Three Day Road

by Joseph Boyden

Xavier Bird and Elijah Whiskeyjack are Cree Indians from Canada who serve as snipers on the battlefields of France in World War I. Xavier is sickened by the killing he is forced to do, but Elijah--high on morphine--finds himself perversely enjoying his role: an addiction to death that threatens his sanity. Then an incident charged with violence and betrayal leads to the end of their long friendship. Back home after the war, the pain of Xavier's wounds--including an amputated leg--have led him to his own problem with morphine. His devoted aunt, Niska, a Cree woman who has never wavered from their traditional culture, tries to helps him to come to terms with his war experiences and to draw on the strength of his people to bring him back from the brink. THREE DAY ROAD is a powerful story with the ring of complete authenticity; it is based on the true exploits of a famous Indian World War I hero, Francis Pegahmagabow.

Editions of Three Day Road

	ISBN 9780143037071	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Penguin Group USA	Date 2006	Price $1.50	Used - Like New
	ISBN 9780670034314	Binding/Format Hardcover	Publisher Penguin Group USA	Date 2005	Price $1.00	Good

Publisher Notes

The nephew of a Canadian Oji-Cree who is the last of a line of healers and diviners, Cree reserve student Xavier enlists in the military during World War I, a conflict throughout which he and his friend, Elijah, are marginalized for their appearances, their culturally enhanced marksmanship, and their disparate views of the war.

Media Reviews

"[A] powerful tale of two young men numbed by the horrors and brutality of trench warfare. Boyden vividly portrays the chaos, fear, cowardice and courage of infantrymen condemned to wallow in the mud and blood of the Western Front....[A] remarkable, wrenching novel, the work of a gifted storyteller."

First Line

We walk through the snow, follow the trail out to our traplines by the willows. I lead, sleepy. Bitter air. Sharp in the lungs. Elijah walks in my tracks. The sun is coming.

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