A powerful and difficult tale of withdrawal, self-discovery, and overcoming trauma, this is the life story of Saul Indian Horse, of the northern Ojibway. It is a book about hockey, but it's not about hockey: As a young orphan in 1960s Canada, he faces alienation from his own culture while growing up in a Fist Nation residential school – state-sponsored institutions administered by Christian churches to strip Indigenous children from their heritage – "to kill the Indian in the child". Learning about hockey from a pastor he soon becomes close with, he finds solace in this strangely fascinating sport, quickly recognizing his own talent in this game of speed and power. First wide-eyed steps turn into an eagerness to prove himself, even though White Men consider it "their game". Soon thereafter, Saul starts to battle with feelings of estrangement and anger – emotions which are only in part caused by a disillusionment with hockey.

Remarkably nuanced in emotion and self-reflection, Saul's remembrances are also an adventure – for himself – to a time long past, trying to re-forge missing links to both his ancestral culture and innocence that he was robbed of at a young age. Heartbreaking but eventually uplifting in an unexpected way, this important work gracefully binds sober reflection and analysis of a tragic era with an absorbing, beautiful narrative.