Valley of the Birdtail
Books | Social Science / Indigenous Studies
Andrew Stobo Sniderman
Douglas Sanderson
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLERWinner – 2023 Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book PrizeWinner – 2023 John W. Dafoe Book PrizeWinner – 2023 High Plains Book Award for Indigenous WriterWinner – 2022 Manitoba Historical Society Margaret McWilliams Book Award for Local HistoryWinner – 2023 Quebec Writers’ Federation Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction and Concordia University First Book PrizeFinalist – 2023 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer PrizeFinalist – Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political WritingFinalist – 2023 Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Evergreen AwardFinalist and Honourable Mention – Canadian Law and Society Association Book PrizeFinalist – Ukrainian Canadian Foundation Kobzar Book AwardLonglisted – 2023-2024 First Nations Communities ReadA heart-rending true story about racism and reconciliationDivided by a beautiful valley and 150 years of racism, the town of Rossburn and the Waywayseecappo Indian reserve have been neighbours nearly as long as Canada has been a country. Their story reflects much of what has gone wrong in relations between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians. It also offers, in the end, an uncommon measure of hope.Valley of the Birdtail is about how two communities became separate and unequal—and what it means for the rest of us. In Rossburn, once settled by Ukrainian immigrants who fled poverty and persecution, family income is near the national average and more than a third of adults have graduated from university. In Waywayseecappo, the average family lives below the national poverty line and less than a third of adults have graduated from high school, with many haunted by their time in residential schools.This book follows multiple generations of two families, one white and one Indigenous, and weaves their lives into the larger story of Canada. It is a story of villains and heroes, irony and idealism, racism and reconciliation. Valley of the Birdtail has the ambition to change the way we think about our past and show a path to a better future.
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Author
Andrew Stobo Sniderman
Pages
384
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2022-08-30
ISBN
144346631X 9781443466318
Community ReviewsSee all
"Good book. The first half gives a detailed history between first nations and the govt. This book is good for anyone that is interested in learning more about that...the what and why things were done and the results of those things. The second half reads alot faster. It gets into the lives of the people that lived there. I can't say it would or would not be a trigger for anyone that has trauma from rez schools but it does lightly mention what happened in the school just not as graphically as other books. This book doesn't blame in that way, just states the history and consequences. The second half of the book was my favorite. The sad part is, everything reminded me of my childhood...racism, a few crappy schools, things you had to put up with, yuck! The drinking water on reserves IS horrible. Not all but some. I didn't have proper drinking water at my dad's house and living conditions were horrible. This book will help people understand why things are the way they are on rez. The book makes so many good points and issues explained plainly that I'm hoping anyone that reads it learns and thinks about their views about rez school, its affects on those who attended and intergenerational trauma, racism and community relationships between reserves & towns/cities and the people who live there. "
Tadie Bill