I think I was probably snoring last night and chased Jo downstairs. I hadn't for a few days, hoping it's just some remnant of the head cold I've been suffering. Lovely day yesterday, bright and cool. Looks a bit the same this morning as I glance out my den window.
Here is your advent calendar book for today.
"Five Little Indians by Michelle Good tells the story of 5 survivors of Canada's residential school program, basically a form of state-sponsored child abuse. Indian children were taken from their parents by the Church (I believe the whole school system was run by the Christian Churches) and with assistance of the RCMP, and spent their childhoods in schools run by these churches. It was discovered years later the extent of the abuse through which these children were put. In recent years, many of the schools were discovered to have bodies of children buried on their grounds. This story is a devastatingly sad story of the impact of the schools on 5 such children as they are released from their school in British Columbia and how they try to survive as adults.
The story follows Kenny, Lucy, Carla, Howie and Maisie, reflecting somewhat on their pre-school childhoods, intimates what life was like at their particular school and then their efforts to adjust to adult life; with mixed results.
The story follows each individual, how their lives are inter-related; their work, their personal relationships, their nightmares... It's a terrifying story in its way; how can humans be so evil, how can they treat children so awfully? The Canadian government has been trying to rectify what happened, tried to bring the evil of the residential school system into the open, but the effect on Indian children and their parents and families was still devastating.
It's one of those books that should be read, even if just to make the public aware of the treatment of these children. It saddened me terribly and I am sorry for what happened to these children. But it is well-written, emotional, with beautiful characters, very spiritual and ends with a positive hope for the future... (5.0 stars)"
Enjoy your last bits of Xmas shopping. Two more days!
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