Residential Schools: Books for AdultsLike this list

27 items

• Beyond the Orange Shirt Story

  Webstad, Phyllis,

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  Orange Shirt Day was inspired by the true story of Phyllis Webstad, a little girl who was devastated to have her beloved new orange shirt taken away from her when she arrived at Residential School. In this book, Webstad and other Survivors share…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Call Me Indian

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

  Sasakamoose, Fred, 1933-

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  Saskamoose (Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation) was forced from home at age 7 to spend ten devastating years in a Residential School. He went on to become the first Treaty Indigenous player in the NHL, joining the Chicago Black Hawks in 1954. This memoir…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Unreconciled

  Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance

  Wente, Jesse,

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  A national bestseller and Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year, well-known broadcaster and cultural critic Wente (Anishinaabe and American) tells his story of growing up in Toronto. In his brilliant narrative, Wente questions reconciliation as a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Life in the City of Dirty Water

  a Memoir of Healing

  Thomas-Müller, Clayton,

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  With a childhood marked by abuse, drugs and violence, and a family and community profoundly affected by the intergenerational trauma caused by Residential Schools, this unforgettable memoir shares Thomas-Muller's journey to healing. Thomas-Muller is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mnidoo Bemaasing Bemaadiziwin

  Reclaiming, Reconnecting, and Demystifying Resiliency as Life Force Energy for Residential School Survivors

  Turmel, Theresa,

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  Dr. Theresa Turmel (Biidaaban Ntam bi yaad) is an Anishinaabe-kwe from Michipicoten First Nation. Dr. Turmel conducted 25 years of community-based research with Residential School Survivors from Walpole Island. This book is informed by that work,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nishga

  Abel, Jordan, 1985-

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  Connecting autobiography, memoir, transcriptions, and photography, this book explores how the colonial violence of the Coqualeetza Indian Residential School impacted the author's grandparents' generation, then his father's, and now his own. Abel is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Education of Augie Merasty

  a Residential School Memoir

  Merasty, Joseph Auguste

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  From 1935 to 1944, Merasty (Cree) suffered abuse, trauma, and loneliness at the Saint Therese Residential School in Sturgeon Landing, SK. Even while experiencing homelessness in his elder years, Merasty was determined to share the story of his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Five Little Indians

  a Novel

  Good, Michelle,

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  Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, this brilliant novel follows the lives of five Indigenous children taken from their homes in northern coastal B.C. in the 1960s and placed in an abusive, terrifying Residential School. The story…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• They Called Me Number One

  Secrets and Survival at An Indian Residential School

  Sellars, Bev, 1955-

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  This memoir by Xat'sull chief Bev Sellars details the five years of fear, hunger, forced labour, and physical beatings she experienced at the St. Joseph's Mission in Williams Lake, BC. She related in interviews that her original goal was to share…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Knock on the Door

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

  Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada,

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  This compelling and accessible read is a condensed version of seven volumes from a nationwide inquiry into the legacy of Canada's Residential Schools.

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Calls to Action

  View on trc.ca

  These 11 pages of recommendations are the blueprint for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.

• Seven Fallen Feathers

  Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City

  Talaga, Tanya,

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  This outstanding non-fiction book by celebrated jouranalist Tanya Talaga (Ojibwe) explores the deaths of seven Indigenous high school students attending a residential Thunder Bay High School in the 2000s. Outlining the terrible legacy of Residential…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Genocidal Love

  a Life After Residential School

  Fox, Bevann, 1968-

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  Fox (Pasqua First Nation, originally from Piapot First Nation) uses the form of a fictionalized memoir to share her experiences as a Residential School Survivor through the character of Myrtle. What follows is a story that not only depicts the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Place

  150 Years Retold

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  This is a graphic novel aanthology of ten compelling stories told by talented, Indigenous writers and illustrators from a variety of backgrounds, such as Katherena Vermette (Métis) and David A. Robertson (Norway House Cree Nation) . The stories in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Suffer the Little Children

  Genocide, Indigenous Nations and the Canadian State

  Starblanket, Tamara

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  This book, originally approved as Starblanket's Masters of Law thesis, explores Residential Schools in the context of genocide. Starblanket is Spider Woman, a Nehiyaw iskwew (Cree woman) from Ahtahkakoop First Nation in Treaty Six. She is the Dean…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Decade at Old Sun, My Lifetime of Hell

  Bear Chief, Arthur, 1942-

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  In this gripping memoir about the power of identity in healing, Arthur Bear Chief (Siksika) shares how he survived years of torment at the Old Sun Residential School in Gleichen AB, and went on to build a successful career in public service and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Morningstar

  a Warrior's Spirit

  Mercredi, Morningstar,

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  Storyteller, author, and actor, Morningstar Mercredi (Dene-Metis, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation) writes a powerful story of resiliency and activism for Indigenous women's rights. She details a tough upbringing, the legacy of Residential Schools…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Indian Horse

  a Novel

  Wagamese, Richard

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  As a finalist for CBC’s Canada Reads in 2013, Wagamese's (Anishnaabe) Indian Horse sparked a national conversation about the subjugation of Indigenous children by the church and state, and most importantly, about their unwavering ability to survive.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Burning in This Midnight Dream

  Halfe, Louise Bernice, 1953-

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  In this extraordinary poetry collection informed by her own experiences as a student at the Blue Quills Residential School in northern Alberta, Halfe (Cree) explores her reaction to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the devastating legacy…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kiss of the Fur Queen

  Highway, Tomson, 1951-

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  A Cree playwright and pianist, Highway’s humorous debut novel follows the lives of two young Cree brothers fighting to survive their years of abuse at a Residential School. Wherever they go, they are watched over by a protective shapeshifting…Read moreRead more of this annotation