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Avenue of Champions
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
7 posts | 3 read | 3 to read
Daniel is a young Métis man searching for a way to exist in a world of lateral violence, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism. Facing obstacles of his own at every turn, he observes and learns from the lived realities of his family members, friends, teachers and lovers. He finds hope in the inherent connection of Indigenous Peopls to the land, and the permanence of culture, language and ceremony in the face of displacement. Set in Edmonton, this story considers Indigenous youth in relation to the urban constructs and colonial spaces in which they survive—from violence, whitewashing, trauma and racism to language revitalization, relationships with Elders, restaking land claims and ultimately, triumph. Based on Papaschase and Métis oral histories and lived experience, Conor Kerr’s debut novel will not soon be forgotten.
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review
Penny_LiteraryHoarders
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
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Pickpick

I fully expect to see this thought provoking collection of interconnected stories on the #Giller Shortlist. #ShadowGiller @Lindy

Lindy I don‘t know. It‘s definitely got some bumpy first novel awkwardness, yet there‘s an emotional honesty that really shines. I will be happy if it makes the shortlist but I‘m not sure it will. 2y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @Lindy I agree with you on the first novel awkwardness for sure Lindy! I liked the characters, and again it was the ending made it stand out for me. I mean, I‘ve only read 3 or 4 from the Longlist so who knows! I have to look again at the full Longlist, but I wouldn‘t be disappointed to see this one advance. 2y
28 likes2 comments
blurb
Penny_LiteraryHoarders
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
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Up next for my #ShadowGiller reading. @Lindy

Lindy Awesome! 2y
24 likes1 comment
review
Lindy
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
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Pickpick

A moving tale, told in interconnected short stories, about a Métis man growing up in an Edmonton neighbourhood where he is surrounded by Indigenous community & also all of the ills of colonialism. Daniel‘s relationship with his grandmother (edible marijuana baker extraordinaire) is wonderfully portrayed. Her ancestry includes the Papaschase, a Cree nation that formerly occupied much of south Edmonton & was illegally cheated of their home.

36 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Lindy
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
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Another collection of Tim Hortons references has been assembled on my blog. Check it out for a broad sample of Canadian writing:

https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2022/07/samples-of-recent-canadian-writing-via....

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Lindy
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
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When she looked at Charlie she saw a younger version of Grandpa. Stubborn, hardened to the world, a man who belonged in the early 1800s hunting bison on the Prairies with the Métis. But the two of them were stuck in a city that didn‘t recognize Métis men & how they moved across the landscape, & the Métis men didn‘t recognize the authority of people who came to boss them around on a land where their ancestors had hunted bison since time immemorial.

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Lindy
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
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He laughed and took a swig from his pint now that the pour had settled. He hadn‘t had a sip of booze since his accident and the first sip now made him think of one of the first times he ever drank a beer. Probably back when he was 10 or 11 years old, and they all seemed to have this unique carbonated taste that he couldn‘t get enough of, even back then.

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Kazzie
Avenue of Champions | Conor Kerr
Pickpick

This was one of the best books I‘ve read in a long time. What honest, funny, sad tale of family and friendship. True and necessary reading for any settlers in Edmonton and Alberta