In honour of Winnipeg's 150th I'm going to read and review local as much as possible this summer. I have a couple of great books lined up to read, and also will be reading a few of the books I have not read yet on the Winnipeg Public Library Adult Summer Reading Challenge.
I have read 11 & 13, and have reserved a few of the others. How many I will get to is always another story haha.
Along with the books I will be posting pictures taken in Winnipeg. Follow along on Instagram to guess where you think the photos were taken!
Up first is real ones by Katherena Vermette
I was so excited when I heard Katherena Vermette was coming out with another book, and I absolutely loved real ones!
While I tried really hard to figure out if there was a connection between the Strangers family in this book at the family in The Strangers, I'm not too sure if there is a connection as this one has been described as a standalone (so far anyway). Similar to her other trilogy, real ones features female main characters who are siblings and Metis. The two main characters in this story are June, a Metis Studies professor currently in the process of moving from BC to Winnipeg for a new position, and Lyn, an artist who makes pottery in Winnipeg. The women's mother is called out as being a "pretendian" after taking advantage of grants and using her ex-husband's stories of growing up as a Metis person in Winnipeg as her own story. For June, once the truth comes out she worries about her image and role in the community, as well as the respect and credibility she wants to bring to her new job. And for Lyn, difficult memories of her childhood come flooding back as she begins to reflect on the relationship she had with her mother, and the many positive and negative relationships she had with others as she grew up.
As I expected, I loved this book. Of course the Winnipeg references were great, but Vermette's writing is just so unique. I love the interconnected stories, the excellent character development and the strong female characters. The issue of false representation is huge and she covered it clearly and with multiple perspectives. Unfortunately, some people don't get it, but perhaps a story like this one might just help someone understand why misrepresenting your ethnicity is a problem. Read this book, it is fabulous. Thanks so much to @netgalley and the publisher @penguinrandomca for giving me the chance to read this wonderful story. It comes out September 3rd!
While not quite in Winnipeg, this next one is set just outside of Winnipeg in Greenwald Colony and Selkirk, Manitoba. Check out the review in my post on the Canadian Book Club Awards here.
Our Voice of Fire
Brandi Morin
This audiobook mainly takes place in Alberta, but does feature a bit of time in Winnipeg so I think it fits the #winnipeg150 #localreading I've been doing lately!
I just stumbled upon Our Voice of Fire by @bmorinstories while looking for an audiobook to listen to through the @winnipegpubliclibrary. I couldn't believe what I had stumbled upon or how I had never heard of this book before, because it was incredible.
Read by the author, this emotional story will break your heart at times, but it is truly a phenomenal book. Brandi's childhood involved being in and out of foster care, being sexually abused and exposed to drugs and violence at too young an age, and struggling with addiction and relationships in her young adult years as a result. Brandi became a single mother at a young age, to three children, who all were also in the care system at times. Each time her children were taken into care she did snap back, realize her mistakes and make an effort to get her life back on track. She went on to stand up for Indigenous (and Environmental) Rights through her role in Canadian media and activism.
This book is a must read (or listen to) for Canadians and I am so glad I came across it!
Fox
Margaret Sweatman
This book is incredibly strange and confusing. An alternative perspective of the Winnipeg General Strike, Fox focuses on the experiences of women at this time period. Told in a mix of prose, poetry, news clippings and other forms, and covering many different characters and perspectives, it is clear from the beginning that this book is intended to be unique. That being said, as a Winnipegger who has a medium to solid understanding of the events that took place during the Winnipeg General Strike, I was completely confused throughout the entire story. I was able to get something out of this book, but it is, regrettably, not one I would recommend for anyone wanting to actually learn about the events of the strike. Navigating this story is a challenge in and of itself. The change of narration and perspectives is frequent and without any support such as helpful titles or often, even a first sentence that might clue you in to whose perspective you're currently reading. I appreciated the interludes of advertisements or news clippings from the time to give me a bit more context and many were witty and interesting, but unfortunately it was not nearly enough for me to track setting or narration and left me confused about events at times.
I love the premise and think that works of fiction bringing forward the stories and unique perspectives of different groups during this time period are so important. The execution in this one was just not what I had hoped for. Perhaps there is a reader for this unusual book, maybe someone who wants to dive into themes and not stories, or a fractured fairytale aficionado who is interested in exploring a wide range of perspectives of the strike. Part of me thinks you should either be a strike expert or have no prior knowledge and that would be the perfect sub groups to read this. Needless to say, I'm quite disappointed, but oh well, I tried!
Once More With Feeling
In many books, you can read the first chapter and determine if you're going to love or dislike the book. If after you've finished the first chapter you think "hmm, I'm not sure" then you might read another or you might abandon it. I generally give it a few chapters before even considering DNF'ing, but either way, usually that first chapter gives you some insight into what the book will be about. Unless you are reading Once More With Feeling in which case you are set up to read a story about a Winnipeg family bringing in a young girl from Africa whom they have sponsored through unicef and have decided to bring to Winnipeg even though the cold of winter would be quite a shock and they are completely unprepared to take care of her. To say I was very intrigued was an understatement. I couldn't wait to see what would happen, would anyone call out this family on their terrible choice? Was the girl staying for a week? a month? forever? Is this book about colonization and white saviours?! No. the answer is no. This book is not really about any of that at all. We do circle back to the girl, and the family are definitely part of the story, but this book is not really about what happened in that first chapter. So what is it about, you ask? I'm not quite sure. I assure you, I read it cover to cover, though. It is set in Winnipeg, so that's cool, but more specific descriptions or listing some local businesses would have made that part of it even better. The social commentary was usually fairly interesting. I didn't hate most of the characters. If you haven't noticed, I'm grasping at straws here to tell you what I liked and didn't like because I feel quite unsure how I feel about it. I'm disappointed that I didn't get the story that chapter one set me up for, but the rest of the book was alright... I didn't DNF... but not one I'd go raving about. I'm not even sure who I might recommend it to. But maybe someone will write a book that has something to do with that first chapter. Maybe it will be me? That would be a book that I want to read.
All My Puny Sorrows
by Miriam Toews
All My Puny Sorrows tells the story of sisters Elf and Yoli who grew up in a small, conservative Mennonite town outside of Winnipeg and are now in their 40s, navigating lives they never anticipated. Yoli is quite unsatisfied with her life in Toronto, living as a single mom of two young adults who have very different, but equally minimally involved fathers, working as a writer of middle grade novels and sleeping with unusual men when time permits. Elf is a renowned pianist who travels the world sharing her music, is financially well-off and lives in a house in Winnipeg with her common-law partner who has a stable job and is extremely supportive, but she wants to end her life. Told from Yoli's perspective, Toews does an excellent job showing that no matter what your life looks like on the outside, we all have challenges and we all need help in different ways.
I really appreciated Toews's discussion of the (mental) health care situation in Winnipeg, one that has unfortunately deteriorated even more since the writing of this book in 2014. The fact that Yoli constantly worried that the health care system would release Elf was one that I think many Winnipeggers have experienced when a loved one is sent home too soon because of a lack of resources. This book is beautifully written and despite covering some really deep and difficult content, it tells a story that is truly breathtaking.
I'm still not a fan of Toews's disregard for the use of quotation marks, but it didn't bother me as much in this one than it has in the past. So let that be your content warning: suicide and lack of conventional punctuation. Overall, one I'd recommend.
Some Great Thing
Lawrence Hill
Today's #whereinwinnipeg post is a bit different. Instead of where this photo was taken, since it was quite an obscure location, I'm wondering if you have any guesses which streets or buildings a @winnipegtrolley tour might take you by?
Some Great Thing by Lawrence Hill is a historical fiction set primarily in Winnipeg during the 1970s. The main character, Mahatma, moves back to his family home after going away to college, and accepts a job at a local newspaper. Told over the course of about a year, this story shows Mahatma's ever-changing perspective of the city he grew up as he analyzes it through a reporters eyes, and through the perspectives of a variety of new friends and acquaintances he meets along the way. Themes related to poverty, racism, segregation, French language rights and political views are all highlighted throughout the story, both in the historical context of Mahatma's father's life as a Black railway porter, as well as in the 1970s. With a cast of unusual secondary characters, including a man on welfare fighting for his plight to be heard, to a reporter on location for a year in Winnipeg from Cameroon, to a Black judge who is known for dealing out harsher sentences to Black offenders, the interconnected stories expertly bring to life the idea that everyone in Winnipeg knows each other.
I loved this book, the very clear descriptions of Winnipeg landmarks and events were so well done. I loved the focus on French minority rights as that is a huge part of our history that has quickly been all but forgotten. The stealing stories and other behind the scenes stories of journalism in the 70s was also super interesting. My favourite storyline was the poor, forgotten White man in Winnipeg becoming a hero in Cameroon. This is a great book to read if you are a Winnipegger, and even if not, I think the comedic approach to this historical fiction has a little something for everyone!
The Theory of Crows
David Robertson
This was a quick read and one I had a hard time putting down. I read @davidrobertsonwriter’s memoir a while back, and have read a few of his children’s books so I was excited to get into this one. This novel focuses on the stories of Matt, a middle-aged man whose dependence on Xanax has left him just going through the motions and not really present, and his teenage daughter Holly who is beginning to experiment and test her limits while still wanting the connection to her family. When Matt decides to follow a few oral directions from memory to try to find his family’s trap line in Northern Manitoba, it is the perfect opportunity for him and Holly to reconnect, not just with each other, but also with the land and their culture.
There was a lot I loved about this book. Of course the Winnipeg and Manitoba references were great, as well as the contextual information about Cree people in the province and the impact that reserves and residential schools had on the loss of language and culture. The loss of culture and land was definitely a theme that was woven throughout the story and is a very important one. While I was reading I kept thinking back to the picture book, on the trapline, Robertson also wrote, as well as an interview he gave about his father and the trapline and I could tell that while this story was fiction, it was definitely rooted in the author’s personal experiences, which made it even more interesting.
The last quarter of the story threw me for a loop. The time looking for the trapline was much more intense than the first 3/4 of the book and it was impossible to put down. I was not ready for the action-packed final chapters!
This is a really great book and I would absolutely recommend it. I really hope Robertson keeps writing adult books! Any guesses on this #whereinwinnipeg? It definitely doesn't look like it could be within the city limits, but this beautiful location is!
Jonny Appleseed
By: Joshua Whitehead
I have been reading, reviewing and sharing books set in Winnipeg these last few months as part of #winnipeg150 and an attempt to #readlocal! So today I'm featuring a book I read last spring called Jonny Appleseed by @jwhitehead204
This is one of those books that I don't think I could do it justice in my review, or even synopsis for that matter, so if you haven't heard of it, you should also checkout goodreads if you want to know more about what it is about.
This book has lots of trigger/content warnings, there are lots of racial slurs, death/grief, trauma, and it can be difficult to read at times, but Whitehead does an excellent job of telling these stories. Being from Winnipeg, reading this book and knowing my city's awful history when it comes to racism towards Indigenous people, this one definitely hit home a number of times. While this is a fictional novel, it read like a memoir at times, and when I saw a picture of the author I thought: hmmm, that's is exactly what I pictured Jonny Appleseed looking like, so I do wonder how much is from the author's own experiences and how much is fiction.
This book is raw, beautiful, messy and chaotic and most of all: powerful. The author represents a voice we rarely have the privilege to hear from and one that we need to spend more time listening to. I wish I could give this book the review it deserves, but really you just need to know that it wont be for everyone, but it should be, and I hope you read it.
Any guesses for where in Winnipeg this photo was taken? Hint: you can see a tiny bit of my wedding dress behind the book, as this is actually one of my wedding photos, and we got married in St. Boniface....
Winipek
Niigaan Sinclair
This is the perfect book for a #whereinwinnipeg post because it is all about the city!
I definitely made a few Winnipeggers jealous when they found out I got an advance copy Wînipêk by @niigaanwewidam in early 2024. It was so good that I raved about it constantly, but it is out now, so I feel like it is even more important to share this fabulous book since I'm no longer worried about making anyone jealous, ha!
Sinclair's non-fiction text Wînipêk is made up of 4 sections representing the seasons in a year. Each section has several short pieces of writing each on different topics related to the city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba, the Red River, Lake Winnipeg, and the history of Indigenous people and the relationships they had with each other and the Canadian government, leading to both the extensive challenges and moments of positive change we are seeing in recent years. Sinclair does an incredible job of giving the background information on each topic in a way that is fluid, non-judgemental and with just enough detail to make this story accessible for readers of many ages and backgrounds. This book did not feel like a history lesson or a lecture on the harms and mistakes of our past, but yet it accomplished the same things. Although I would consider myself fairly well versed in the challenges Indigenous people face in my hometown, I learned SO much from this book. Topics I knew tidbits about were suddenly fully filled in, areas I knew lots about had additional facts I wanted to share with everyone around me, and the things I knew nothing about, I feel ready to take action and learn more. This book is a must read for all Manitobans. It could (and probably should) be a required read for High School and/or University students. It is enjoyable and interesting but more importantly, it is indepth, well written and informative.
Thanks so much to the publisher, @penguinrandomca and to @netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review an advance copy of this book. Any guesses on where this photo is taken? The building left of centre should be a good hint!
Life in the City of Dirty Water
Clayton Thomas-Müller
I'm sad because this is my last (planned) #whereinwinnipeg post :( I may still make more of these posts as I read and review other books set in my city, but at this point I don't have any plans to read any specific books. It has been fun taking interesting photos to somewhat match the content of the books set in this city. It has of course also been fun reading about different perspectives of Winnipeg.
Life in the City of Dirty Water is actually set in lots of different places, but Thomas-Müller's early childhood and young adult years living in Winnipeg sets him up for a life in activism. I read this book for a number of reasons. I was first introduced to it when I was working at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) as a tour guide. Clayton is featured in a gallery called "Rights Today" which was the final stop on most of my tours, and the location where present day* human rights issues are explored. Level 5 where Rights Today is located, is also where the library is, and it was a great place for me to sneak off to between tours and read books. I had started reading Prisoner of Tehran, another book featured in the exhibit, between tours, but never got a chance to get to Life in the City of Dirty Water prior to leaving my job as tour guide to become a teacher full time. That being said, Clayton's name stayed with me and I knew one day I would try to read his book.
In the spring I met with a group of passionate educators who focus on climate change action in education, and we decided to work together for my upcoming Social Studies Teachers' conference this October. We floated around some ideas for speakers, and Clayton's name came up. I knew right away this was the keynote I most wanted to pursue. Once we finalized the agreement I knew this year was when I needed to read this book. So, in June, when The FOLD's challenge was a book by a Cree author, so it was the perfect time to start reading. It just took me 4 months to finish lol. I do want to make it clear, this was not a reflection on the book itself in anyway, it took me so long because I wanted to always be super focused and present while I was reading it. I also did a lot of annotating and note taking, planning for this post, as well as any meetings I might have leading up to the conference, and perhaps even for my opening speech on the day of the conference. All of that notetaking paid off, as I have lots of great ideas to share, and I am really glad I was totally present and focused each time I read. It definitely gave me more opportunities to reflect and appreciate the challenges faced by Indigenous people in Canada, and around the world, at the hands of big corporations who are destroying the land and environment that is so sacred to Indigenous people.
Life in the City of Dirty Water starts as most memoirs do, with Clayton's early childhood. He shares both positive and negative memories growing up in Winnipeg and Brandon, of his relationship with his German Step-father who really was father figure for him growing up, as well as the painful racism he experienced in school, both by students and teachers. His young adult years featured time running a drug house in Winnipeg, ending up in Juvenile detention centres and heading down a path that was not leading anywhere positive. This all changes once he realizes the importance of reconnecting with his culture and the land. He goes on to help the Indigenous youth who were on similar journeys to him by working in Winnipeg's core. This is what leads him on a journey of activism, with a primary focus on fighting for Indigenous peoples rights and environmental rights (and the two together).
I have to say as much as I do care about trying my best to support efforts to protect our Earth, I am not the most knowledgeable person about climate change in most rooms. It has always felt too big and out of my control. I sigh at my paper straw becoming mush and try to remember my reusable bags but then inevitably buy more when I don't remember, and avoid buying the toilet paper that is excessively wrapped in plastic, but there is a lot more I could be doing, and if nothing else, a lot more I could be educating myself about, so I guess in some ways, this book is a first step toward that second goal.
One of the big learning pieces I took away from reading this book was about the Tar Sands in Alberta. I knew pipelines were bad, but it was kind of an abstract thought, I didn't know what exactly made them bad, other than knowing they were impacting the land and that protecting land is usually the responsible goal, and I knew that many Albertans were pro-oil because it meant money, which is often the problem when it comes to climate change. When I read the section on the pollution of Lake Athabasca's watershed I saw a much more concrete problem. Clayton explained that amount of toxic water produced through oil extraction that is then dumped into toxic inland seas, seeping into the Athabasca River is equivalent to a catastrophic oil spill similar to the one in the Gulf of Mexico, EVERY. YEAR. He goes on to describe The Simpsons-like animals who are riddled with tumours or smell of petroleum. Not only do I feel awful for those poor animals, and the people in the area who also are becoming inflicted with rare cancers, but I think about the impact on Indigenous people and their beliefs about animals and respecting the land by only taking what you need. I knew that pollution like this was happening in the world, I did realize how bad it was in my own country though.
I could probably write a few essays on this book and all that I took away from it, but then you would just be here reading my words instead of picking up this book and reading Clayton's words, so I don't think I'll dig all that way down. Some things that stood out for me were:
The idea that warriors aren't defined by fighting, their defined by fighting FOR something.
The importance of free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous people before any major changes to the land are made.
The impact of colonialism on the land is still having major effects today, where resources are is where people are, which leads to high concentrations of Indigenous youth in urban centres, and the corporate destruction of land means that access to resources on the land (hunting and fishing etc) adds to this problem.
Carbon offset is basically just corporations paying to trash the planet.
Pollution of land leads to pollution of people, and the close link between saving the world and saving yourself.
Finally, the last area I really want to touch on is the trapline. Having also just read David Robertson's books (The Theory of Crows, On the Trapline, and Blackwater) on his connection with the trapline, the dichotomies of Clayton's story really stand out. Clayton describes the traplines as both negative, because they are connected to colonialism and the government's removal of Indigenous people, and also as special and sacred places. He also explains that the railroads were another example of colonial expansion, but also the link to accessing the traplines. As I explore traplines, residential schools and colonialism with the eight year olds I spend my days with, these two ideas are at the forefront for me. Settlers took the land, relocated Indigenous people to less desirable land (and for many historical periods, didn't let them leave except to go to residential schools or other forms of prisons). Despite complicated feelings about colonialism, Indigenous people formed connections with these lands they were relegated to and were then often faced with more harm to these lands in future generations (pipelines, clear cutting, hydro dams etc.). Prior to reading these books I understood that first level of colonialism's impact on the land - that Indigenous people were forcibly removed, but I didn't see that second impact - that once they connected with new land they were forced into, they were often harmed again by damage to the environment on these lands. My next steps are to educate others, and to further educate myself.
While I did find occasionally there were moments I had a hard time following, as can be the case in memoirs which are sharing a person's life which can be hard to tell in a fully linear way, overall this book is very well written and easy to follow when looking at a big picture rather than strictly chronological perspective. I gained so many new insights on colonialism, environmental justice and the connection between the two for Indigenous peoples. I also got to see Winnipeg through a downtown/North end Indigenous perspective, something that I don't often get the opportunity to experience or see as a White South St. Vital resident. I can't wait to hear him speak and look forward to circling back to this review once I have seen his keynote address.
Now for the #whereinwinnipeg question. For this one you can share tell me about the bridge in the upper centre of the picture (it is known for its million dollar toilet), or guess the place I was standing in when I took this photo (it is mentioned in my full review - a place I worked as a tour guide).
*it takes two years to curate a gallery and this one opened in 2014 so present day is really around 2012. That being said, there have been updates since the gallery opened, which may be closer to present day than over a decade ago.
This one wasn't originally in my plans for a #whereinwinnipeg post, but as I got reading I realized that it was very much set in Winnipeg.
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto tells the story of David Reimer, who was born as one half of a set of identical male twins, but raised as a female, Brenda, after an accidental castration during a botched circumcision. Dr. John Money, a psychologist at John Hopkins and leader in the relatively new field of sexuality and gender studies. He used this case of identical twins raised as two different genders as a single study to prove his theories. He also caused serious emotion and sexual abuse for both David (then Brenda) and his twin.
It was a very interesting story and it was extremely well researched. The ability of the author to track down all of these doctors, friends, acquaintances and others decades later is pretty impressive, but also speaks to the small town that is Winnipeg. I did find the last 1/4 was a little bit slower, and maybe a bit more information-heavy than needed to be after the story felt it had fully unraveled already. Otherwise, it is definitely a non-fiction, so there is definitely a lot of background information and medical/scientific data, but it is also a well-told story.
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