Off the Bookshelf
by Rosemary Brown
The
Indigenous Book Club delved into All the Little Monsters
by David Robertson, the award-winning author, public speaker, and member of the
Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Robertson is well known among educators
as he has written many books for youth and spoken in many schools.
He
writes and speaks about mental health issues, and in All the Little Monsters,
he lays bare his own experiences with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. He
traces these conditions to childhood and youth struggles with identity, confronting
the death of his grandfather, and pondering eternity and his place in the
universe. The little monsters are the voices in his head which fuel his fears
and anxiety. He openly describes the nature of his panic attacks and depression,
as well as his obsession with the health of his heart. He shares the many trips
he took to the emergency room to find that he was fine. He also talks about the
limits he placed on his physical activities because the little monsters were telling
him that these were not good for his heart. In 2010, the cumulative stress of
buying a new home, starting a new job, a new book, the illness of his grandmother,
and the birth of another child led to a breakdown and deep depression.
Readers
will be extremely interested in how Robertson worked his way out of this
depression with the support of his wife Jill, the anchor he found in his five
children, sharing his experiences with others, counselling, exercise, and medications.
He warns against the use of crutches like alcohol and talks about the
acceptance of anxiety and the little monsters as a life-long condition which
can—and in fact must—be confronted.
I
feel this was a very brave book to write as it laid out all of Robertson’s vulnerabilities.
However, he feels that part of his own healing is sharing his story in the hope
that it will help others. His insights into what it is like to live with a mental
health condition make this book a worthwhile read for all.
In
the Settlers’ Book Club we read and discussed Ally is A Verb: A Guide to
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. The author, Rose LeMay, is a member
of the Taku River Tlingit Nation located in northwestern British Columbia. She
is the CEO of the Indigenous Reconciliation Group, an anti-racism and cultural
competency trainer, and a policy and program developer around physical and mental
health.
At
first, I was not sure about this book as it began with material that other
authors have covered more effectively. However, the further I read the more
impressed I became with LeMay’s discussion and guidelines for “putting allyship
into action.” LeMay believes that Reconciliation among Canadians began not with
the TRC but the uncovering of Indigenous children’s graves in Kamloops as these
graves underscored how the intent of the government of Canada was never
benevolent. Instead, its overall goal was to grab Indigenous lands and
resources. LeMay characterizes this idea of benevolent intent as the great
Canadian lie. LeMay points out that Reconciliation is a social change process
that “comes from regular people influencing those around them.” She says that
we cannot wait for the government, but that Reconciliation starts with us.
What
follows is a discussion of what non-Indigenous peoples can do to become allies
working towards Reconciliation. Her main point is that there is “no such thing
as an inactive ally.” For each issue she takes on, she offers next steps for
the reader to follow as well as a list of resources. She stresses the
importance of learning more about Canada’s history, and the existing roadmaps
to Reconciliation that already exist. Of key importance is challenging interpersonal,
systemic, and institutional racism. She says that the latter is crucial as “racism
is the disease that threatens the soul of Reconciliation.” She offers concrete
strategies for intervening in the day-to-day interpersonal racism that we see,
as well as strategies for collaborating with others in the workplace to
challenge systemic racism. She then discusses the inequities produced by
institutional racism. She also discusses the personal qualities needed in an
ally, from humility to lived values, the willingness to recognize and use one’s
privilege and to take risks.
She
ends by talking about the significance of consciously choosing hope. Lemay believes
that it is “hope plus action that leads to change.” I would encourage everyone
who desires Reconciliation to read Ally is a Verb.
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