CRC Information

My heart is on the ground book cover

NEG E99.7201RIN

My Heart Is on the Ground
Ann Rinaldi
Scholastic Inc.  NY, NY 1999

Pages 205

Grades: 5+

Rating:  Harmful 
Written in the form of a diary this book tells the tale of 12 year old Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux girl, during her life at a Pennsylvania boarding school in 1880.  The book is very popular with young readers, do to the wonderful binding and the seemingly authentic dairy look (and shows up on shelves of book fairs country wide); however the subtle derogatory verbiage, self-loathing actions of Nannie Little Rose, and the apparent "white privilege" perpetuates stereotypes and promotes racism.  The book also seems to plagiarize an authentic Native experience written by Shirley Sterling called My Name is Seepteeza.
 Marlette Grant-Jackson – ITEPP-CRC

More Resources

Review by Debbie Reese

My Name is Seepteeza

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