Summary Of Surviving The City By Spillett

Tasha Spillett’s graphic novel, Surviving the City, focuses on the two teens Dez and Miikwan, both from Indigenous backgrounds, and how they face the complexities of living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Living in this urban city as well, I have noticed the struggles that the Indigenous peoples are experiencing to this day, especially the women who are still being outcasted and ignored. In this book report, I will be discussing the impact that I have received from this comic, as well as the art style and graphics used by its illustrator, Natasha Donovan. Before reading this book, I already had some knowledge of the foster care system as my mother’s work involves helping to provide funds for the needs of the Manitoba Métis Federation. From time to time, she would talk about how she felt seeing their struggles, and it would evoke

On Miikwan’s side of the story, it is set in the Thunderbird House where they made plans to march in honour of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirited Peoples (MMIWG2S+) (pp. 45-46, 48. Additionally, I wish that the Thunderbird House would undergo repairs soon as it served as a place for spiritual ceremonies, gatherings, etc. for the Indigenous peoples of our city. Surely, more protests and rallies will come out of this, and the people will be more passionate and fearless if the Circle of Life is to be rebuilt. Despite the story being a quick read, I think that Donovan’s intricate yet clean art style brought it to life. Its simplicity adds to the clarity of the story, allowing readers to follow the narrative and resonate with it. She was able to capture the essence of Indigenous identity, even some of their day-to-day life experiences, using bright and vibrant colours. I find that art speaks a lot more words and this can be seen in many panels throughout the comic, especially the ones that show the grey ghostly