pickThere's no way I'm going to do this book justice in attempting to explain why it should be read.
This isn't about the quality of the writing, though it's staggering to recognize a young woman wrote this and conveyed such a strong feeling of being present at the moments of growing up, those early years of childhood innocence and joy, considering everything that came after, the brief moments of pure storytelling relaying family foibles, 1/?
“Dreams are so important in one's life, yet when followed blindly they can lead to the disintegration of one's soul.“ 💔
“I used to believe there was no worse sin in this country than to be poor.“
pickLost at Windy River is the amazing true story of the nine days the author‘s grandmother was lost by herself in the wilderness of Alberta in the 1940s. Isle was thirteen at the time and it was, of course, winter. She was incredibly resourceful and used Traditional Indigenous Knowledge to survive. This book is also an opportunity for her to reclaim and tell her own story after it became well known and was shared by someone else.
I meant to return four library books and borrow three, but I found the tagged memoir on the New Stuff display, and a short fiction collection, and then a couple plays jumped out at me (one of which, DRAGONFLY by Laura Rae, I accidentally put behind the other for this pic), and here I am with a STACK.
so-soFive generations of Metís women, how their lives intersect & separate, the cycle of family trauma, & the connection of life to earth.
Honestly, this was lovely to listen to, but occasionally so confusing I had to rewind several times. POVs of the women, bison, dogs, a car, the Earth itself made for an interesting, intense, inspiring, & very confusing read. This is not a book to listen to while trying to do other things.?????
pickThis book had a slow start for me. The first 1/3 of the book was fine, but I could take it or leave it. However, just wait because then it starts to get really funny. Laugh out loud funny. It‘s written like a bunch of short stories about Dawn‘s life. She gives you a clear idea of her character throughout the book so the traumatic events that happen end up making you laugh. She just has a hilarious way of looking at her life. I‘d recommend!
I've never encountered such a comprehensive overview of all the issues that can negatively impact Indigenous woman in one self-portrait, only to be floored by the same person's quiet resolve to work for the solace and improvement of her community, all while recognizing how many government programs have failed them, 2d
Campbell's new afterword is full of joy that there are so many examples of Indigenous art, writing, tradition-sharing, etc working towards decolonization. 2d
⚠️racism, misogyny, domestic abuse,child abuse, substance abuse, death in childbirth, death of a parent, SA, withdrawal, internalized racism, mental health concerns, generational trauma, self-harm, institutionalization, separation of children 2d