Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Jonny Appleseed is about a Note to teachers: Two-Spirit Indigiqueer young Please note that the novel Jonny man who has left the reserve Appleseed contains sexual content, as and becomes a cybersex worker well as some coarse language. The book excerpt found on Curio.ca does in the big city to make ends not contain any explicit material. meet. But he must reckon with If you intend to read only the book his past when he returns home excerpt with your students, this to attend his stepfather's document gives a fuller picture of the funeral. book content.
Visit www.curio.ca/canadareads to read an excerpt from Jonny Appleseed and watch Joshua Whitehead discuss his book. Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Book Book Description 3 Literacy Strategy 3 Primary Characters 6 Key Themes 7 About the Author – Joshua Whitehead 7 Other Books by Joshua Whitehead 8 Notable Quotes from Reviews 9 CBC Links 10 Other Links 10 Critical Thinking Questions 11 Inquiry Activities 13
Acknowledgments About the Book: Adapted from materials prepared by the CBC Books team Critical Thinking Questions / Inquiry Activities: Written by Jason Himsl © 2021 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation www.curio.ca/canadareads /2 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Book Description LITERACY STRATEGY Jonny Appleseed tells the story of Jonny, a young If you are using this backgrounder Indigenous man who moves from his family’s directly with students, have them review reserve in rural Manitoba to the big city of the document for new vocabulary. They Winnipeg. He learns to go on Grindr to find men can highlight new words and research their meaning. with Indigenous fetishes willing to pay for cybersex with him, which becomes his principal means of “medicine” to him. (His father, a residential school income when he’s not in the arms of his boyfriend survivor and alcoholic, left the family years earlier Tias, an Indigenous youth five years his senior. The and eventually died in a rez fire.) story is told in “NDN time,” meaning that the past, When Jonny learns that his stepfather Roger has present and future are simultaneous; as such, the died, he sets out to earn $300 in two days from his book often flashes back to Jonny’s time at home on cybersex clients to afford a trip home to attend the the reserve, with time spent with his mother and funeral. He recalls his complex relationship with beloved late kokum (grandmother), their love like a
www.curio.ca/canadareads /3 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Roger, whose alcoholism led to his fatal liver him, and Jonny supports Tias as he is haunted by disease. Roger was homophobic and beat Jonny for the loss of his sister to the foster care system. Tias is dancing with boys, but he also made his mother bisexual and has a girlfriend named Jordan whom happy. Jonny continues to return to the past — Jonny “love-hates” but eventually they become recalling his coming out to his kokum; time spent in friends on their own. On the day that Jonny has the bathtub as a young one with his mother; and earned enough to return home, Tias tells him that getting drunk at house parties and letting men do as Jordan is pregnant, and that he’s going to finish his they pleased with his body, which leads him to education so that he and Jordan raise the baby finally quit alcohol. properly. He and Jonny have sex one last time Jonny’s relationship with Tias is one of the most before Tias says goodbye. important in the book. He and Tias explored their When Jonny arrives home, he and his mother catch early sexuality by watching each other undress and up over tea and bannock. She tells him about they are a salve for each other’s open wounds. Roger’s final days, about how doctors would blame When Jonny’s kokum passes, it is Tias who consoles his health problems on being drunk. They then have
www.curio.ca/canadareads /4 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed a heart-to-heart about Jonny’s kokum; his mother ask me home? … I’m sorry I never got to show you tells him that she never felt worthy of her, and that how I transform.” she always feared he loved his kokum more than In the end, Jonny comes to understand the meaning her, to which Jonny replies, “To love me, Momma, of family, and comes to terms with the events of the Kokum had to love you too.” past, no matter how traumatic. “Our bodies are a Before Jonny returns to Winnipeg, he visits the library, and our stories are written like braille on the cemetery where his kokum is buried. Before he had skin. I wouldn’t trade it for the world … We’re all left the rez to move to the big city, she had told him here to tell our stories in NDN time.” that “going south is the direction of youth, the time of summer, healing.” At the cemetery, he tells her, “I think I made it, you know, travelled south and survived” before dissolving into tearful guilt for leaving her there: “Why you’d let me leave, Kokum? … Why’d you let time whittle you to sand before you www.curio.ca/canadareads /5 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Primary Characters Jonny’s mother – in his words, “the toughest NDN in the world — a real hard-ass, but the kind you need.” She Jonny Appleseed – the novel’s protagonist; a brutally shows Jonny tough love through discipline, but accepts honest young Indigenous man who has moved from the him as Two-Spirit and advises him that he’s “gonna need reserve to the big city of Winnipeg, where he fulfills the a whole lotta medicine” to make it in the world. She colonial fantasies of men through cybersex work. The drinks too much as well, but Jonny is loyal to her, intersectionality of his queerness and his Indigeneity is a listening to her as she doles out makeup tips and source of trauma for him as it doubly exposes him to lessons on how to snag a man. discrimination and abuse. Jonny learns to embrace his Tias – Jonny’s boyfriend; he is tender toward Jonny, identity, though, and frees himself from this trauma though also has a girlfriend named Jordan. Tias has through his beloved memories of his kokum. suffered trauma in his youth as well – he and his sister Jonny’s kokum (grandmother) – she’s the first in the lived with his grandfather then moved to foster care; he family to hear from Jonny that he’s Two-Spirit, which lost touch with his sister as a result, which haunts him. she accepts wholeheartedly. She also was pleased that he looked white when he was born because that would mean he’d have an easier time. www.curio.ca/canadareads /6 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Key Themes Their love for and acceptance of him as Two-Spirit is something that Jonny holds close to him. THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF QUEERNESS AND INDIGENEITY – Jonny navigates both his queer and About the Author Indigenous selves, which have been sources of shame in the past but eventually become sources of strength Joshua Whitehead is an and power. Oji-nêhiyaw, Two-Spirit (2SQ) member of Peguis "NDN TIME" – The concept of the past, present First Nation (Treaty 1) in and future being simultaneous and informing one manitowapow. He is another is a constant in the book, through use of currently a Ph.D. candidate flashbacks, memories and spiritual visions. at the University of Calgary FAMILY/KINSHIP – Despite having moved to the where he focuses on big city, Jonny remains tethered to his family, Indigenous literatures, cultures, nêhiyâwewin and especially his mother and kokum (grandmother). more predominantly, sexuality and gender studies
www.curio.ca/canadareads /7 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed within those fields. He is the author of the novel Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction (Arsenal Pulp Press, Jonny Appleseed (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018) which 2020). His book Making Love with the Land, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize; details the intersections of Indigeneity, queerness shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for and mental health, will be published by Knopf Fiction, the Amazon First Novel Award, the Carol Canada in 2021. Shields Winnipeg Book Award and the Indigenous Other Books by Joshua Whitehead Voices Award; and winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction and the Georges Bugnet • full-metal indiqueer (Talonbooks, 2017) Award for Fiction. He is also the author of the • As editor: Love after the End: An Anthology of poetry collection full-metal indigiqueer (Talonbooks, Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction 2017) which was shortlisted for the inaugural (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020) Indigenous Voices Award and the Stephan G. Stephannson Award for Poetry, and the editor of Love after the End: An Anthology of Two Spirit &
www.curio.ca/canadareads /8 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Notable Quotes from Reviews looking to see themselves reflected somewhere, and for whom this visibility might even mean "Every so often, a book comes along that feels like a survival. As Whitehead weaves Jonny's resonant milestone, with revolution nestled beneath every experiences and complex identity into a compelling sentence, every word. Oji-Cree/nehiyaw journey, we might also consider why stories such as two-spirit/Indigiqueer writer Joshua Whitehead's his are so rare when Jonny is so willing to bring us Jonny Appleseed is one of those books . .. With its along for the ride." – Winnipeg Free Press fluid structure and timelines, Jonny Appleseed creates a dream-like reading experience -- and with "Jonny Appleseed is a miraculous achievement of a a narrator as wise, funny and loveable as Jonny, it's debut novel." – Canadian Art the sort of dream you don't want to wake up from." – The Globe and Mail "A radically original new voice." – Booklist "Jonny Appleseed breaks rocks and crafts them into good medicine for folks like Jonny, who might be
www.curio.ca/canadareads /9 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
CBC Links Other Links • Canada Reads Book page: Jonny Appleseed • Talonbooks • Canada Reads Author page: Joshua Whitehead • Joshua Whitehead's Jonny Appleseed is a poetic coming-of-age novel that highlights Indigenous queer culture • Joshua Whitehead – The Next Chapter interview • With Joshua Whitehead's Jonny Appleseed, Indigiqueer storytelling has a spotlight at Canada Reads • Interview with Devery Jacobs about Jonny Watch Joshua Whitehead discuss his book: Appleseed www.curio.ca/canadareads
www.curio.ca/canadareads /10 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
Critical Thinking Questions 2. Joshua Whitehead shares much in common with Jonny — he is an Oji-nêhiyaw two-spirited man Students will need to read the excerpt who grew up in Peguis First Nation before from Jonny Appleseed found at www.curio.ca/ moving to Winnipeg. Is it important to you that a canadareads and may need to do some research to writer has this type of connection to the content help them craft a response. of their book? 1. The Winnipeg Free Press review of Jonny 3. Joshua Whitehead grew up in Peguis First Nation Appleseed says the novel is “good medicine for and Winnipeg and told a story of his folks like Jonny, who might be looking to see communities. What is a story in your community themselves reflected somewhere, and for whom that you think needs to be told? this visibility might even mean survival.” What books have you read that you saw yourself in? 4. A classic instruction for writers is to “Show, don’t What effect did this have for you? tell.” This means that authors will trust readers to infer important ideas in their writing rather
www.curio.ca/canadareads /11 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
than state them explicitly. Read the excerpt of the “categories,” combine to give us advantages or novel Jonny Appleseed at www.curio.ca/canada disadvantages in society. What are the parts of reads. What details do you see that suggest that you that best describe your intersectional Jonny’s childhood has been difficult and that his identity? mother expects his life to stay that way? 6. Joshua Whitehead has written Jonny Appleseed 5. Jonny Appleseed is a book that features a in “NDN Time'' where storylines of the past, protagonist whose experiences will be unfamiliar present and future are spliced together to form to many readers. Why is it important that all of the narrative. In your reading experience, what Canada read a book that is rooted in Jonny’s are examples of books you’ve read that have singular experience? Can something so specific challenging narrative structures? Do you prefer also be universal? being challenged this way as a reader, or do you prefer more linear, chronological narratives? 6. Joshua Whitehead describes himself as Why or why not? Indigiqueer. Intersectionality is an attempt to understand how different parts of us, our
www.curio.ca/canadareads /12 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
8. Jonny, despite facing many challenging and/or school board and then compare and circumstances in his life, draws on those around contrast these lists with their own. him to find strength and joy. What are your 2. Students might research school- and sources for strength and joy when times are community-based supports for 2SLGBTQ+ youth difficult? in their area. The teacher could follow this activity by inviting an outreach worker from one Inquiry Activities of these organizations to visit the class. The 1. Students can adopt the role of an English teacher might also invite a two-spirited teacher or teacher-librarian and then brainstorm individual to visit with students. (PLEASE NOTE: criteria for selecting books that should be Teachers should consult with their board’s Equity studied by teens in their English program or and/or Indigenous Education departments to included in the school library collection. Have ensure that they create a safe, respectful and them research the criteria used in their school welcoming space for these visitors.)
www.curio.ca/canadareads /13 Book backgrounder: Jonny Appleseed
3. Students can research cultural reappropriation Visit www.curio.ca/canadareads to read an efforts to reclaim offensive images, symbols and excerpt from Jonny Appleseed and watch especially language. Students can compare and Joshua Whitehead discuss his book. contrast the views of supporters of cultural reappropriation with critics of this movement. 4. Have students research the criteria used to select the winner of Canada Reads, but also other prominent book prizes in Canada and around the world. Students can use their findings to create criteria for a Canada Reads-style book debate in their classroom and vote to select a winner.
www.curio.ca/canadareads /14