Welcome to Litsy!

Watt-Cloutier is an amazing woman but honestly, this a slog to get through. The early chapters covering childhood and the bit after her time in politics were more narrative in nature but the political years are very factual streams of meetings and organizations with very little colour or emotion. So it was dry, often hard to follow (because of acronyms) and sadly, boring.

Roll 40 for #Roll100 and Book 3/4 for #JoysOfJune

This was good. I expected more of the environmental aspect in the book. I ended up enjoying the biographical part of the book best. Much of the 2nd half of the book included her travels to various conferences and counsels to tell the story of the Inuit to put a “human face” on the environmental crisis in the Arctic. Surprising to me, I just didn‘t find that part as interesting. Overall, though, I liked it.

“The testimony of Inuit who watched the dog slaughter unfold is harrowing. Some men had come in from outpost camps and watched as their only means of transport, their only way to get back to their families, was destroyed before their eyes. Others said that they were preparing to go hunting, and their dogs were shot and killed as they stood harnessed to the sleds.”
(Siila Watt-Cloutier gave a public lecture in Edmonton today.)

I want to like this! She talks about important issues that I care deeply about. So far, there have been a few gems (consisting of a paragraph here and there) and lots of yawning

I wanted to like this more than I did. Watt-Cloutier's actual life story is interesting, particularly in terms of cultural change, but the discussions of all the climate change meetings really dragged. I also found her narrative style to be too full of digressions (or rather not elegantly managed digressions).

Scary!

A definition of the Inuktitut word "ilira".

#bookandbreakfast, Pret a Manger edition. Porridge and green tea+peach 😊

Email from hometown library: The ebook you placed a hold on is now available!
Me: Bwuh? What did I request?
*opens email*
Me: Oh, that one!

(This scene plays out pretty much every time I request an item from my hometown library)

I can't remember reading a more informative book. Ignore the low Litsy rating because The Right to be Cold should be read by every Canadian. There is a lot of politics in the book but don't let that deter you! I learned so much about Inuit culture and as a teacher, Sheila's journey from educator to politician fascinated me. Check out my quotes from this book to learn more.

#90sinjuly #iceicebaby
Books from two very cold parts of the world! My wonderful home country of Canada, and Scandinavia. Scandinavian thrillers are some of my favourites!

@Cinfhen @Robothugs

Our hunters--in fact, any of us who survived on the land--were scientists themselves. Our hunters and elders were carefully observing nature. They were finely attuned to small changes. They knew what to look for. They were experts because they had to be: their daily survival on the land and ice depended on it. As Maurice Strong had observed, if you wanted to learn about the environment, there were no better teachers than the Inuit.

The shock of it all loosens up everything that needs attention and puts you on a fast track to heal intergenerational wounds. For the next few years, I looked inward, honouring how my lost loved ones had been a gift to me while they were living, and a source of perspective as I grieved their passing. My losses helped me recognize my life's calling and built my character, leading me courage leading up to my future work.

Was unable to get into it.

I am in a very long hold line for The Right to Be Cold (both print and ebook), so I will probably not be able to read it before the lecture by Sheila Watt-Cloutier I am attending in May. Her lecture is part of the Alex Trebek Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of Ottawa. I imagine the lecture will be just as thought-provoking as the book.
#aprilbookshowers day 16

This got me interested in Googling more on #battleofthebooks as a reading challenge between libraries and schools. The hosting CBC Canada has a great list of new Canadian reads. 🇨🇦 http://www.cbc.ca/books/mobile/touch/springbooks2017/index.html

About to start my 4/5 #CanadaReads. Curious to read this memoir and discover a new perspective on the coldest reaches of my homeland. 🇨🇦

The Canada reads finalists are announced! http://www.cbc.ca/books/2017/01/meet-the-canada-reads-2017-contenders.html I am not Canadian, but what a concept! Get the country to read Canadian authors and then debate the merits of the book. Fantastic!

I'm not really #dreamingofawarmerclimate this winter. I've actually been enjoying the snow and ice storms we've been having this year because it's much closer to what I experienced as a kid. I remember winters being significantly colder and harsher here than the mild ones we've been having within the last decade or so. Although I'm definitely not #dreamingofacolderclimate either, it's cold enough! #readjanuary

Picked up a couple books from the #CanadaReads 2017 long list before heading back to the US tomorrow.

this is a hard book for me to rate because while I mostly enjoyed reading it & found the material discussed - her personal experiences, Innuit culture/community at large, and the linking of climate change as a human rights issue - really necessary & important, I didn't love it like I expected to & felt the narrative got bogged down in places with excessive details or side stories. still am important read so I'm rounding up my rating to 🌟🌟🌟🌟

planning on starting this one today 📖

An Arctic reading list!