"Re-Storying education," Roberts writes, "is a process of dismantling old narratives to rebuild and re-story new narratives to include historically silenced voices in education." This compelling guidebook on decolonizing Canada's educational system draws upon her own personal experiences as an Indigenous person within Canadian classrooms, both as teacher and student–she recalls the low expectations some teachers had of her, and her feelings of not quite belonging in school, all at a time when Indigenous students were dropping out of school at "a much higher rate than all other students." Roberts has devoted her career to helping students feel they belong, and here she presents the tools and resources designed to "re-story" or decolonize western pedagogies, while creating culturally responsive learning environments that "connect students to the society they live in."

Roberts begins by revealing some harsh truths about the current state of Canada's educational system—"built by one of the key designers of the Indian Residential School System"—and the genocidal laws and policies upon which it was founded. "My children are the first children in my family that have not been stolen from their parents by the government," she notes, before explaining the numerous ways this system, along with others, attempted to eradicate Indigenous people and their way of life. Roberts urges educators to "unlearn the colonial framework of education" to better support the needs of Indigenous students.

From cultural appropriation to racial-spotlighting and hidden biases, Roberts dives into the multitude of factors that create educational disparities in marginalized communities, while providing readers with sample lesson plans, suggested readings and playlists, and thought-provoking questions at the end of every chapter to encourage the deconstruction of deeply rooted Eurocentric mindsets and the cultivation of culturally responsive classrooms. This impassioned guide serves as a call-to-action for administrators and educators to develop a strong critical lens and actively decolonize the classroom. Written in relatable, inclusive language, Roberts encourages readers to reconnect with one another, the land, waterways, and community.

Takeaway: Compelling guide to dismantling outdated pedagogies to better serve Indigenous students.

Comparable Titles: Marie Battiste's Decolonizing Education, Jo Chrona's Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies.

Production grades Cover: B+ Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

Re-Storying Education is a paradigm-shifting educator's manifesto with guidance for including Indigenous knowledge, culture, and history in classrooms.

Longtime educator, administrator, and storyteller Carolyn Roberts builds upon Indigenous history, her own ancestry and experiences, and previous research in Re-Storying Education, a resource for educators at all levels who seek to support Indigenous students in a way that respects their culture and repairs harms.

Warm and inviting, the book begins with a "welcome" in lieu of an introduction. It introduces educators to "rebuild[ing] a relationship to education and to the stories we have been told." Drawing on Roberts's extensive background in K-12 public schools and preservice education, as well as legislation and legal concepts, research findings, and histories of harms to Indigenous people, its work is thorough. It devotes space to defining key terms, including colonization, historically silenced, and IBPOC, infusing them with real meaning to maximize understanding. And its chapters open with epigraphs, performance and music video playlists, and clear introductory paragraphs; they're well divided within and end with questions for reflection and resource lists. The book's claims are well cited throughout.

There's an autobiographical element to the book, which begins by explaining Roberts's ancestry, which is divvied up into terms of full and part "Indian Status" and the impact those categories had on individuals' cultures and rights. This work is done alongside a broadening history of settler harms to Indigenous people in Canada, including government systems intended to assimilate and erase Indigenous cultures, knowledge, and people, including residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, whereby white families were given Indigenous children to adopt. (Roberts was one of those children and writes, "My children are the first children in my family that have not been stolen from their parents by the government.")

The book takes care to show how this history plays out in classrooms and curricula—via identifying facts being hidden or missing in lessons, cultural appropriation, and the selection of classroom resources. Two themes weave throughout its recommendations, both drawing on the expertise of others: Verna Kirkness and Ray Barnhardt's inviting, supportive model of the four Rs within higher education (respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility), and Rudine Sims Bishop's image of mirrors and windows (the first reflecting the students' lives and the second as a view into the lives of others). Further, it prompts educators to come up with a "decolonization lesson plan" that builds upon their self-reflection, drawing on existing lesson plans and asking critical questions regarding whose stories they tell and what's missing from them.

Re-Storying Education is an accessible yet challenging teacher's resource that exposes entrenched harms to Indigenous students.