In this important graphic novel, two Aboriginal brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.

Highly, highly recommended!

The Outside Circle is a poignant exploration of the treatment of Aboriginal men and their incarceration, presented in an approachable graphic novel format. We so rarely see issues that the Aboriginal community faces in fiction that provides a lens of a wide and carefully researched worldview, but with this work, Patti Laboucane-Benson did just that. She has a PhD in human ecology, with a concentration in Aboriginal Family Resilience and that came to the forefront when describing the impact that Pete's experience in jail on his family.

The story then takes a turn and begins to describe how the family and community allowed Pete to explore his own healing after his incarceration. While the focus is definitely on resilience in this part of the book, it does not dilute the powerlessness that the system can have on the First Nations community.

Something else that really stood out to me was the artwork, done by Kelly Mellings. The illustrations involve a lot of the color red, which represented passion, rage, but also (to me) represented love and the blood ties that bind. I loved how she was able to portray the inner monologue of the main characters as well as including the importance of spiritual animals and spiritual traditions in the healing process.

A big thank you to House of Anansi for providing a copy to me - it's definitely something I will be revisiting in the future. 

By Joce

Many of the graphic novels I've read have turned out to be fun, light reads that have transported me to a different world and time. Sure, they may include some hard-hitting social issues and personal struggles beneath the narrative layers and illustrated frames, but never have they made me as uncomfortable in the reading process as "The Outside Circle" had. And when I say uncomfortable, I say it in the most respectful way. This graphic novel brings us, as Canadians, face front with something very important but usually ignored in Canadian society: the rights of the First Nations, the well-being and social position of the Aboriginal people, and the reconciliation of them with their heritage.

Patti LaBoucane-Benson doesn't shy away from the issues; they are in your face and clearly called out – racism, poverty, sexual and domestic abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, gang violence. Also, her many years research and being involved with the In Search of Your Warrior program, of which I've never heard of but am now in appreciation that it exists with well intentions and outcomes, gives her a clear voice as to what she wants to achieve with this story. It's a challenge to not ignore that discomfort while coming in contact with these matters ailing the First Nations community and our Canadian society, but to come from a place of open understanding, freely discuss and tackle these problems, and ultimately go beyond the invisible lines to lend a hand in finding a healing balance for the First Nations.

I've learnt a lot from "The Outside Circle", from the intergenerational pain of the Aboriginal people arising from a history of discrimination, to the physical and spiritual healing process through the In Search of Your Warrior program, sweat lodges and smudging. Going along with the theme of Canada Reads 2015, it being a graphic novel doesn't diminish any significance it has in breaking boundaries; it comes full circle on its own merits with the graphic presentation and what it has to say. 

                     By Chihoe Ho