VPL - A Residential School Reading ListLike this list

21 items

• The Knowing

  Talaga, Tanya

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  In 'The Knowing', Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga, retells the history of this country as only she can - through an Indigenous lens, by tracing the life of her great-great grandmother and family as they lived through this government- and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kâ-pî-isi-kiskisiyân

  The Way I Remember

  Ratt, Solomon

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  A residential school survivor finds his way back to his language and culture through his family's traditional stories. Ratt reflects on his memories through his telling of autobiographical stories and traditional tales. In many ways, these…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fire Still Burns

  Life in and After Residential School

  George, Sam (Samuel James)

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  My name is Sam George. In spite of everything that happened to me, by the grace of the Creator, I have lived to be an Elder.' The crimes carried out at St. Paul's Indian Residential School in North Vancouver scarred untold numbers of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All the Quiet Places

  Isaac, Brian Thomas

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  This is a coming-of-age story about Eddie Toma, a Syilx child living on the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the 1950s and 60s. The novel opens with Eddie as a 4 year old child as he shares his observations growing up into his late teens.

• Nishga

  Abel, Jordan, 1985-

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  The colonial violence against Jordan Abel and his family is examined in this extremely personal autobiography. Nishga is Abel's exploration of his identity as a survivor of the residential school system, a system that remains an invisible…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Five Little Indians

  Good, Michelle

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  The story of five residential school survivors as they make their way through very different lives, all trying to overcome the traumas of their shared past.

• Beyond the Orange Shirt Story

  a Collection of Stories From Family and Friends of Phyllis Webstad Before, During, and After Their Residential School Experiences

  Webstad, Phyllis

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  As a 6-year-old, Phyllis Webstad was the little girl whose orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at residential school. This book collects the memories of six generations of her family.

• Behind Closed Doors

  Stories From the Kamloops Indian Residential School

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  Revised edition. Thirty-two people share their experiences at the Kamloops Indian Residential School which operated from 1893-1979.

• Com-plic-it

  Bamberry, Lee Jay

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  An original play that is written and directed by Lee Jay Bamberry who explores the identity and hope during the 1960s resident school era.

• Spíləx̣m

  a Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence

  Campbell, Nicola I.

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  Nicola I. Campbell is known for her work in children’s literature (e.g. Shi-shi-etko, Chin-chi’s Canoe, and others) but here she uses poetry and prose to share her stories and experiences in this deeply personal memoir.

• Call Me Indian

  From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player

  Sasakamoose, Fred, 1933-2020

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  Prior to his life as a professional hockey player in the NHL, Fred Sasakamoose’s (1933-2020) identity was stripped away and abused at the residential school in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. He recounts his painful experiences during his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Did You See Us?

  Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at An Urban Indian Residential School

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  The Assiniboia school operated in Winnipeg between 1958 and 1973, toward the end of the residential school era. It was a rare urban school in the residential system. This volume gathers the memories of students at the school, from the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Burning in This Midnight Dream

  Halfe, Louise, 1953-

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  A deeply personal and raw poetry collection written in response to the colonial violence towards Indigenous families when children were forcibly removed and abused at residential schools. Halfe recounts the intergenerational trauam that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Resistance and Renewal

  Surviving the Indian Residential School

  Haig-Brown, Celia, 1947-

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  13 elders who attended the Indian Residential School in Kamloops between 1907-1967, are interviewed about daily life at the school.

• Genocidal Love

  a Life After Residential School

  Fox, Bevann, 1968-

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  Bevann Fox, or "Myrtle" as her chosen name, explores the trauma as a residential school survivor in this work of fiction. Her story highlights the painful and re-traumatizing effects as a survivor demanding compensation.

• Finding My Talk

  How Fourteen Native Women Reclaimed Their Lives After Residential School

  Grant, Agnes, 1933-2009

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  Fourteen women discuss how they reclaimed their culture after their experiences in residential school system.

• A Knock on the Door

  the Essential History of Residential Schools From the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

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  Concise presentation of the essential history and legacy of residential schools.

• Honouring the Strength of Indian Women

  Plays, Stories, Poetry

  Manuel, Vera, 1948-2010

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  Ktunaxa-Secwepemc writer and educator Vera Manuel reflects on the trauma of residential schools in this collection of plays, stories and poetry. Manuel uses art as part of her healing and resurgence.

• Pathways of Reconciliation

  Indigenous and Settler Approaches to Implementing the TRC's Calls to Action

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  A collection of essays to inform and guide settlers during their reconciliation and decolonization process.

• Power Through Testimony

  Reframing Residential Schools in the Age of Reconciliation

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  The purpose of this book is to study whether the testimonies heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as official apologies, have the capacity to transform the relationship between Indigenous peoples and settlers, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation