i heard a crow before i was born

i heard a crow before i was born.
i heard tsó:ka’we before i was born.

i heard a crow before i was born opens with a dream-memory that transforms into a stark, poetic reflection on the generational trauma faced by many Indigenous families. Jules Delorme was born to resentful and abusive parents, in a world in which he never felt he belonged. Yet, buoyed by the love shown to him by his tóta (grandmother) and his many animal protectors, Delorme gained the strength to reckon with his brutal childhood and create this transformative and evocative memoir.

Across chapters that tell of his troubled relationships, Delorme unwraps the pain at the centre of his own story: the residential schools and the aftershocks that continue to reverberate.

In this stunning testament to the power of storytelling — to help us grieve and help us survive — Delorme tells the story of his spirit walk as he embraces the contradictions of his identity. As he writes, “i heard a crow before i was born is a man looking back, and dreaming back, and seeing that life, in whatever form it takes, however harsh it might seem, is beautiful.”

AUTHOR

Jules Delorme

Jules Delorme is a Mohawk First Nations author who was born and grew up on the Akwasane Reserve just across the St. Lawrence River from Cornwall, Ontario. Of Mohawk and French heritage, being one of only three kids from the Reservation to attend the white public school, having Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and a violent childhood, Jules wrote and told stories to stay alive. Writing was something he didn’t share with the world until now. He spends most of his time wondering why he is not dead yet and trying to remember the traditional teachings of his Tóta and his childhood. And, of course, writing. Always writing.

Reviews

“Jules Delorme is an unconventional storyteller and writer. His exploration of self through the eyes of being ‘half white on the reserve and half Indian in the city’ speaks to his vast experience as a Kanien’kehá:ka man in Canada. Jules has lived and continues to live the life of a man who has leapt over every hurdle that life places in front of him. To be able to write of his life in the way that he has shows his determination. Thank you, Jules, for taking us all on your spirit walk.” – Norma Dunning, award-winning author of Tainna

“Sometimes difficult, always honest, i heard a crow before i was born takes us on a journey of trauma, and then healing. Told in a storytelling style, Delorme’s is a tale of survival.” – Drew Hayden Taylor, author of Motorcycles & Sweetgrass