While the Locust Slept

By Peter Razor,

Book cover of While the Locust Slept: A Memoir

Book description

Through transcendent prose, an Ojibwe man chronicles his survival of abuse and bigotry at a state orphanage in the 1930s and the brutal farm indenture that followed.

In stark, haunting prose, first-time author Peter Razor recalls his early years as a ward of the State of Minnesota. Disclosing his story…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked While the Locust Slept as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In college I majored in American Indian Studies and became very familiar with the term “survivance”. First used by Anishinaabeg writer Gerald Vizenor, survivance, defined is survival that transcends victimhood, that resists generations of oppression, and carves meaning out of great pain.

Peter Razor embodies survivance in his autobiography, which recounts his childhood as a ward of the State of Minnesota in the 1930s. His story is one of many that shines a light on a dark period when many Native American children were taken from their homes and families, forced to uproot their identity and existence to the unforgiving…

Want books like While the Locust Slept?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 54 books like While the Locust Slept.

Browse books like While the Locust Slept

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Minnesota, child abuse, and the Ojibwe?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Minnesota, child abuse, and the Ojibwe.

Minnesota Explore 70 books about Minnesota
Child Abuse Explore 55 books about child abuse
The Ojibwe Explore 34 books about the Ojibwe