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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
A very poignant yet humorous look at growing up in the 1950's & 60's in sub-artic Northern Manitoba as a Cree or Dene person. The author has written a beautiful memoir of his life until about age 16 when he leaves the North for high school in Winnipeg.
emotional
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
This Indigenous memoir is heartwarming, funny, and entirely captivating. Tomson Highway's explanation of Cree language and words is simply fascinating. Little snippets of nothing and everything. Highly recommended.
I listened to some of Tomson Highway’s CBC Massey Lectures in 2022, so as I read this book I could hear his voice in my head, with all its mischievous humour. Non-Native people are called by the nonsensical word Moony-Ass; meaningless though the term may be, I thought I could hear a little giggle every time Highway uses it — and he uses it frequently. There is a playfulness and a silliness throughout that I found appealing. This book is impossible to dislike.
Readers are likely to be “astonished” at how at odds Highway’s recollections of residential school are with the current national conversation in Canada about that sad era. He has so many fond memories, and the bad memories he would rather not dwell on. There is an abuser here, but he is portrayed in part as a tragic figure. I offer no opinion except to say the legacy of residential schools must be a complicated one. And, human beings are complicated.
Too, in memoir, the experience of the individual, the singular life, must trump any kind of dominant general narrative. (Beware, though, the misuse of one person’s truth to discredit the general truth.)
Late in the book, Highway cites a lesson learned from his father: “From disaster make something spectacular.” He has done that.
Readers are likely to be “astonished” at how at odds Highway’s recollections of residential school are with the current national conversation in Canada about that sad era. He has so many fond memories, and the bad memories he would rather not dwell on. There is an abuser here, but he is portrayed in part as a tragic figure. I offer no opinion except to say the legacy of residential schools must be a complicated one. And, human beings are complicated.
Too, in memoir, the experience of the individual, the singular life, must trump any kind of dominant general narrative. (Beware, though, the misuse of one person’s truth to discredit the general truth.)
Late in the book, Highway cites a lesson learned from his father: “From disaster make something spectacular.” He has done that.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Joyful, beautiful, the reader is held in permanent astonishment of Tomson Highways’s immense talent and ability to see humour and beauty everywhere. This book radiates love and wonder. It will make you long to paddle or dog sled under the stars, to eat fresh trout, to swing through birch trees, to live and laugh.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
The Arctic has always seemed like a separate and fascinating world unto itself. After learning that Highway (a famous Canadian pianist and playwright) had written a book about growing up in Northern Manitoba, I couldn’t resist picking it up.
Highway's writing style reflects his mindset of always emphasizing joyful and humorous moments. If it is a story that made you smile, then it is a story worth sharing.
The pacing is slow, and I wasn't sure that I'd be able to stick with it. I didn't realize that the book is limited to his childhood, so I was continuously waiting for his adult years to arrive.
However, Highway's calming narration still made it an enjoyable read. A big thank you to Highway for sharing a glimpse into his corner of the world.
Highway's writing style reflects his mindset of always emphasizing joyful and humorous moments. If it is a story that made you smile, then it is a story worth sharing.
The pacing is slow, and I wasn't sure that I'd be able to stick with it. I didn't realize that the book is limited to his childhood, so I was continuously waiting for his adult years to arrive.
However, Highway's calming narration still made it an enjoyable read. A big thank you to Highway for sharing a glimpse into his corner of the world.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced