go to very strict schools where they were not allowed to speak their native language. The story ends with the boys escaping the boarding school by jumping on a freight train heading back home. This shows a great deal of courage and integrity on the boys’ part, which would be appealing to many young children.

This book, a great one for teaching students about life in the 1930’s, could potentially enforce some stereotypes. In the pictures all of the teachers are white and look very mean. Even though this is how it happened, children could become a little confused and angry with white people for treating the Indians as they did. They would not really understand why the young Indian boys were treated so poorly and taken from their families with no way to get home. There was also no glossary in the book to explain some of the traditions, symbols or words that were discussed throughout the book. If this book was to be used in a lesson and children were given a bit more information dealing with Medicine Mountain and all that went with it then I don’t think the confusion would arise.

The first page of the story lets the reader know that it is a true story and the events actually happened to the father and uncle of the author. Chiori Santiago wrote this book based on events that she has heard through her grandparents and their children. She is clearly an insider to Native Americans and their past.