Many Canadian book-lovers will be aware of this latest release: The Knowing by Tanya Talaga hit store shelves at the end of August, is currently on the bestseller list, and will likely remain there for the next few months. A documentary by the same name (trailer below) was released at the same time as the…
It’s important that as you read my review, you understand that this is my first Joe Sacco book. Of course I’ve heard of him, but Paying the Land is the first book of his that has really appealed to me, maybe because it’s rooted in Canada and deals with Indigenous issues which I am fascinated…
I received Wenjack by Joseph Boyden as a gift a few years ago, and have been meaning to read it since then. Considering it’s so short (102 pages), it’s a shame it has taken me so long to get to it because it’s a very well written novella and beautifully packaged to boot. Regardless of…
Seven Fallen Feathers by investigative journalist Tanya Talaga is a few things; it’s a non-fiction account of the death of seven different indigenous children in Thunder Bay, it’s a cautionary tale to parents who send their emotionally unprepared kids to an environment they’ve never experienced, and it’s a crushing blow to Canadians who claim racism…
In honour of the recent Alberta Book Awards being given out, I wanted to highlight another wonderful book I just finished by an award-winning Alberta author Joan Crate. Black Apple follows a young Aboriginal girl named Sinopaki as she is forcefully taken from her family and brought to the residential school of St. Mark’s. Throughout…
So this is a first for ivereadthis: a book review of a graphic novel! And what a perfect book to start off this trend: The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson, art by Kelly Mellings. Powerful, this book is so powerful, and very necessary. It tells the story of Pete, a young Aboriginal man who comes from…
When I picked up this book from my shelf, I immediately noticed the seal on the front announcing it had won the “Beacon Award for Social Justice Literature”. Not exactly an exciting call to action, because who wants to read a book about social justice in the dead of summer? But I had promised to…
