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Reads for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30 is Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada: a day to mourn the Indigenous children lost to and abused in Canada’s residential school system, and a resounding call to know and action the 94 Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s report. These books, from personal memoirs to essays to novels to poetry collections, are a place to get started.
All Books in this Collection
Showing 33–48 of 85 results
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Liturgy of Savage No. 82
$20.00Originally from the community of Ekuanitshit (Mingan) in the Lower North Shore region of Quebec, Cousineau-Mollen was adopted at a very young age by an urban family as part of what is now known as the Sixties Scoop. Although Cousineau-Mollen did not grow up in an Indigenous community, her adoptive family maintained contact with her biological family, ensuring she remained connected to her culture and identity. Having faced adversity and rejection during her studies at Laval University due to her Indian Status, she has since worked to build and support community initiatives, through Aboriginal student associations and involvement in the Wolf Pack Street Patrol, for the Indigenous homeless people of Montreal. In The Liturgy of Savage No. 82, Cousineau-Mollen reclaims, honours, and makes space for herself and the rights of Indigenous women. A powerful and emotional poetry collection, The Liturgy of Savage No. 82 explores the realities facing Indigenous women in Canada and the emotional impact of homelessness, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism, all through a feminist lens as she considers the implications of femininity and identity in relation to the unceded land of her people.
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Mnidoo Bemaasing Bemaadiziwin
$24.00Mnidoo Bemaasing Bemaadiziwin is a twenty-five year research and community based book. It brings forward Indigenous thought, history, and acts of resistance as viewed through the survivors of residential school who through certain aspects of their young lives were able to persevere with resiliency, and share their life experiences, teaching us about them, and their understanding of their own resiliency. Through their voices, we hear how they found strength within?their own life force energy, or mnidoo bemaasing bemaadiziwin?and survived and thrived in spite of aggressive assimilation.
It became clear to Dr. Turmell that in their descriptions of resiliency, readers were describing mnidoo bemaasing bemaadiziwin?an innate and holistic energy that can be found within everyone. Mnidoo bemaasing bemaadiziwin manifests within all of our relations: land, animals, plants, ancestors, and other people, and cannot be extinguished but can be severely dampened as was evident in the attempt to assimilate residential school students. From their accounts, we learn that students found ways to nurture their life force energy through relationships and acts of resistance. As they?ve continued on their life path, they have reclaimed their spirit and today, they are telling their stories and keeping this history alive for the benefit of future generations.
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Moving Upstream
$24.95Following her critically acclaimed first collection of poetry, What Fox Knew, poet Mary Barnesb sophomore collection, Moving Upstream reveals a tempered grace. Barnes brings her Ojibwe roots to the fore and elegantly coaxes out the seemingly quiet world we often take for granted. In this masterful new collection, we are transported to place and time, to the heart and soul of the poetbs love for the natural world.
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My Indian
$16.95***2022 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS: APMA BEST ATLANTIC-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARD – SHORTLIST***
***2022 BMO WINTERSET AWARD – LONGLIST***
***2022-2023 HACKMATACK AWARD: ENGLISH FICTION – SHORTLIST***
***2022 IPPY AWARDS: MULTICULTURAL FICTION: JUV/YA – SILVER***
In 1822, William Epps Cormack sought the expertise of a guide who could lead him across Newfoundland in search of the last remaining Beothuk camps on the island. In his journals, Cormack refers to his guide only as “My Indian.”
Now, almost two hundred years later, Mi’sel Joe and Sheila O’Neill reclaim the story of Sylvester Joe, the Mi’kmaw guide engaged by Cormack. In a remarkable feat of historical fiction, My Indian follows Sylvester Joe from his birth (in what is now known as Miawpukek First Nation) and early life in his community to his journey across the island with Cormack. But will Sylvester Joe lead Cormack to the Beothuk, or will he protect the Beothuk and lead his colonial explorer away?
In rewriting the narrative of Cormack’s journey from the perspective of his Mi’kmaw guide, My Indian reclaims Sylvester Joe’s identity.
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My Privilege, My Responsibility
$24.95Finalist, Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction
Finalist, Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book
In September 2015, Sheila North was declared the Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), the first woman elected to the position. Known as a “bridge builder”, North is a member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation. North’s work in advocacy journalism, communications, and economic development harnessed her passion for drawing focus to systemic racism faced by Indigenous women and girls. She is the creator of the widely used hashtag #MMIW. In her memoir, Sheila North shares the stories of the events that shaped her, and the violence that nearly stood in the way of her achieving her dreams. Through perseverance and resilience, she not only survived, she flourished. -
Nauetakuan, a Silence for a Noise
$23.00Monica, a young woman studying art history in Montreal, has lost touch with her Innu roots. When an exhibition unexpectedly articulates a deep, intergenerational wound, she begins to search for stronger connections to her Indigeneity. A new friendship with Katherine, an Indigenous woman whose life is filled with culture and community, emphasizes for Monica the possibilities of turning from assimilation and toxic masculinity to something deeper and more universal.
Travelling across the continent, from Eastern Canada to Vancouver to Mexico City, Monica connects with other Indigenous artists and thinkers, learning about their traditional ways and the struggles of other Nations. Throughout these journeys, she is guided by visions of giant birds and ancestors that draw her back home to Pessamit. Reckonings with family and floods await, but amidst strange tides, she reconnects to her language, Innu-aimun, and her people.
A timely, riveting story of reclamation, matriarchies, and the healing power of traditional teachings, Nauetakuan, a silence for a noise affirms how reconnecting to lineage and community can transform Indigenous futures.
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On Thin Ice
In the thriller On Thin Ice, an Indigenous couple makes their way to an isolated cottage after their car falls through an ice road on a cold winter evening. Suffering from hypothermia, they are saved by the arrival of the non-Indigenous cottage owners, one of whom is a nurse. Once the injured couple are resuscitated, the cottage owners discover that the “accident” was not necessarily accidental, and the histories and alternative agendas at play converge in a shocking and brutal ending.
Cast of 1 Indigenous woman, 1 Indigenous man, 1 settler woman, and 1 settler man
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Open House
Hoping to snag their perfect home in a red-hot housing market, an African Canadian man, a Chinese Canadian man, and a Jewish/Indigenous lesbian couple show up to an open house run by a white settler real estate agent. Each potential buyer feels most deserving of the prize. When a police incident outside traps them together in the house, debate erupts over which of their cultures has faced the most discrimination and exclusion. Passions run high and opinions clash. With wry humour, Open House deftly navigates current conversations about oppression, colonization, and middle-class aspirations.
Cast of 1 Indigenous woman, 2 women, 1 Black man, and 1 Asian man
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Our Land
$24.95Our Land: The Maritimes examines the historical and legal background to Indigenous land claims in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, tracing the patterns of land dealings that resulted in the setting up of reserves, the creation of Status and Non-Status Indians, and a government policy of assimilation.
A groundbreaking work published in 1980 by the Aboriginal Rights and Land Claims Commission of the Métis and Non-Status Indians, Our Land: The Maritimes was critical in challenging the political consensus that Indigenous land claims in the Maritimes had been “superseded by law.” This foundational book, now reissued with a new preface by co-editor G.P. Gould, draws upon historical documents including proclamations, treaties, and laws. Chronicling the large-scale land loss and assimilation as a result of the creation of the Indian Act, Our Land: The Maritimes delves into records from the 17th and 18th centuries to find evidence of early acknowledgment of Aboriginal Title and provides a legal analysis of why it still exists today.
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Out of the Shadows
$32.95Set during the dramatic Red River Resistance of 1869-1870 and the birth of Manitoba. The novel is told through the perspective of a young Irish-Canadian journalist, Conor O’Dea. Under mysterious circumstances, after working for the assassinated politician D’Arcy McGee, O?Dea is sent West, and to Sir John A. Macdonald?s horror befriends Louis Riel. Macdonald never understood Louis Riel and never really tried to. The story also includes the little known Fenian attack in Manitoba. If Louis Riel had supported his fellow Catholics, it could have been what the lieutenant governor called “A rough time of it?” But he didn’t. He supported Canada. Equal parts spy thriller and love triangle and, in a time of reconciliation, this poignant novel contributes to the complicated story of Canada. Henderson and Bouchard have managed the magnificent feat of starting a very important conversation about this great land for all of those who call it home.
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Poetry Marching for Sindy
$18.95Dive into the powerful narrative of Poetry Marching for Sindy as Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau examines the haunting disappearance of Sindy Ruperhouse in 2014, a woman from the Abitibiwinni First Nation. In this poignant seventh literary work, Bordeleau navigates the raw emotions of anger, sadness, and compassion that echo across the continent due to the vanishing of too many Indigenous women.
Through this evocative longform poem, Bordeleau delves into the depths of societal contempt and hatred towards Indigenous women, igniting crucial reflections on the root causes of violence against them. With a blend of spirituality and profound sensitivity, she crafts a compelling narrative that urges readers to join in her quest for justice and understanding.
Poetry Marching for Sindy serves as both a lament for Sindy?s absence and a celebration of women?s voices and the resilience of communities in the face of tragedy. Join Bordeleau on a journey of grief, longing, and hope as she honors Sindy’s memory and amplifies the voices of those who demand justice and closure. Poetry Marching for Sindy is a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit and the unwavering power of collective action.
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Re: Wild Her
$22.95In nature, rewilding restores biodiversity and ecosystems. In this new collection from award-winning poet Shannon Webb-Campbell, it is a form of Indigenous resurgence and pleasure.
Drawing upon ecology, traditional knowledge, and sexuality, Re: Wild Her is a personal and poetic awakening. In these poems, artistry and nature are intertwined, speaking to the sensual musings of lovers in Paris, driftwood and death cycles, and the rise of wild swimming and cold dipping. Throughout, reclaiming one’s divine femininity is celebrated as a powerful act of resistance and rejuvenation.
These “poem spells” each offer a different prism with which to rewild ourselves, answering the call: How does joy help us cope with the harsh realities and complexities of life? How does poetry help us move forward? Re: Wild Her is an invitation to catapult into the otherworldly, to dive with the muses, and to resubmerge ourselves in joy.
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Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice
$32.00The horrors of the Indian residential schools are by now well-known historical facts, and they have certainly found purchase in the Canadian consciousness in recent years. The history of violence and the struggles of survivors for redress resulted in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which chronicled the harms inflicted by the residential schools and explored ways to address the resulting social fallouts. One of those fallouts is the crisis of Indigenous over-incarceration. While the residential school system may not be the only harmful process of colonization that fuels Indigenous over-incarceration, it is arguably the most critical factor. It is likely that the residential school system forms an important part of the background of almost every Indigenous person who ends up incarcerated, even those who did not attend the schools. The legacy of harm caused by the schools is a vivid and crucial link between Canadian colonialism and Indigenous over-incarceration. Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice provides an account of the ongoing ties between the enduring trauma caused by the residential schools and Indigenous over-incarceration.
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Reconciling
$26.95“Larry Grant’s life is a model of what it means to rise above hardship, transcend preconceived notions, and live life in a good way. I’ve had the honour of meeting him, but this book makes me feel as if I know him. And that is a profound gift.” — Shelagh Rogers, Honorary Witness, Truth and Reconciliation Commission; broadcast journalist, CBC Radio
A personal and historical story of identity, place, and belonging from a Musqueam-Chinese Elder caught between cultures
It’s taken most of Larry Grant’s long life for his extraordinary heritage to be appreciated. He was born in a hop field outside Vancouver in 1936, the son of a Musqueam cultural leader and an immigrant from a village in Guangdong, China. In 1940, when the Indian agent discovered that their mother had married a non-status man, Larry and his two siblings were stripped of their status. With one stroke of the pen, they were disenfranchised—no longer recognized as Indigenous.
Reconciling is a series of conversations between Larry and writer Scott Steedman as they visit pivotal geographical places together, including the Musqueam reserve, Chinatown, the site of the Mission residential school, the Vancouver docks and the University of British Columbia. Larry tells the story of his life, including his thoughts on reconciliation and the path forward for First Nations and Canada. His life echoes the barely known story of Vancouver and spans key events of the last two centuries, including Chinese immigration and the Head Tax, the ravages of residential school and now Indigenous revival and the accompanying change in worldview.
When Larry talks about reconciliation, he uses the verb reconciling, an ongoing, unfinished process we’re all going through, Indigenous and settler, immigrant and Canadian-born. “I have been reconciling my whole life, with my inner self,” he explains. “To not belong was forced upon me by the colonial society that surrounded me. But reconciling with myself is part of all that.”
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Resisting Canada
$22.95Resisting Canada gathers together poets for a conversation bigger than poetic trends. The book’s organizing principle is Canada–the Canada that established residential schools; the Canada grappling with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; the Canada that has been visible in its welcome of Syrian refugees, yet the not-always-tolerant place where the children of those refugees will grow up; the Canada eager to re-establish its global leadership on the environment while struggling to acknowledge Indigenous sovereignty on resource-rich land and enabling further colonization of that land. In the face of global conflicts due to climate change, scarcity, mass migrations, and the rise of xenophobic populisms, Canada still works with a surface understanding of its democratic values–both at their noblest and most deceptive.
The work included in Resisting Canada–by celebrated poets such as Lee Maracle, Jordan Abel, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Louise Bernice Halfe, Michael Prior, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson–addresses, among other things, Indigenous agency, cultural belonging, environmental anxieties, and racial privilege. These poems ask us to judge and resist a statecraft that refuses to acknowledge past and present wrongs. Think of Resisting Canada as a poetic letter to Canada’s politicians and leaders.
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Rise, Red River
$18.95“The map of the land is in our blood.”
A woman trawls the bottom of a riverbed with a makeshift plough, hoping to dislodge something—anything. The world has drastically changed: rivers run dry, rampant bushfires leave little left to burn. Still she persists searching for the stories of her loved ones, maybe even her own. She is not alone—an ancestor watches nearby. This desolate landscape is about to unearth its long-held secrets.
Inspired by the grassroots organization Drag the Red, which searches for evidence of missing Indigenous and settler women, girls, 2 Spirit, and people of all genders in the Red River of Treaty One Territory, this ethereal and engrossing drama is a profound offering to those who persevere in spite of sorrow. Told in Anishinaabemowin, English, and French, Tara Beagan’s prophetic play draws a direct connection between the treatment of Indigenous peoples and the abuse inflicted on the land. Fluid and majestic like the river itself, Rise, Red River is an invocation, a revelation, and a call to action.