My Name Is Not Easy

Luke is coming to terms with his new name, Luke. He is about to leave his family to go to a Catholic school. He believes no one will know how to or care about pronouncing his Iñupiaq name. He is worried about boarding school because he does not know what the Catholics are like, and he is already starting to miss his beloved family. Luke is twelve years old, and he worries about his younger brothers Bunna, who is ten, and Isaac, who is six. The brothers are going to boarding school with him. Other kids they know are going to Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, but Luke’s mother believes that Sacred Heart School will give her sons a better education and more opportunity. Luke, his brothers, and another Iñupiaq boy named Amiq board a plane. As they fly away from home, Luke realizes that his home and life will never be the same.

Chickie grew up in Kotzebue, Alaska with an Eskimo community. For most of her life, she thought she was part of the tribe even though she had white skin and blue eyes.