“You’re gonna need a rock and a whole lotta medicine,” is a quote from Jonny Appleseed, and is the theme of this book.
Jonny Appleseed was written by Joshua Whitehead and was published in 2018. Since then, it has been nominated for the CBC Canada Reads 2021 and was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction in 2019.
Synopsis
We follow Jonny Appleseed over a brief period of time as they try to raise the money to return home for a funeral. Jonny is a Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer person who lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Positives
It is wonderful to read a book that includes an Indigenous person who is a member of the LGBTQ2A+ community. What makes it even better, is the author is also a part of the community. That helps add to the realism of the characters and situations in the book.
The book paints a realistic look at the lives of the Indigenous people both on and off the “rez.”
Negatives
Jonny is a sex worker, and there are many descriptions of the encounters.
The book was written mostly in a narrative style, with minimal dialogue.
Many scenes containing excessive details about dreams, thoughts, and sexual encounters.
Summary
Overall, I am still unsure what I think about Jonny Appleseed. Did I enjoy it? Some parts I found educational and enjoyable. Others were a bit too descriptive for my taste. Jonny seems to have a lot of affection for his kokum (grandmother), as she was there for him most of his life, helping him pick himself up. Jonny also seems to have a love/hate relationship with his mother, and at times seems to be more of a parent than she is.
As I am trying to broaden my reading horizons, this book is a great step in that direction. It feels as though there are many parts of this book that are more autobiographical than fictional. And that’s ok, but maybe it should be marketed as such.
My biggest issue with the book (other than the excessive details about the sexual encounters), is the fact it was written in a narrative style. It isn’t a style of writing that I enjoy reading.
Looking for more books to add to your TBR? Feel free to check out my other book reviews.
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