Walking in Two Worlds
Walking in Two Worlds
Bugz’s mom spoke up. “You’re walking in two worlds, Feng. Our Elders shared this teaching with us a long time ago. Walking in two worlds. One foot in the contemporary world and another foot in the traditional world. That’s what I tell the kids in our community. We need the traditional footing to tell us who we are and the contemporary footing to get along in this world. I don’t know what it’s like to be you, but I’m guessing it’s something like that. One foot in your culture, one foot in the mainstream. Does that make sense?”
Feng listened as Liumei translated.
“Frank, tell him about the Pipe and how it comes together,” Summer said.
“Right.” Bugz’s father shifted in his place. “We’ve been given the Pipe to pray with by the Creator. The bowl of the Pipe is from women, from the earth, and the stem of the Pipe is from men, from the tree that grows out of the earth. But when you put them together like we do with the Pipe in ceremony, they form something new, something more powerful than either one of them were on their own.” Frank paused for dramatic effect. “An Elder once told me you have to be like that. ‘Be the Pipe. Take the modern world and put it together with the traditional world and make something even more powerful than what was there before.’ That’s what she told me, and that’s what you have to do too.”
“That’s beautiful,” Liumei said from across the lodge, before turning and offering an interpretation to Feng.
Bugz’s mother studied Liumei. She turned to speak directly to Feng. “It’s not just a male and female thing. It’s about two ways of life, two modes of being. Whatever they are for you, you have to put them together to make something new and more powerful. Everyone used to talk about reconciliation. This is it. Bringing things together to make something better.”
Bugz appears to be two different people. In the real world, she is a somewhat shy and socially awkward Indigenous teen facing all of the usual challenges of teen life. However in the Floraverse virtual world, she is a proficient and talented gamer who is strong and fierce, ready to take on anything and anyone who stands in her way. Her counterpart in the novel is Feng, a Muslim Uighur who was ‘reeducated’ in his native China and was forced to flee his country and his family. Surprisingly, he ends up on the Rez to live with his Aunt Liumei. Like Bugz, he has a real world personality and quite a different ‘Versona in the ‘Verse.
Wab Kinew gives his young adult readers two very different teens who struggle with similar issues. Bugz’s fearless ‘Versona seeps into the real world on occasion and gives her confidence and strength to question important issues, such as the role of women in her Rez community. This feminist side is also evident in the virtual world as she takes on Clan:LESS, an all-male gang of gamers who refuse to accept the fact they might be dominated by “a girl”. These extremist views also dictate some of their actions in the real world of the Rez. So, as suggested by the title of the novel, there is an overlap and convergence of realty, AR, and VR throughout the book, and this complexity gives the plot its many layers and overtones. Readers will see worlds within worlds within worlds….if they make the effort to look closely at the characters and events of the story.
The friendship of Bugz and Feng changes, adapts and eventually becomes a strong relationship. There is frequently tension between them, and, in both the real and virtual worlds, there is often a lack of trust in one another. At one point in the novel, Bugz is certain that Feng has absolutely betrayed her. It takes work and effort to build and maintain a lasting rapport. Both teens grow and mature and learn how to give and take in order to make their connection stronger. Their personal efforts show the way to pursue reconciliation on a much grander scale.
Gamers and readers who enjoy action novels will thrive as they read about Bugz’s victories and defeats in the Floraverse which include plenty of battle scenes as well as supernatural beings which are there to support her. Young adult readers who enjoy drama will be interested in the Bugz’s relationship with Feng and his reasons for leaving China as well as her family dynamics. Bugz’s mother is a chief, and her father is a well-respected member of the community. Brother Waawaate is attractive and talented and doesn’t lack for female fans. Bugz, on the other hand, suffers from a lack of self-esteem and concern about her looks and her weight, and she must work hard to become strong and assured, something she achieves thanks, in part, to the support and care of her family.
Wab Kinew introduces his readers to many aspects of Indigenous culture and opens a window to a lifestyle and way of approaching the world which may seem quite different to many of his readers. The character of Bugz shows readers the importance of self-awareness and self-acceptance, of being proud of whom you are and being unafraid to show it. In his acknowledgements, the author points out a main takeaway of the novel: “Life is awesome and I hope we all live it to the fullest.” (p. 281).
Walking in Two Worlds is a novel which defies easy classification. The AR and VR elements give it a futuristic feel, and the many scenes of the Floraverse add a high tech sense to the book. Along with this adventure, there is drama, a coming-of-age story, and a glimpse of life as an Anishinaabe teen within her community. In other words, there is something to both entertain and educate any readers lucky enough to meet Bugz and Feng and to live and walk, even for a short time, in the two worlds in which they live.
Ann Ketcheson, a retired high school teacher-librarian and classroom teacher of English and French, lives in Ottawa, Ontario.