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A review by livrad
The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir by Joseph Auguste Merasty
4.0
Augie Merasty's story is just one of the 150,000 stories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who were taken from their families and forced into government- and Catholic Church-sanctioned Indian Residential Schools meant to stript them of their native culture and language in an effort to "assimilate" them.
At times, Augie's story was emotionally difficult to read, as it includes multiple instances of physical and sexual abuse that were the constant of his childhood after entering the St. Therese Residential School at the young age of 5. Still, his voice remains genuine, extremely affable, sometimes humorous, and hopeful. At age 86, it was no small feat to finally publish his memoir, having struggled with alcoholism, homlessness, living without electricity, and the remarkable story of even having a bear break into his home and eat his entirely handwritten manuscript.
Augie's story came on my radar when it was originally published, but this updated version includes a reader's guide, which is really helpful when discussing it in a class format.
The Education of Augie Merasty should be required reading for anyone interested in Indigenous/First Nation history, Canadian history, and truth and reconciliation.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the access to this audiobook to review.
At times, Augie's story was emotionally difficult to read, as it includes multiple instances of physical and sexual abuse that were the constant of his childhood after entering the St. Therese Residential School at the young age of 5. Still, his voice remains genuine, extremely affable, sometimes humorous, and hopeful. At age 86, it was no small feat to finally publish his memoir, having struggled with alcoholism, homlessness, living without electricity, and the remarkable story of even having a bear break into his home and eat his entirely handwritten manuscript.
Augie's story came on my radar when it was originally published, but this updated version includes a reader's guide, which is really helpful when discussing it in a class format.
The Education of Augie Merasty should be required reading for anyone interested in Indigenous/First Nation history, Canadian history, and truth and reconciliation.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the access to this audiobook to review.