Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What is alcoholism? What might be potential causes of alcoholism? What are possible impacts of an alcohol addiction on families?

Teaching Suggestion: Frank, the novel’s protagonist, does not know his biological father, Eldon, well because Eldon has an alcohol dependence. With sensitivity in mind, you might consider sharing the article below or a similar resource and discussing what alcoholism is and what causes alcoholism. Students might instead construct a reader-response journal entry after reading. Sharing the video as optional, additional information on the impact of substance abuse on families may help to prepare students for the seriousness of the conflicts in the novel.

• This article describes alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, their causes, and treatment.
• This 9-minute video explains some of the impacts of substance abuse on families.

Short Activity

Use a variety of trustworthy resources to investigate these background topics in preparation for reading the novel.

• What kinds of injustices were inflicted on Indigenous people in Canada?
• How might colonialism be responsible for some of the hardship experienced by Indigenous people even today?