My Name Is Not Easy

My Name is Not Easy is a work of historical fiction that explores the story of marginalized Indigenous people in United States history.

When Alaska became a state in 1959, there were huge swaths of the state that were largely unsettled or had Native settlements that did not include schools. Native Alaskans were forced by the U.S. Government to accept the education of their children at distant boarding schools. The Bureau of Indian Affairs sometimes rant these schools. Because of its connection to funding from the United States government, BIA schools provided a specifically white American education, even though these schools were closer to home and community for Native Americans. However, various authorities forced students to go to boarding schools associated with religious organizations. These schools actively erased students’ culture, language, and identity. In the “Author’s Note” to My Name is Not Easy, Dahl Edwardson highlights the negative impact of these schools on the psyche of the Native American community.

The narrative of My Name is Not Easy features a story taken directly from an actual Alaskan boarding school for Native Americans. The Copper Valley School won a new school bus through a Betty Crocker coupon competition.