Great book

Jordin Tootoo's All The Way My Life on Ice was a truly inspiring book. He showed many hardships about his life and how he got through them. The book teaches us that anyone can do what they want with some hard work and dedication.

Strong/Tough

I believe there's a difference between strong and tough. Strong is when you work out at the gym to build your size and strength up. But tough comes through how you grew up through physical and mental problems. Jordin grew up and faced a lot of challenges. Both physical and mental. I believe that this helped him with making it to the NHL. In my mind being tough rather than strong in my mind will get you further in life. Because just being big and muscular won’t solve all of your problems. For example when a family member dies being muscular isn’t going to bring them back or help you carry on with life. You have to be mentally strong. “It’s not about how hard you can hit, It’s about how hard you can get hit and get back up”

Problem

Jordin started drinking more and more after his brother died. When he moved down to the states he used women to get his mind off of his brothers death. Drinking became a problem but he didn’t see it like everyone else did. He thought that it didn’t affect his game but everyone else saw that it did. When Jordin realized that he was drifting away from the NHL world and the team manager told Jordin if he didn’t get help for his drinking he was going to be off the team. At that moment Jordin realized that he had a problem. He could tell his level of play was going down and couldn't keep up on the ice. Jordin got himself help and his level of play was better than ever before. After his team mates went out and came out he could see what drinking did to your level of play. They just couldn't do what you can do when healthy. Realizing his problem i believe was a big game changer for him and put him on a whole different level.

Strength is Not Earned, but Learned

The thing that most impressed me about Jordin, and most showed his strength of character was how he apologized to everyone he had affected with his drinking, starting as soon as he left rehab.

To take on a process like that, considering the sheer number of people he had partied with, and subsequently alienated, was nothing short of brave.  And it took him two years. That is a long time. To have all of that guilt waying on you, to continue to do it, search out people and apologize for two whole years, is nothing short of amazing. I'm 100% sure nothing but sheer will and determination got him through that.

His strength in body was apparent throughout the entire book, but his strength in mind and conviction revealed in the last sevtion of the book is truly overwhelming. After an entire book about hockey with terms I didn't understand and violence that I did; with motives I didn't understand and vices that I did, I was suddenly given this vulnerable ending that I could understand from such a personal and emotional level that it burned.

Jordin Tootoo doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. But one day soon, I hope to have as much courage as him.

Kelly's Metaphors

When Jordin's drinking gets him to an epic level of uncontrollable douchery, his girlfriend and popular mucisian Kelly Pickler dumps him.

Now when I say "epic level of uncontrollable douchery", I mean really epic. He drank so much that whenever he had time to see her he was at 1/3 pickled. He slept around because one woman in his state of complete mental breakdown just wasn't enough to fill the void. He sunk so low in both common sense and common decency it was absolutely horrible for both Jordin and Kelly. She broke up with him and wrote a very boppy song with very pointed lyrics and a video where a man who looks like Jordin gets hit by a bus.

Though it is quite comical, to watch the video, I think maybe Kelly was getting at something other than silly revenge for how he treated her. Sure she must have wanted hin run over by a bus...but did the actual bus in the video, combined with her lyrics of certainty mean something more?

Did she perhaps mean that Jordin's lifestyle would one day run him over just like the bus in the video? Was she trying to say something about Jordin's conscience or even his health? I suppose it doesn't really matter, as now he's turned his life around, but the video, if you ever get a chance to watch it, is good for a laugh.

Once a Happy Dream, Now a Painful Memory

With everything in Jordin's life looking up, and the suddenness of Terence's suicide, I thought the book was on it's way to the end.

I thought Terence's death would be enough for Jordin to spiral so far into darkness that he had to wake up or die. But I was wrong. As I read a little bit further, I realized it was only a stepping stone to Jordin's decent.

Jordin didn't feel the pain of suddenly losing his brother. He went numb. Pain would've made him reevaluate. Pain would've shocked him into thinking that maybe, just maybe it was booze that killed his brother and that he should stop.

But he went numb. He just felt lost so heart-breakingly lost that he drank more to numb the pain. His partying got more intense and so did his drinking. I thought Terence's words in his note would've made Jordin want to honour him and clean up enough to play to his fullest potential. They didn't. I thought maybe, just maybe, Terence's memory at least could pull Jordin out of his dangerous spiral downward. But that memory made him drink more. All he wanted was to forget. Forget the numb, forget his brother's expectations, forget that he might fail Terence again after he ha failed him so terribly the first time.

Jordin didn't want to be a good hockey player or to go the distance, not even for Terence. He wanted to forget.

Characters

Throughout this book you go through it all and your brain tosses and turns. It made me wonder when I heard all about the murders and why he would do it. The graphics in Just Another Indian are so much to handle and understand sometimes you just don't know what to think.  Not to mention as I read this book my beliefs really took a toll on the "everyone deserves a second chance". What I mean is you can only have a second chance for so many things, if you kill someone and it's an accident i understand. Once you kill like 5 plus people you don't get a second chance, you are messed up and need help. There is no turning back from that.  I think that Just Another Indian opens up your heart and feelings. The way he murders these poor innocent girls. If he finds a prostitute and they refuse to sleep with him he will get mad and kill them, or if they do what he asks he still turns around and kills them. As a girl its disheartening to see girls being used and manipulated in such a cruel way. You never know how you will feel next. Everything happened so fast and you try to keep up, but sometimes you just have to stop and re-read it. Anytime Crawford would explain what he did and reasons for it i would have to re-read it, because his wording and reasoning was so confusing. 

Self-realization

In 2010/11 once Jordin got out of rehab he started to see things more clearly. He went up to Rankin Inlet and apologize to many of the people up there like his buddies girlfriends who he caused fights that he didn’t know about when he would come up and get drunk with them. Jordin started playing hockey better. His entire life became more clear to him. He saw how he wasn’t just a fighter on the team and that he could score goals. He was able to play for longer periods of time on the ice. This is all because he sobered up and he realized it. The thing that’s really important is that Jordin could felt better, saw what he was doing was wrong, and tried to make it up to not only himself but to everyone he had ever hurt because of his drinking. Being able to realize your wrongs isn’t hard, but acting on them and trying to make them right takes lots of self realization and strength.

The big fight

In chapter five pages 69 - 77 Jordin is up visiting his family. Jordin and his sister were at their parents house drinking with them. When things start to get a little heated. “You’re not my fucking son. I’m not your fucking dad, so fuck you.” (pg 73) are the word that started the whole fight. Jordin being abused, pushed around, and controlled as a child was done and he snapped. He ended up beating up his father really good. I think this was a huge event in his life that affected him greatly. He had so much pent up anger towards his dad and the fight “was a stepping stone” (pg 77) in their relationship. Jordan's dad finally realized he couldn’t hold his alcohol, his dad also realized that he wasn’t a child anymore. I personally think that what Jordin did was what he had to do. Other people may disagree and say violence wasn’t the answer and that there was other ways to handle things, but every family is different. Jordin beating the crap out of his dad did good and probably strengthened their relationship.

Xavier the windigo killer

   Elijah and Xavier are in a crater together, under heavy fire. Xavier is pissed off at Elijah for making the decision of going into the crater. shells are hitting close to the ground around them. Elijah looked at Xavier and told him to give him his Russian  rifle but Xavier refused. Elijah told Xavier that both of them won't make it out alive and went to hug Xavier. Xavier pushed Elijah away and then started to choke him. The two rolled around and fought until Xavier got his rifle and pressed it against Elijah's throat. Xavier choked Elijah to death and said that Elijah has gone mad and there is no going  back from where he has gone. Xavier has become the windigo killer.

Where it started

Being from Rankin Inlet, Jordin grew up differently than most kids. His parents were alcoholics, he grew up with a different lifestyle, and a different way of dealing with things. The way Jordin grew up really influenced his life in hockey and outside of hockey. When he started going to different places for hockey it really showed. In Spruce grove he gets a taste of bullying and gets fed up with being bullied and starts to get in fights, because where he’s from when someone pisses you off you fight them and get everything over with. Midway through that school he started to get respect because he showed people that he wasn’t someone to mess with. This aggression is also seen in his hockey when he is asked to play for OCN. At fifteen in a league that was meant for nineteen to twenty one year olds, he was keeping his own and doing well. This is also where he hits the booze hard. His brother Terence is playing on the same team as him, “ I was hanging out with older guys, and when you’re apart of the team, you’re apart of the team-- it doesn't matter how old you are” (pg.43) This is a huge step for Jordin on his path.

Addiction "M"

       Throughout Three Day Road our character Elijah was addicted to Morphine and what all the other soldiers call "M". Morphine ruined Elijah's life to the point where he could not go on without it, it affected everything he did. Right after Xavier kills Elijah he gets hit by a mortar and his leg had to be amputated. With the mourning of Elijah's death it pushes Xavier farther into addicted and the thought that he needs M. Three  Day Road is based of Xavier telling his story and on the end of the third day is his death. He dies after his last shot of M. Morphine ruined everyone's life in this book.

Settings

Back and forth from back home to during the war the settings change so much. in the forest Xavier and Elijah just love being in the bush compared to overseas. During the war they didn't like at all, who would like a war anyways. I guess being away from your home will make you a little crazy but still you can't choose exactly where you can be. Where you are can affect how you feel whether it's home or not can have effects on a person seen in Three Day Road with Xavier and Elijah.

Windigo Killers

Early in the book we meet the Windigo Killer. A person who kills people who go crazy. Like a person that starts taking people things after they die in battle. Xavier has become the Windigo actually in the end. He kills Elijah who went mad during the war. A very confusing beginning to the book says that Xavier is dead and Elijah lost his leg, you'll all have to read the book to find out what exactly happens in the end. Its a huge story but the windigo is the most interesting to me.

The Comeback

Theo worked hard his entire life to make it to the NHL just to walk away from the sport in 2003. Theo wouldn’t be seen in the sport for another 6 years, to pass the time he partied, drank, and did drugs. In 2009 he decided to make a comeback. Working his ass off to get back into shape for training camp. Since he had cleaned up and stopped drinking and doing drugs this was his best chance yet. Theo went on to have a great pre season and showed everyone he was a real contender for making it on the team Theo said. On page 328, “The first four lines switch up red, white, gold and black jerseys. The fifth line wears blue. When i walked in a couple days before the final game and there was a blue jersey in my stall, I knew it was just a matter of time”. This is probably the saddest part in the entire book, you know, if you can really consider this sad. The amount of time and effort he put into his comeback just to get cut kinda sucks. I think they should have signed on a one year contract because either way they probably would not have won the stanley cup that year.

War Corruption

The Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden was a horrifying but interesting book. The main themes are, friendship, addiction, identity, war, and death. With all of these themes one would think the book would be crowded, boring and slow. However, it instead is a fast-paced and realistic telling of a Cree boy’s life before, during, and after World War 1.  Part of the reason that makes this book a good read, is it’s success at  weaving so many “heavy” topics together. Boyden uses each of the themes to enhance one another and does it in a way that makes sense but at the same time makes you think a lot deeper. This was true when it came to Elijah and Xavier's relationship, which was a bound between two seemingly similar men. They both have distinctive identities which continually get built upon throughout the book. Their reactions to war and death are very different and it is interesting to see how their bond is corrupted slowly. Elijah's acceptance/submission of the western culture has an enduring effect on him during the war. The war slowly corrupted both but it too Elijah first which only made it harder for Xavier. Just entering in the war decided their faith and there would be and was nothing they could do about it.

what if she was white?

What if the woman in this book were white? Would the book even exist? In the novel "Just Another Indian" women are murdered and all of them are native. The press doesn't cover the stories because the woman involved are... just indians. But what if that wasn't the case? I firmly believe if the serial sex-murderer John Crawford went after white woman the case would have been solved as soon as it could. justice would be brought to the families. John Crawford would be put behind bars for life IMMEDIATELY. White women are usually not victims in crimes such as this for the purpose that the media would be all over it getting every last detail of what happened. There is such a thing as missing white woman syndrome. This is a term used by social scientist to describe the extensive media coverage of missing person cases, involving, white, upper-class, woman or girls compared to other races, or sexs of people. This "syndrome" shows how sick the media really is. Would this book need to be written if the victims were white? I think not.

Elijah has changed

   Elijah has clearly gone mad with either power because he has killed so many germans and feels higher up then them or he has just gone mad because he has killed so many people and it haunts him. He started to scalp the people he killed so he could confirm the kills and he keeps the scalps in his bag. Elijah also opens the eyes of every dead body, stares into the eyes and then closes them with his right hand (the hand he shoots with). The reason for doing this is because he wants to be the last thing they see before they are buried. Elijah has become addicted to morphine and no longer can live with out it. the morphine replaces his meals and is causing him to lose his mind. The way he is acting now will soon get him killed.

War Changes People

It’s interesting to read how fast war changes someone. Elijah and Xavier are always changing as the war continue. These changes are things like personality, at the start Elijah and X are not killers. Slowly but surely they both become killers with many lives taken. X now kills more like Elijah but he does not enjoy it like Elijah. The cruel side of Elijah came from the schools and the war keeps turning him darker. He has begun to skin the tops of people's heads off keeping them to gain "honor". Elijah is now showing how much different he is than X. I believe Xavier will start down the same path as Elijah soon. Now that X has started killing more people himself. He will start to feel the effects of killing people. he has been watching Elijah take the morphine more often than ever. he watches as Elijah has pains from the morphine if he stopped taking it. So Elijah keeps taking it to take away the pain, he has become addicted. Morphine is a common drug to be carrying around this time, it's what the doctors used as painkillers. pot was available from the doctors, your local drug dealer were the doctors. which was all supplied by the governments.

What a great book!!

In the book Playing with fire the author let Theo flury use his own words. When Theo was talking and he swore the author would write it down. I think that there is swearing in this book it gets younger reads reading this book because they can read a book in school with swear words. The author wrote what got told to him by Theo. "okay, fuck it, here I go. well, that is where i was at two o'clock that morning. I was ready to jump" page 282
 Some authors would not put swear words and bad language in a book. I think Theo said what he said in this book to scare the young reads from what he did when he was playing hockey Drinking, gambling, cheating, drug use, and thinking suicidal thoughts. If the author never kept the swear words and the language he used then the book may of had a different view on it because it would still be Theo's story but it would not be in his words. Some parts of the book where he talked about hockey sense and all the players and the teams he played for I just skimmed over because i lost interest reading those parts. I never played hockey or watched hockey so I don't know even the common players on the teams. So if i knew the players and wanted to know where he played and when those parts would of made more sense to me.  I wish there would be a little more about him maybe another book about his life today because i really liked this book.    

More Than a Shitty Ending

"We're always going our separate ways before I wake up." (pg. 218) The ending tells us that Jordin still feels connected to his brother, he makes that final connection at the end of the book. I feel like this was the most substantial movement in Jordin's life because it shows us that something has been given to him, a sense of understanding of what  it means to live with a purpose. All in all the ending, yes, was very anti-climactic, but i do not think that that is what we are meant to focus on. It does not matter that he ends up on a farm team instead of being a big NHL star, because it was not about his job, it was about what it took to get there. His troubled childhood, the drinking, the death of his brother, finding the love of his life, and being able to come out of all of that with a career and a life that he battled with and come out of it making himself something. I feel like this book it is easy to get caught up and think that it is all about the hockey but it has more to do with him giving us the whole story and having us try and understand who Jordin really is and what made him.  The pages are filled with more than a career the book engulfs you into the life of Jordin and the ending is not what should be focused on, it is what the ending mean after all that we have learnt about him. Possibly a true success?

Not Just the Words

"Terence wasn't an outspoken person. He was a guy who held in a lot." (pg.99) During these pages we watch Jordin grow, as a person and as a player. The focus of these chapters however was on how his brother Terence had affected his life and what about him made Jordin the man he is today. During these chapters we hit a page turner when we find out that Terence has committed suicide after a typical night out of getting drunk and coming home late. When Jordin finds out that his brother committed suicide. This terrible tragedy that I believe helps Jordin onto the path of being the man he wants to be, better man. This seems to be the event that happens in the book that sticks with you for the rest of all that you read. I think that that feeling is the way Jordin feels throughout his life, that yes, something is missing, but nothing can be done just t live with it and form something good. The biggest thing that I have noticed is that this is not a book that you are just able to read word for word without having thought, you must think and comprehend what is happening, without it being there word for word, you have to feel.

The verdict is...

undecided. 

In this novel "Just Another Indian" the main characters Bill Corrigan, and John Crawford face the judiciary many times because of crimes they have committed to innocent women. But what happens when a criminals gets a false conviction or lesser of a punishment than deserved? They just go back to doing The bad things they were arrested for in the first place. Murder of the 1st or 2nd degree both carry an automatic "life" sentence. instead john Crawford spent 1 month in prison for rape, he got out on bail. John later was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter. The big question here is. Was there justice for the families of the murdered aboriginal families? the answer is no. Their daughters/sisters/nieces/granddaughters got murdered due to racism. There is nothing the court can do to help fix that pain. There are aboriginal women missing everyday in Canada. This story is just one of many. The only way to bring justice to the families of murdered aboriginal women is to change our ways and make them feel equal to us and stop the racism and stigma that aboriginals have. No matter the persons, race, sex, age, intentions, everyone is loved by someone, everyone has a family. No-one deserves to go through what the woman and their families in this book went through. Lets stop aboriginal women in Canada from missing. Lets stop rapist and murderers before they get the chance to attack. Lets bring justice to the families who lost people due to racism. let's stop the racism. 

Gun and bullets

I grabbed the bullet, loaded the gun and jammed it in my mouth.

Page- 282

Theo's life finally caught up with him and started taking control his actions. He starting thinking of how much he messed up his life and the people that he talked to and that was apart of his life. He did mounds of coke in three months and shot himself down and never thought of the good that he did for the people. Yes Theo made some decisions that made people dislike him and called him names when he skated on the ice. When theo had the gun in his mouth and rattling off his teeth he relaxed couldn't do it. He has to get his life back on track. He realized that his 3 boys needed him Josh,Beaux and Tatum needed him. Josh grew up without a father and just growing up with your mom and a step dad would be hard.

It's All About Me

New York may have not been the best place for someone who has a drinking, drug, and gambling problem. Theo signed a 28 million dollar contract over 4 years with the New York Rangers. Theo said on page 199, “Take a kid to a candy store and what does he want? Candy. And there’s plenty of candy in New York.” Theo was able to indulge in his addiction quite freely because it was hard to keep track of him. Theo could tell his wife, Veronica that he had to stay in the city because he had practice in the morning and then leave for a game afterwards. In February, as Theo was packing for a game in Toronto, he got a call from Dr Brian Shaw who was apart of the NHL substance abuse program. That wouldn’t stop Theo, he started to become more secretive about what he was doing. New York didn’t change Theo, but it definitely wasn’t helping his situation. Theo had gone on a dry spell, in 80 games he had only 15 goals which is half of his usual amount. Theo had seemed to have lost his focus, not performing up to his and other people’s standards, and becoming more secretive about going out and drinking after signing up for the NHL substance abuse program. Theo at this point in life should have definitely considered other teams before choosing New York, but like he say’s on page 208 “Having that much money changes you.” and he had just signed a 28 million dollar contract.

Caught up again with marking...

Still a few outstanding posts...don't procrastinate! Be brilliant!!

Anti-Climatic Endings and How To Prevent Them

The book "My Life on Ice" has a rather anti-climatic ending. The ending isn't anti-climatic because he has quit drinking and partying but because he is stuck on a farm team in the level below the NHL and has no real intense NHL level action going on around him. This makes me think that he should have waited another year or two to write or at least finish this book. I believe that if he would have waited he could have included more of the writing process and how he felt about writing this book and how he felt about his NHL career picking up again like it did. The ending makes you feel sad because it feels like he fought through all of his own problems and addictions and played harder then ever before just to be told that he was not good enough by the Detroit Red-wings. Jordin writes about the difficulties of playing in Detroit and being sent down to minors negatively as he says "When you believe in yourself good things are supposed to happen, but it sure didnt feel that way when I was in Grand Rapids. I started wondering about the future." This quote shows how even though Jordin had battled through hell and beat his addictions a good future did not come in the NHL. As a result of this I believe he should've started writing the book like he did and then when he retires from hockey or just before he retired he should have finished and published it. This is because Jordins story and NHL career gets better as he goes on to play for the New Jersey Devils and is currently with the Chicago Black-hawks. He could than have included how his career got better and how he dealt with being in the minors and the feeling of getting a second chance and how that effected him. Furthermore he could have went more into detail with his own feelings on writing this book. As a result of a potentially happier and deeper ending if he would have waited I strongly believed he should have waited to write this book as waiting would have resulted in a much better ending and would have been an amazing finish to one of the best books I have ever read.

Evolution of our characters

  From the starting point of our books we had a shy scared Xavier who puked the first time he watched a German's head blow in his spotting scope. A soldier that would hide in the trenches and throw stick grenades over the ridge.  Now Xavier is the best sniper in his platoon, he killed the famous German sniper and took his high class rifle. He went from a scared boy to the most accurate sniper. Elijah on the other hand started of by being almost a war hero to Xavier, Elijah was not scared of anything he seemed to enjoy battle. Now he is full freak show, he smiles every time he takes a life or witness a kill. Also Elijah got into the habit of looting dead soldiers and now he opens their eyes and looks straight into the motionless pupil then closes their eyes with his shooter hand so that he is the last thing these dead people see before they are buried. I feel Xavier had adapted but Elijah has lost himself.

The Has Happened What Will I Do Now

I have finished reading Theo Fleury's book "Playing With Fire" overall I loved this book I could never put the book down. I really am upset with how the book is over. I recommend this book to people who like biographies and don't mind swearing while you're reading. From the very start of the book you learn abu how Theo got into hockey,then to how his minor league coach Graham James ruined his childhood also his life once he stops being coached by Graham and from that moment your ead of the struggles of alcohol and drug abuse and his kids and then to the highs with being drafted and winning a taney cup. This book is very moving to me,my eyes really opened up after reading the book and how the struggle of losing a childhood to being sexually abused and not being able to fall asleep because of thinking someone will touch you at night.If there was every chance I could learn more about his life I will take every chance I get because that's how much this booked moved me.I would also say if you have such a hard life I think you should read this book because you might have a moment and go "wow" I am so lucky for everything I have.

Corrigan The Coward

There is no doubt in my mind that the Story “Just Another Indian” had many themes and actions that were so hanase that they are hard to believe. In the case of Bill Corrigan, the fact that he was allowed to go free after explaining that he had known about the acts committed by John Crawford and had held information regarding his murders was an act itself that is hard to believe went unpunished. In the court's eyes for some reason Corrigan since he claimed he was scared of John and had given information meant that he was allowed to walk free without any charges. In my personal opinion Bill Corrigan was using the system so that he could not only get away with his involvement in the murders of innocent woman but also that he could gain financial stability and have his other criminal action against the hotel he had worked for in Saskatoon paid off. Corrigan had stolen money and had fled Saskatoon, but in order to come to Saskatoon and get rid of his police warrant meant that he had to pay back the hotel so he could be in Saskatoon and not get into trouble with the police.  The money Corrigan had stolen was paid by the Saskatoon police force. It is a sickening fact that taxpayer money went to pay back a crime that Bill had done by himself just so that he may or may not at that time given information about John Crawford. At the time that Bill was giving information he was a wild card, he was a known criminal and had been a suspect in the murders of the three woman. In the case of a murder of Janet Sylvestre both John and Bill were suspects. In Janet’s murder Bill’s story about his whereabouts had changed, one moment he claimed he was in Saskatoon which was proved by police records of him arriving in Saskatoon that night or the night before, to Bill claiming he wasn’t in Saskatoon the night of Janet’s murder. Because of his ever changing story Bill nor John were ever charged with Janet’s murder even though in the past John had raped Janet.

The involvement of the murders of innocent woman had gone unsolved for years after their passing because of the lack of action of a witness who chose to run from the law instead of bringing clarity of peace and knowledge for the families of those that he watched get murdered by his best friend. Bill Corrigan was a coward that hide behind taxpayer money and should have been charged for his involvement in the infamous Saskatoon murders.

Things Change While Away

Away overseas everything is so much different. Everything is different and people will think nothing changes at home but it has. So much changes during time for everyone. When Xavier and Elijah go back in their memories they relive all their best times in live. It's something people like to do, go back and see something better than what they are in real time. All people do this at times. but Xavier and Elijah come back to nothing. Their auntie even changed a bunch. So much can change in such a little time.

Is it sexism or racism and how is it portrayed in just another indian?

Throughout the whole book there was extreme sexism and racism. However nobody really pays attention to it, it's always ignored or people focus on the outlook of racism more. Why Chapter 11 shows alot of how the police who are supposed to do everything in their power to protect, did very little. They were supposed to protect a young girl from being raped, but failed to do so. The reason for this was, because the police were more focused on the criminal running away then protecting young girls. It may be the police best interest to catch a bad guy, instead of letting young women know so the rapist runs, but it shouldn't be. In my opinion it's not right to not tell women (I feel like they didn't, because maybe they were sticking with society norms. Also going against the whole thing that "dark skin people should be treated different, because of their color" could bring up trouble.) Just because a priority is to just catch the guy and help everyone, doesn't mean you put people in danger. As a police man first you should warn the people of their community and serve and protect.

Reading that they wouldn't warn someone her life is in danger was heartbreaking... I know it would be different if they were white. White is just a color. It shouldn't define who you are or how you are treated. When it comes to the court and government system I believe that's  what messes up alot of cases, and that's the reason for alot of unfinished cases also. (Just because of how people feel about colored skin in their work place. Making ruling change to suit and make them happy.) "You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “Vanity,” thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for you own pleasure."

All time low

Theo Fleury had many tools he used for dealing with the problems of his past. The tools were sex, gambling, alcohol and drugs. Theo would go out almost every night and party, drink, sleep around, and do drugs to the point where it was a normal routine for him. Theo’s drug use reached an all time high at the end of Page 171-173. Theo and the guys from his team were out at a bar they usually go to when he thought “Fuck, I need some coke” (Pg 171). Theo started talking to a man at the bar and was able to get himself some, out of respect for the guys on the team he waited for them to head back before he started indulging in his addiction. The next day when he got home, he was sitting on the floor playing with Beaux when he jumped up and started pacing. Theo though “i have finally accomplished what i have wanted to accomplish for a long time. I am going to die.” (Pg 172). It turns out Theo had overdosed on crystal methamphetamine. In my opinion this is one of the all time lows you see Theo get to in the book and during his life. Do you think that death is really what he wanted? Or that it was just an in the moment type of feeling?

Starting from Scratch?

A big part of the book “Playing with Fire” is when Theo after having a seven hour fight with Jenn decides he is done. He decides that he will quit drinking and quit doing drugs. He decides to go sober and Jenn joins him in the process. After he decides to go sober he is planning to make a comeback to the NHL. This is the turning point in Theo’s life. He ends up making it to the tryout camp for the Calgary Flames. I feel this wraps up one of the main themes in the book which is never give up. I think this finishes this theme off because Theo never gave up when he didn’t make the NHL the first time,  or when he go kicked out of the NHL. He never gave up hockey even when he was out of the NHL he played on small teams and european teams until he finally was able to decide to get his shit together and fix his life. (Page 304) “ Finally, I went to bed and woke up the next morning feeling different. Really different. I went back into the bathroom and looked at myself in the big mirror and said, “Holy shit - it’s gone!” Jenn was sleeping, and i stood over the bed and said, “I’m done.” she rolled over and opened her eyes and said, “Done? With what? With our relationship?” “No,” I said. “I’m done drinking.” Jenn played an important part in fixing his life because she offered him things that he never had in his other relationships like support and care. Do you think that a loved one could impact you in such a way if you were stuck on drinking and drugs?

~Braydon

The Possible Biggest Impact

"The last time I saw Terence was the night out in Brandon." (pg.94) This is the section that hit a little hard. We learn that Jordin's brother committed suicide after a night out of drinking. He left Jordin a note with a few words that seem to stick with Jordin throughout the book and really make him the man he wants to become. Could you even possibly imagine that, the last night you get to spend with your brother is one you can barely remember because you were so plastered. The thing I take away from this event is not that "suicide is selfish" because I do not believe that that is what should be taken away from this. I think what really needs to be taken away from Jordin sharing this part of his life with us, is that yes, it did affect him but he did not let it destroy him. Jordin took away from this tragedy that his brother wanted him to be better, not to fail but to succeed. Pervious to this chapter, was an inference into Jordin and his families home life, so booze, lots of drinking, and more booze. Jordin fights his dad and establishes some standing. Like hey I may be your kid but you cannot treat me like shit cause you are unhappy. Even though the two chapters timelines do not seem to coincide with each other i think these have the biggest impact on each other. It shows Jordin's issue with booze and the foreshadowing of a downhill spiral. Suicide, going back to that, is not something to be taken lightly because it lets battles out that one possibly never thought existed, and i think that knowing out his brother had so many inner demons, Jordi wanted to push past and be a better man, for himself and to make his brother proud.

resume of a sex-serial murderer

Characteristics of a sex-serial murderer:

-over 90% of them are white males.

-their families often have criminal, psychiatric, and alcoholic histories.

-they are commonly abused--psychologically, physically, and sexually--as children. Sometimes, the abuser is a stranger. Sometimes, it is a friend. Often, it is a family member.

-many of them have spent time in institutions as children and have records of early psychiatric problems

-they have a high rate of suicide attempts.

I would like to talk about how these things would affect someone and make them have the mind of a sex-serial murderer.

The fact that 90% of sex-serial murderers are white males, means that privilege has nothing to do with it. Even though they rank high in society with gender and race doesn’t make them any better of people. I think that most killers are white males because of the fact that the abuse and addiction is hidden, no one knows what's happening to them behind closed doors. Therefor when they finally break free of what's happening they take it out in outrageous ways such as rape and murder.

In this story John Crawford is a white male. He is also a sex-serial murderer. Making him fit in with the majority of sex-serial murderers.

Being abused psychologically, physically and sexually, as children would make someone have the tendencies to become a sex-serial murderer because it would affect their mental state and make them not as stable and more vulnerable to violent acts on impulse.

Sex-serial murderers have a high suicide rate probably because the weight of killing another human being is too much for their minds too take, and they can’t stand the guilt. Maybe they are not guilty at all. They just have no compassion for humans and don’t even care about themselves, so they get tired and just die.

These are some things that make up a sex-serial murderer, i beleive these characteristics apply to both John Crawford and Bill Corrigan in this novel.

Don't Quit Before the Miracle

Should Theo had another shot at playing in the NHL? Towards the end of the book Theo is on an intense training and diet program so that he can return to the NHL and make a comeback. He goes to the training camp the Calgary Flames have invited him to and he is in the best shape of his life but nobody really cares because in the competitive game of hockey you have to prove yourself through your performance not how you look. So he performs in testing 11 out of 56 better than he performed when he was younger, he was performing good in games, the fans all over the league were cheering for him. In a preseason game he scored the gaming winning goal in shootout. You might think that he's actually gonna get a chance to play in the actual season. But he comes back to Calgary goes to the rink and ends up leaving frustrating and confused because he was let go from the team. Theo was clean, and in the best shape of his life. But unfortunately i think age was an issue. He had been through so much in his life and overcame it all. But after awhile he came to realise that he was done, he was able to relax not worry about the game and to be there for his children. He ends his NHL career with "Don't quit before the miracle." page 330. Theo left everything on the ice, and he always performed to the best of hs ability always trying to prove himself to others and almost always succeeding.

The Drugs and Booze Will Show The Way

In "Playing With Fire" Theo Fleury now is out of the Nhl and has given up on the NHL and now does about two thousand dollars of Drugs every week and doesn't worry about his kids or anyone. Theo then tried killing himself on page two eighty-two "I grabbed the bullet loaded the gun and jammed it in my mouth.I don't know -maybe if I'd had it ready and didn't have to take the time to load the bullet in the chamber,I might have gone through with it.But once the barrel was rattling off my teeth and my finger was on the trigger,I'd cooled off just enough to hesitate." Then Theo ran outside and threw the gun in the bush and decided that he needs to sober up and clean and get all his relationships with his family. Theo puts the house in Santa Fe for sale and leaves to Calgary to go and get his clean life and face his problems. But when Theo came back to Calgary he partied hard for three years and did about fifteen pounds of Coke. Later he meets Jen and they get together and decide that he needs to clean up and both of them stop drinking and drugs so Theo can forget about that life. Then a great new beginning happens for for Theo Fleury but if you want to know next you will have to read "Playing with Fire".

The Pain of Partying and Drinking

During the 2007-2008 NHL season Jordin Tootoo and the country singer Kellie Pickler had an intimate relationship. This relationship went well for a little while and things really seemed to be going his way however the problems that plagued Jordin's life once again came and plagued their relationship. The drinking and the partying plagued how much time Jordin and Kellie actually spent together and the health of their relationship. Furthermore Jordin's desire to fill the hole that Terence left when he committed suicide finished off their relationship. Jordin filled the whole Terence left with other women and this was the final straw in there relationship and it ended a few months after Kellie found out that Jordin was cheating on her. As a result of this and the break up Kellie made a music video and a song about him called "Best Days of your Life" and in the music video a gentleman whom looks strikingly similar to Jordin Tootoo gets hit by a bus. The image of Jordin Tootoo getting hit by a bus can be strongly related back to Jordins life. It is extremely relatable to Jordins life as the bus is the drinking, partying and the pain f Terence's death that kept hitting him and hurting him every single day of his life. While the bus did not kill him as he was a bit tougher than it if he would not have cleaned himself up and he would not have made peace with Terence's suicide than the bus would have kept hitting him everyday and it would have killed him eventually. However Jordin learned to avoid and stop the bus of partying and drinking and random women and eventually stopped the bus that could have killed him and ended his NHL career for good.

Just another indian overall thought

Finishing just another indian was very sad, to be honest I highly recommend this book. This book is an easy read, it is based on a true story, of the unfortunate killing of native women. Overall the book is disturbing, but has an awesome look of events that slowly unfold during the reading. As the book starts to unfold you learn that this is one of Canada's most prolific serial killers. For this book being based in Saskatoon, and a true story I don't understand why it wasn't covered by media all over the world. I feel as a Canadian I know we talk about rapes and murders alot, so I wonder why very few Canadians don't know about this. Is it because the story is about native women, or were they trying to not let such a gruesome crime be known by everyone. I  recommend this book highly to anyone who likes to know about murders and how they end, or to anyone who wants a good read.

I think this book was very informative in an academic way, because it teaches you that in the world there isn't just all happiness there are bad parts and some people don't care. Just another indian is disturbing, because of the way the women are killed and how each story is told in detail. The story just becomes very disturbing by the end of it. 

Just Because I Have a Dark Past Doesn't Mean my Future Isint Bright

        Jordin has been through a lot in his life including growing up with alcoholic abusing parents and dealing with his brothers suicide. He has pushed through a lot, been through a lot and most of it he has been through alone. Jordan's past is dark, he has shadows and demons that haunt him; and there are things he wishes he could change. There are things he knows he could have changed to have done better.
However the most important thing I believe about Jordin is he is genuinely a good guy. He doesn't hold bitter resentment towards anyone that's done him wrong and he doesn't dwell on changing the past because he knows that he can't. He went to rehab and he bettered himself because he had to, but also because he wanted to, because he knew he was heading for a dark place. Jordin said “the process of apologizing to all of the people I hurt took almost two full years.” This shows us who Jordin really is, he was completely and fully committed to bettering himself after rehab. Most people would never take the time to apologize to so many people, they would forget and move on. However Jordin knew he could not move on because he would still have that dark past weighting him down. The fact of the matter is Jordin has been through a lot of hard things, but he isn’t letting them affect him anymore. He has moved on and become a better person and will continue to become a better person, not a dark person or hurtful person because he has been that person long enough.

Day 2 of The Three Day Road

Xavier and Elijah are close like brothers, inseparable. They have been close ever since they were children and not even wa can change that. They become even closer as Xavier has to rely on Elijah’s english to talk to other people. They both attended residential schools but Elijah was in the schools much longer than Xavier was. Xavier is much more of a traditional indian, close to nature and more spiritual. Xavier taught Elijah everything he knows about hunting and the cree way. Elijah taught Xavier everything he knows about the English language. This creates a strong between the two which helps them through the war. Xavier is much different from Elijah, Elijah has a stronger sense of right and wrong. Elijah grew up with little to no parent presents, just the nuns that took “care” of the children in the schools. Elijah has a darker personality than Xavier does. He probably picked up the dark side from being in the schools for so many years. All the abuse and anger has turned Elijah into a killer and something darker. Xavier and Elijah have started to go out on their own, together. To work on their sniping skills, Xavier will spot for Elijah. Elijah has done all the killing so far and his fame as a sniper has grown greatly. However Xavier feels like he should be getting some of the praise too because they are a team. Xavier becomes jealous of Elijah and his fame, after all Xavier is the better marksman. Everyone calls Xavier by his nickname X, X marks the spot.

What is the other side of the story?

Now that we have look at one side we need to look at the other. The "white persons'" side is quite different from the First Nation point of view. The families of the victims somewhat blame the police (the Whitman's justice system)  for their losses but also for not knowing what happened to their family members because of the police telling them they could't tell them anything and not looking in to things when their family came distressed to them.

One example of this was with Calinda Waterhen  her father kept going to the police asking if they knew what happen to his daughter and maybe look into in but they told him they couldn't do anything and they knew that her health card was being used, this was in the spring of 1993. About 2 years later Steve Morningchild (Calinda Waterhen's father) had a RMCP officer at his door. this is what happen (according to the book. " "I want too talk to you outside " the officer said. Morningchild followed him out to his police cruiser. "I'm sorry to inform you that your daughter is one of the women whose body was found down near Saskatoon," the officer said.

"I started screaming at hime," Steve remembers. "I wanted to get out of the car and beat the shit out of him. They lied to me all this time. Why didn't they look into it when I asked them?"" pg 106

 This was minor in my opinion compared to  Eva Taysup's family's experience. Her parent got a call one night from her and she was scared and wanted to see them right away but her parent couldn't get to Saskatoon for two weeks, when they got their she was no where to be found. Her family issued a missing persons report may times but no public annulment was made. The family was losing hope but 2 year later they could out what happen to her but Bev (Eva's sister) states this "I already had a negative attitude toward white people,"..."Growing up in a little town, I ran into a lot of prejudiced people. I've been called squaw lots of times. It kind of grew to the point where I have anger toward white people in general. After this happened to Eva my anger grew, even though I know you can't blame a whole race for the actions of one man." pg 113

It is not hard to see why these people have hostility two "White people" and the justice system after reading this book and knowing about their experiences. There is always multiple sides to one story but this side is the saddest of them. 

Theos Recovery

 The conflict of Theos player development becomes very relevant when he starts to get help with his substance abuse and tries to turn his life around. Theo had a rough time in Santa Fe trying to get sober his wife wasn't there to support him because she didn't like the dessert which all Theo did was want to rebuild his relationship with his family but his wife was to stuck into the  materialistic life he was afraid his wife would get caught up in. Theo had a 2nd wind of motivation when he got a call from Gretzky asking him to be part of the Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Team in 2002. He wanted to prove himself after being embarrassed and being pulled out of the commission. He went to the 4 day mini camp for the tam and his team mates were ecstatic when they saw him" Al MacInnis was there and Joe Nieuwendyk, all those guys, and they said, Holy fuck, man! What have you been doing?" I think that the feedback he got from his team mates would have been a real motivator for Theo to do even better, perform better, and have a better mentality towards the game. Do you think that Theo's wife leaving him was a major setback?

Three Day Road

The book The Three Day road will get you thinking about deeply about the conditions people had to fight in.The overall conditions that Xavier and Elijah have to fight in are horrific. It's safe to say that Xavier has come back from war with severe PTSD. Xavier lost a lot while he was gone to war, he lost Elijah and his left leg. He has become addicted to morphine by trying to escape the pain he is in. Xavier’s auntie is trying to get Xavier home, they paddle down the river. When Xavier isn’t on his morphine his auntie tells hims stories of her youth and how she became the person she is currently. Xavier’s auntie is telling Xavier all of theses stories as a way of teaching Xavier a lesson. She can see that Xavier is very ille and she knows that the morphine is what is “poisoning” Xavier. Xavier never used to be addicted to morphine not until the war. Xavier uses the morphine to escape the pain he suffers from the war. He also uses the morphine to bring back good memories of the war and his friends. Xavier tells of his time in the war in first person but the stories of the wa are only memories of the past. Most of the book takes places in these memories. The author brings the story back to the three days that Xavier is in the canoe with his auntie. While there his Auntie tells him stories of her youth as a way of explaining to Xavier not to give up. The way the author has Xavier looking back on the war and then looking back to other parts of his, life gives the book a unique feel and makes it interesting.

Deeper Inside?

After Theo Fleury was ejected from the NHL for substance abuse he was put in a rehab centre called Cottonwood in Arizona. The drug and substance abuse program contract required Theo to get a sponsor to show he had improved, on page 227 Theo convinced a random guy to agree to do it although he didn't have to try hard because his fame kicked in right away.("Well hi, I'm Theo Fleury." He fuckin' lost it! He said, "I read about you! This is where you are? You're here!") After he is released from the program he doesn’t seem to drift away from his sponsor. They hang out and go golfing almost every weekend until a few weeks later he just moves and ditches him which brings in my thought possibly Theo having a darker inside. It makes me think that possibly Theo uses people for his own advantage to get back into the NHL and get his pay so he can actually go out and party more and drink more. This is easily be done by Theo because he has such fame people will fall for him because he has money and if they have a chance to get some money they will more than likely hop on. This could be a coincidence but I am leaving you with the question, do you think Theo has a darker inside and uses people for his own gains?

~Braydon