Status
Call number
Call number
Collection
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Multi-Cultural. Politics. Nonfiction. HTML:*FINALIST FOR 2022 CANADA READS* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 J.W. DAFOE BOOK PRIZE* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 MANITOBA BOOK AWARDS�?? MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD* NATIONAL BESTSELLER A gritty and inspiring memoir from renowned Cree environmental activist Clayton Thomas-Muller, who escaped the world of drugs and gang life to take up the warrior�??s fight against the assault on Indigenous peoples�?? lands�??and eventually the warrior�??s spirituality. There have been many Clayton Thomas-Mullers: The child who played with toy planes as an escape from domestic and sexual abuse, enduring the intergenerational trauma of Canada's residential school system; the angry youngster who defended himself with fists and sharp wit against racism and violence, at school and on the streets of Winnipeg and small-town British Columbia; the tough teenager who, at 17, managed a drug house run by members of his family, and slipped in and out of juvie, operating in a world of violence and pain. But behind them all, there was another Clayton: the one who remained immersed in Cree spirituality, and who embraced the rituals and ways of thinking vital to his heritage; the one who reconnected with the land during summer visits to his great-grandparents' trapline in his home territory of Pukatawagan in northern Manitoba. And it's this version of Clayton that ultimately triumphed, finding healing by directly facing the trauma that he shares with Indigenous peoples around the world. Now a leading organizer and activist on the frontlines of environmental resistance, Clayton brings his warrior spirit to the fight against the ongoing assault on Indigenous peoples' lands by Big Oil. Tying together personal stories of survival that bring the realities of the First Nations of this land into sharp focus, and lessons learned from a career as a frontline activist committed to addressing environmental injustice at a global scale, Thomas-Muller offers a narrative and vision of healing and… (more)
Publication
Original language
Language
User reviews
That said, his writing style left something to be desired. When he talked about incidents that happened in his life as a young boy, or in his relationship with his wife, the writing was blunt and almost child-like in "listing" what happened. I'm sure a lot of subtleties and details were missed. However, when he wrote of his beliefs and the environment and first peoples, his voice was much more powerful.
The subtitle for this book, A Memoir of Healing, really sums up the content. We follow Clayton from his youth growing up in Pukatawagan, Brandon, and Terrace BC as his mother moved from one man to another and got an education as a psychitaric nurse. Clayton returned to Manitoba after a stint in juvenile detention but that period of incarceration didn't end his involvement with drugs and criminal enterprises. He was a member of the Manitoba Warriors street gang running a drug house with his brother and uncle. It was falling in love that finally gave him the impetus to get clean and get involved in helping his aboriginal community. Through the mentorship of a number of individuals he became involved with fighting for social justice, including environmental justice. Eventually he focused on the Alberta Tar Sands and has devoted significant time and energy to fighting it. Although he admits that this struggle consists of one step forward and two steps back he feels that eventually this project and all the other toxic energy sites will be shut down. And he credits the indigenous peoples around the world for protecting the earth. His involvement with native spirituality like sweat lodges, drumming, and sun dance ceremonies were crucial to his own healing process. It is clear that Thomas-Muller has overcome many challenges in his life and this memoir is uplifiting.
Clayton narrates this book which I appreciated, especially his ability to laugh at himself. On the other hand his attempts to use different intonations for other people are not particularly successful. I think it would have been better if he had just used his regular voice for those passages.