"If I ever get out of here (if we ever get out of here)": Modelling "The Good Mind" In Eric Gansworth's If I Ever Get Out of Here

Abstract:Linking Young Adult (YA) literature scholarship with scholarship about the Haudenosaunee peoples of upstate New York, this article examines how specific tenets of Ga'nigöi:yoh (or "the Good Mind") can help individuals develop a sense of identity in relation to their families and friends. Focusing on the main character's relationship with his uncle, Albert, this article also contends that Eric Gansworth's If I Ever Get Out of Here exemplifies the definition of YA Indigenous literature asserted by Mandy Suhr-Sytsma, among others, because it balances common themes, like friendship and belonging, with nation-specific topics like "the Good Mind," the importance of wampum belts, and the phenomenon of Native enlistment in the US military. While a source of personal anguish and social isolation, Albert's military service ultimately helps him exemplify key practices of Ga'nigöi:yoh for his nephew, Lewis, who over the course of the novel develops an understanding of his role in his communities.