NEWS RELEASE
LYNDA TANEDA DICKINSON
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“This is an idea whose time has come, especially at this important moment now that Canada has embarked on the path of Truth and Reconciliation,” says Canadian national best-selling author Lynda Taneda Dickinson.
Dickinson is referring to her latest book This Is My Story – Narratives of Talent and Triumph from Curve Lake First Nation, the first book written on this progressive reserve from an outside perspective.
Dickinson began her writing career with the publication of Victims of Vanity, The Animal Testing of Cosmetics and How to Stop It, and it did stop it indeed!
The book brought to the consumer’s attention the outdated, barbaric practice of testing cosmetics on live animal. It became a bestseller and cemented her reputation as a best-selling author.
Her second book Why Vegetarian? was just as powerful, bringing to light the plight of factory-farmed animals, and how our health is affected by consuming the meat of animals reared under the horrific, restrictive conditions.
Two more books followed, including a compilation book translated into Japanese.
When asked what This Is My Story is about, she explains that it’s a moving collection that brings together the voices of 22 remarkable individuals whose lives reflect resilience, creativity, and an unshakable spirit in a Western-dominated society.
“These are the stories of how they endured unspeakable horrors, and how they transformed hardship into strength, and filled their lives with balance, meaning and resilience,” she says.
Dickinson gets both excited and emotional when she explains the plight of the people she calls “her friends.” These people made me welcome from the moment I set foot on the reserve. They are kind, accommodating, and just wonderful people, and their stories need to be heard not just in Canada, but in North America, and beyond,” she says.
“They are the true Canadians, and it’s time we all come to terms with our shared history, and here’s something else,” she says. “I liked the people and the reserve so much that I actually bought a cottage on the grounds, so really I’m living among history!”
Readers will encounter deeply moving narratives like the journey of an entrepreneur who transformed traditional medicine plant knowledge into a thriving business while trying to recover from a life-threatening addiction, or the story of Elsie Knott, Canada’s first elected woman Chief, who single-handedly blazed the trail for women in leadership.
Artist Randall James Knott, who shapes soapstone and wood horns, and brings canvas art to life, often beginning from a dream, working under a backyard tent regardless of the weather or season, is also featured. His admirers scan the world over, and his crafted canoe paddles are on display in the prestigious Canadian Canoe Museum.
And dozens of other individuals, including other world-class artists, residential school survivors and how they survived one of the darkest periods in Canadian history, a scientist, language keepers, and poets who have risen from the ashes and become a part of history.
“Some of the stories are difficult to read, as they confront discrimination and the horrific abuse that took place within the walls of residential schools, yet they also reveal the uplifting resilience of the human spirit,” she says.
“These stories are not presented as artifacts of the past, but as living legacies that continue to shape the present and future of Curve Lake First Nation, and I am both humbled and honoured to be entrusted with them.”
The book, written with artistic excellence, does not lecture nor preach, but listens and speaks and places Curve Lake First Nation on the pages with respect and integrity to place, for ancestors, and history.
Dickinson, an award-winning poet, and former photography model who resides in York Region, with ties to Barrie, continues to model on selected projects.
“And there will be a followup to this book,” she says. “I can’t really discuss the details at present, but it will be a combined effort between myself and Ojibwa life-coach and spiritual reader David Lang, whose inspiring story is also in this book.”
This Is My Story, written entirely from person-to-person conversations, personal reflections and moments that shaped lives, is a historical record of work, skill and memory, offered to the reader who is ready to listen and learn.
“The people in the stories will be long remembered after the last page of the book has been read.”
The book is dedicated to her late pooch Trooper, with acknowledgement to her ‘special’ friend Ron.
This Is My Story – Narratives of Talent and Triumph from Curve Lake First Nation is available both in print and digital editions through major retailers, including Indigo, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
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Shared from BradfordToday.ca: New book delves into ‘unspeakable horrors’ at Curve Lake First Nation