 |
Dundurn Press, Toronto 2007 |
A woman from Northern Ontario is buried; her earthly papers reveal a mystery.
Veteran Canadian journalist Jim Poling took on the most important assignment of
his career: Just who was his mother? Why did she take a lifelong secret to her
grave?In his search for clues throughout his childhood years in Northern
Ontario, the author goes to Chapleau, the railway town where the people he
believed were his ancestors played out their roles in building the railway. It
ends in the Prairie village of Innisfree, Alberta, home to Joe LaRose, convicted
horse thief and father of a girl destined for trouble.A search that began in
anger at his mother's secrecy concludes with an understanding of her actions. In
the process, he explores the place of families within Canadian society and
reveals the shameful ongoing discrimination against Native Peoples and the
abusive treatment of illegitimacy. Throughout, glimpses of working life in
newsrooms add insider perspectives on the "handling" of our daily news.A former
Indian Affairs reporter, Poling shares insights into the ongoing plight of
Canada's First Nations people. He observes that Canada will never realize its
true potential until positive steps are taken to resolve longstanding
issues.
The Reviews:
". . . when you try to account for the power of this book, it is not so much the
eventfulness of it as the liveliness and voice of the writing, so full of
self-knowledge, or at least the candid quest for it." - Jeff Mahoney, The Hamilton Spectator
"His
storytelling ability . . . shines bright enough to wake a sleeping
giant" – Christian Hebert, North
Bay Nugget
"a wrenchingly honest memoir" – Thunder Bay Chronicle
Journal
"And what a story it is, as it carries the reader along like a Lake Superior
current" – Simcoe County Sideroads Magazine 
No comments:
Post a Comment