Indian Horse

Indian Horse Study Guide

Richard Wagamese published Indian Horse in 2012. A prolific and acclaimed author, Wagamese's Indian Horse is widely considered to be his best work.

The novel is narrated by Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibway youth who is forced into residential schools at an early age. Indian Horse deftly weaves together real historical detail, a coming-of-age narrative, and a rich account of the world of sports. It tells a grim story of institutional cruelty and individual bigotry while testifying to the power of community and the possibility of reclaiming one’s past.

Indian Horse was the recipient of the People’s Choice award in the national Canada Reads competition, and won the Burt Awards for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Literature. In 2017, it was adapted into a film of the same name.