Speaking Our Truth

Speaking Our Truth

Juvenile/YA/adult nonfiction
"In this book, we are embarking on a journey of reconciliation.
This isn't a read-and-do-nothing kind of book. It is an active
exploration of Canada's collective history, our present, and our
future. It's about how we grow as individuals, as families, and as a
country..."
Imagine at a very young age, say 5, being taken away from your
home and family to a bleak institution where you are often hungry,
food may be maggoty, classmates die, you have to dress differently and
speak a different language, and you may be abused verbally,
emotionally, physically, and sexually. If you are a parent, imagine
not being able to protect your children from such a fate. This is the
bleak reality that Canada's indiginous peoples had to survive for far
too many decades.
It's also the reality that underlies Monique Gray Smith's
Speaking Our Truth. Smith teaches younger readers about a chapter of
Canada's history often skipped or skimmed over in school curriculums.
Smith shows the devastating effects of boarding schools on children,
families, communities, and the passing on of culture. Fortunately,
she is also able to write about a process of reconciliation which
acknowledges past wrongs and seeks ways of atonement and healing.
Speaking Our Truth is a lively book beautifully formatted for
its target audience (although also valuable for adults unaware of this
tragedy--which also happened in the United States). Photographs are
plentiful. More general information is enlivened by personal
narratives. Readers are encouraged to think by reflection questions
scattered through the book such as:
*How would you feel if the RCMP showed up at your house and took you
away to a school far from your home?
*How would you feel if you were told you could no longer speak your
own language?
And *What do you think happened to families, communities, and the
Nation when children were taken away to residential school?
A wonderful range of activities children will find appealing and
online resources and books for indepth study enhance the book's power
and usefulness.
Speaking Our Truth is an important read for youngsters, adults,
and families on both sides of the border.
On a personal note, the last week has been wild for me. I am
struggling with my first grad school class. It's not the coursework,
but the computer expertise I'm behind in and the fact that there is a
direct and positive correlation between my screen time and my seizure
proneness. Work, on the other hand...see next review.


Sent from my iPod