She is Indigenous, from the Six Nations of the Grand River, in Ontario. She grew up on the rez, in a two-bedroom trailer, with four siblings and her parents. Elliott goes deep, writing about mental health, suicide, residential schools, Indigenous child welfare and its relation to neglect or poverty, teenage pregnancy, sexual assault, racism and much more.
In a series of essays, she relates these big issues to her own life, while also linking them to global history and current events. There’s also an essay set in Vancouver, where Elliott was
the 2017-18 Geoffrey and Margaret Andrew Fellow at the University of British Columbia.
I don’t want to make the book sound depressing. Yes, it does take on tough subjects, head first with no holds barred, but it’s also compelling, funny and modern. It’s also hopeful. Consider this passage, an idea attributed to nehiyaw writer Erica Violet Lee: “If historical trauma is strong enough to alter our DNA and remain in our bones for generations, then there is no question in my mind that the love of our ancestors is in our DNA and our bones as well. The memory of that love is strong enough that it still exists in us.“
Canada is in a moment – a moment where reconciliation can go right or wrong. Readers who want to know more about why it’s crucial, need look no further. Read this book.
Tracy.sherlock@gmail.com
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