Beginnings: The Homeward Journey of Donovan Manypenny
is the story of Donovan Manypenny. Raised by his grandparents on a northern Wisconsin Ojibwe reservation until their passing when he is ten years old, he becomes a ward of the state of Wisconsin and enters the child welfare system – foster care, children’s home, and adoption. The trauma he experiences as a result of losing his grandparents and way of life leads him to put his past behind him for over forty-three years. Then at the age of fifty-three, events in his life take him back to his childhood home, retracing the historical westward migration of his Ojibwe ancestors. Heartfelt and bittersweet, and layered with meaning,
will resonate with anyone who longs to make the journey home, wherever that may be, as well those who seek or have experienced cultural or spiritual awakening, and healing.