North of Nowhere
Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 11, 2024
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- $17.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
The incomparable first-hand account of the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada told by one of the commissioners who led it.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to record the previously hidden history of more than a century of forced residential schooling for Indigenous children. Marie Wilson helped lead that work as one of just three commissioners. With the skills of a journalist, the heart of a mother and grandmother, and the insights of a life as the spouse of a residential school survivor, Commissioner Wilson guides readers through her years witnessing survivor testimony across the country, providing her unique perspective on the personal toll and enduring public value of the commission. In this unparalleled account, she honours the voices of survivors who have called Canada to attention, determined to heal, reclaim, and thrive.
Part vital public documentary, part probing memoir, North of Nowhere breathes fresh air into the possibilities of reconciliation amid the persistent legacy of residential schools. It is a call to everyone to view the important and continuing work of reconciliation not as an obligation but as a gift.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Canada’s Indigenous people faced decades of horrific cultural genocide in the country’s abusive residential schools—and this emotional memoir ponders what happened after. Journalist Marie Wilson details her time heading Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which heard stories from thousands of residential-school survivors while figuring out how to heal ties between Indigenous people and governments that tried to destroy their vibrant communities. North of Nowhere may focus on a government commission, but Wilson’s heartfelt writing makes it anything but dry: her passion is palpable as she recalls uncovering not only what happened in the schools, but also the aftermath of generational trauma and countless broken families. The personal nature of Wilson’s story only heightens the impact, as she discusses her own turbulent marriage to a residential-school survivor. More than just an account of Wilson’s work, North of Nowhere is an unflinching consideration of what reconciliation means for individuals and the country, and the emotional release and relief it can bring.
