“A gut-wrenching chronicle of a not-so-distant history, when society warehoused its most vulnerable members. With grace and clarity, McKercher turns in a courageous memoir as she investigates what happened to her baby brother Bill, who was born with Down Syndrome in the 1950s. Sent to a “hospital school” from the age of two, Bill becomes the powerful lens through which McKercher explores her family’s experience. Unsentimental and unflinching, Shut Away will make you weep for all the Bills and the crucial lessons humanity cannot afford to ignore from his story.”
“McKercher’s meticulous research and precise, understated prose creates an unforgettable history of children placed in overcrowded, understaffed, and sometimes violent living conditions, and a searingly honest portrait of a family ruptured by the decision to send Bill away. Above all, Shut Away is a moving portrait of a brother.”
“McKercher’s compelling and moving memoir illuminates the harsh realities of life in a long-stay residential facility, as well as the familial impact of the fateful decision to send her brother away.”
“McKercher writes this extraordinary book from the inside. It’s not, as one might expect, full of rancour. It is forgiving and empathetic of the players, but it pulls no punches in identifying the moving parts of a system that failed her brother Bill and thousands like him. … Heartbreaking.”
– Hill Times

“A gut-punch of a story, placed atop the steady, never-preachy subnarrative of McKercher’s book: We can do better.”
– Ottawa Citizen

“A book with resonance for our time … McKercher grapples with a story she has carried privately her whole life.”
– Herizons