Recommended Reading for Adults
Fiction
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
December 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, England, the city's residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly married Ellen Parr finds a girl asleep, unclaimed at the back of an empty bus. Little Pamela, it seems, is entirely alone.
Ellen has always beleived she does not want children, but when she takes Pamela into her home, the child cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she and her husband, Selwyn, had dreamed for themselves. As the war rages on, love grows where it was least expected, surprising them all. But with the end of the fighting comes the realization that Pamela was never theirs to keep. Spanning the sweep of the twentieth century, "We Must Be Brave" explores the fierce love that we feel for our children and the power of that love to endure. Beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself. (Summary from back cover)
Non Fiction
21 Things You May Not Know About The Indian Act - Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph
Winner of the BC Book Prizes Bill Duthie Bookseller's Choice Award, this is the essential guide to understanding the Indian Act and its repercussion on generstions of Indigenous peoples.
Since its creation in 1876, the Indian Act has dictated and constrained the lives and opportunities of Indigenous Peoples, and is at the root of many enduring stereotypes. Bob Joseph examines how Indigenous Peoples can return to self-government, self-determination, and self-reliance -- and why doing so would result in a better country for every Canadian. He dissects the complex issues around the Indian Act, and demonstrates why learning about its cruel and irrevocable legacy is vital for the country to move toward true reconciliation. (from back cover)
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