An autobiography for ages 9-13, ‘Fatty Legs” tells the story of Olemaun (Margaret), an Inuit girl from the north Arctic. The story describes her blissful childhood growing up on an Arctic island and then being brought to a residential school where she was treated very poorly by the nuns there. She had hoped to learn to read and write and convinced her parents to let her go. Reluctantly, they finally gave in. However, the school was nothing like Margaret (they gave her a Christian name once she arrived) had hoped it would be. Bullied and made to do daily manual labor, Margaret longed to return to her home. One nun in particular (nicknamed the Raven) was pointedly extra cruel to her. She wrote the book with her daughter-in-law. ‘Fatty Legs’ is a window on a hidden world not much recorded. I believe there is a sequel.
