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"Beautifully written, compelling, challenging and thought-provoking." N. Jennings
"Magnificent! ... extremely well written; I enjoyed every minute of it. Casts a critical and compassionate light on the Indian residential school system." T. Moores
In August 1947, Mary Brock boarded a train in Toronto. She was headed for the wilds of Northwestern Ontario and a teaching job at an Indian residential school. Her family was horrified.
At the end of her first day of teaching, Mary was horrified too. This was not the exciting adventure she had imagined. But Mary wasn't one to give up. Buoyed by her ideals and pragmatism, she kept showing up.
She lasted the academic year. When she boarded the train for home, she knew she had failed, in every way that mattered. The ideals she had come with had shattered on her classroom floor, and a big piece of her heart lay buried behind a small log cabin in the woods.
Sixty years later, two unexpected gifts forced her to take a second look back and a more hopeful look forward. Maybe her ideals weren't so naïve after all.
About the author
Claudette was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. In 1959, when she was seven, two Anishinabek brothers joined her family, part of the 60's scoop. With their arrival, stories of tricksters and turtles joined Dr. Suess at bedtime, and her world grew wider. As an adult she spent a good part of her life overseas, teaching in International schools and raising children, in countries as diverse as Kenya and Ecuador. With each new move her world grew wider still. Claudette is now settled in Ottawa, Canada and finally understands that it doesn't matter where you live or who you live with, the world is infinitely wide.
