In Our Own Words

True Stories of Indian Boarding Schools

By: Brenda J. Child, Benay McNamara

Learn the true stories of Indian boarding school students and their families in this moving nonfiction book for young readers.

This in-depth history examines letters to and from boarding schools, all compiled and edited by Dr. Brenda J. Child. Firsthand accounts reveal how profoundly entire families were affected by the dark period in US history when Native children were taken from their families to attend schools far from home.

With a special focus on the Haskell Institute in Kansas, the Flandreau School in South Dakota, and the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, this invaluable work offers an unfiltered look at letters written by parents, children, and school officials—all of which convey the impacts of the boarding school era, from illnesses to poor living conditions, homesickness, and the suppression of Native languages.

In Our Own Words serves as a powerful testament to the resistance of young Indigenous people and shines a spotlight on disastrous assimilation policies spanning 1870 to 1940.