Gitz Crazyboy, Secret of the Stars (2017)

[asri]

Secret of the Stars (published in 2017 by The Connection/ eaglespeaker.com) is a novel about a young man‘s journey. The author, Gitz Crazyboy, is a Canadian youth educator, activist and writer. He is both Dene and Blackfoot. The story is told in first person, and I am not sure how much of it is autobiographical – the dedication and occasional remarks addressed to someone who plays some part in the story only strengthen this impression.

The book is about 110 pages long, bound in softcover. The layout is clean and pleasing to read. The table of contents has numbered the chapters, but does not give page numbers, which feels like an odd choice. The cover image by Alyssa M. General is wonderful; it fits the feel of the book perfectly. I was disappointed by the editing, though. Errors regarding spelling or sentence structure are rare, but punctuation errors occur throughout the book.

What is the story about?
A boy sees four stars falling from the sky. Growing up, he finds them one by one and learns the truths they hold for him. The spiritual journey weaves through both the waking world and through dreams. It is informed by Native American culture, but at its root dwell universal human topics: Family, Home, Trust, and Love. Crazyboy guides us through his story with a sense of clarity and pace that never fails. The mundane and the magical sit peacefully side by side as he tells us of storms and spirits, love and loss, and of help and lessons from unexpected teachers young and ancient.

The writing is great, the story is entertaining and touching. Want to reconnect with your humanity, your search for yourself, or follow along on a journey full of wonders? Read Secret of the Stars.

 ISBN: 978-1543195071