Carmen Peone’s novel Girl Warrior shows what determination and grit can do in the face of bullies and hard decisions.
Charnaye Toulou lives on the Colville Reservation in eastern Washington. She’s a high school senior now and has much to look forward to. Her family has had a hard time since her father was in a car accident which left him paraplegic. Charnaye’s mother, a teacher, is the only wage-earner in the family and they’ve had a hard time managing their ranch and household expenses.
Although Charnaye is a good student, her time at school is riddled with anxiety. Hagen, a bully, is relentless in his jibes about her dream of competing in the Omak Stampede’s Suicide Race. True, girls usually don’t participate in this rugged competition. The races, held over a four-day period, are tough on horses and riders, to say nothing of the grueling training required. Many of the participants, including Charnaye, are Natives and the race traditionally has been a male-only event, although there have been women competitors, including her grandmother.
Charnaye also competes in archery. If she wins the competition in that, she might earn enough money to help pay household and medical expenses. But if she could win the big event, the Suicide Race, she could earn a big cash prize.
Charnaye is nearly overwhelmed as tension builds with her school work, end-of-year senior activities, cruel bullying tactics, and her looming competitions. And to top it off, her dream of competing in the Suicide Race is dependent on somehow acquiring a horse that is up to the task. Her own horse, though reliable, is not sturdy enough to participate in that grueling race.
Girl Warrior is highly suspenseful and loaded with Native folklore and interesting facts about the Suicide Race. The novel aptly describes the angst many teens experience as they are about to enter the adult world.