Make an Impression! Utilize this banner space to reach thousands of potential clients. Contact us for more information: market June - 2003 The Tiny Warrior - REVIEW Rick Harp- recommends Duane Aucoin - recommends Build a better you The Tiny Warrior A Path to Personal Discovery and Achievement By D. J. Eagle Bear Vanas Andrew McMeel Publishing (Kansas City) 63 pages, $9.95 US (s.c.) Review by D. L. Webster You've seen the child struggle through his teen years. You've tried in your own way to give him guidance, but some young people refuse to hear another point of view. You've seen the choices he makes lead him down difficult, even dangerous, roads. Now, as a young adult, he's troubled, frustrated, down on himself and the world, angry about his past and pessimistic about the future. One day he comes to you and says 'I need your help.' What magic words will you offer to ease his pain? What wisdom will you impart that will set him on a good path? How will you respond? The answers to these questions are found in a slim little book called The Tiny Warrior by D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas, a motivational speaker of Odawa/Dutch descent. In just 60 or so pages, Vanas offers up a basketful of plain truth and deep wisdom with a charming story about Cricket, a young Indian boy, who desperately wants to be a warrior, but doesn't know how or even why. Cricket's journey is set out in 10 easy-to-read chapters and recounted by Grandpa to Justin, his 27-year-old grandson whose choices in life have led him far away from his dream of becoming an engineer. Justin, working in a dead-end construction job, comes home one day to find Grandpa sitting on the porch. A quiet visit turns into a series of powerful lessons that inspire a sea-change in Justin's life. The beauty of this book is in its simplicity. According to Grandpa, "the simplest lessons in life are often the most powerful. Truth requires few words." At first glance, this book seems to target the troubled youth who wants to make a change, or the concerned adult who wants to inspire change in a young person. In fact, this book will serve well every person who has a dream to be realized. The book is sectioned off so that it can serve many purposes. Cricket's story can easily be taken and read as a bedtime story to very young children. Cricket's antics get him into a lot of trouble, but the lessons he learns from them lead him to discover the special place he holds in the hearts of his family and the community. Take, for example, the time Cricket, who longs to be part of a group, decides to join a fun-loving pack of coyotes, tricksters who use him by pretending to be his friends. He picks berries for them, hunts squirrels up trees for them, and even pulls rabbits from holes for the coyotes to eat, but when he finds himself in trouble, his friends don't come to Cricket's aid. After each chapter about Cricket, Justin applies the lesson to his own life. He, too, had run with tricksters, who encouraged him to skip school, cut out of work early, and who let him down when he needed help. Justin's story helps older readers see how Cricket's experiences relate to them on a personal level. At the end of each chapter there is a page that succinctly spells out the wisdom to be found in the story. In the case of the coyotes, there are six truths to be learned, paramount among them is that we must all choose our pack wisely. This little book can be kept in a purse or coat pocket for quick reference or a daily dose of inspiration. According to Grandpa, "There is a tiny warrior that lives inside us all." This little book will help you find that tiny warrior, develop his gifts, and feed his soul. Rick Harp Host, Contact, APTN's national open-line program Recommends: Stolen From Our Embrace: The Abduction of First Nations Children and the Restoration of Aboriginal Communities By Suzanne Fournier and Ernie Crey Douglas & McIntyre-1997 With so many books out there worthy of attention, it is exceedingly difficult to pick just one. That said, I opted for a book that would offer something to both a long-time observer of Aboriginal affairs and someone who's brand new to our issues and concerns. Stolen From Our Embrace lays out in just 250 pages most of the immense, traumatic and unrelenting attacks Canada has inflicted on Indigenous peoples for the past 200 years. From residential schools to the ironically named 'child welfare' system, it documents how the impact of forced removal and relocation of Native people continues to play out today. Fournier and Crey do a masterful job of using personal testimony and thorough research to illustrate the personal toll of these criminal acts, such as sexual abuse and fetal alcohol syndrome. As you read through its pages, you realize what a miracle it is any of us are alive to tell the tale. Written in a straightforward, accessible manner, the book offers profound insight into how we got to where we are today, both good and bad. If you want a reminder or a record of how far we've come, and of how we have started to reclaim responsibility for our own wellness, this book is a must-read. Duane Ghastant' Aucoin, a.k.a.Cash Creek Charlie First Nations cultural performer Recommends: Where the Wild Things Are Stories and pictures by Maurice Sendak HarperFestival-1992 OK, I know that this is a kids' book, but it had such a profound effect on me, even to this day. The reason being is that I can relate to its central theme. Inside of each of us is a place Where the Wild Things Are. Meaning, in a world of conformity and political correctness gone mad, the spirit of freedom and adventure can easily be lost. But all is not lost if we remember to, every now and then, put on our wolf suit and visit this place and let our spirits go wild.