Synopses & Reviews
The Education of Augie Merasty offers a courageous and intimate chronicle of life in a residential school.
Now a retired fisherman and trapper, Joseph A. (Augie) Merasty was one of an estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children who were taken from their families and sent to government-funded, church-run schools, where they were subjected to a policy of "aggressive assimiliation."
As Merasty recounts, these schools did more than attempt to mold children in the ways of white society. They were taught to be ashamed of their native heritage and, as he experienced, often suffered physical and sexual abuse.
Even as he looks back on this painful part of his childhood, Merasty’s generous and authentic voice shines through.
Review
"A story in which our entire nation has an obscure and dark complicity." -David Carpenter, in his introduction to Residential School Days
Review
"This story of a child is heartbreaking and important. It brings into dramatic focus why we need reconciliation." - James Daschuk, author of
Clearing the PlainsSynopsis
Joseph A. (Augie) Merasty’s Residential School Days offers a courageous and intimate chronicle of life in a residential school.
Synopsis
"This story of a child is heartbreaking and important. It brings into dramatic focus why we need reconciliation." - James Daschuk, author of Clearing the Plains This memoir offers a courageous and intimate chronicle of life in a residential school. Now a retired fisherman and trapper, the author was one of an estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children who were taken from their families and sent to government-funded, church-run schools, where they were subjected to a policy of "aggressive assimilation." As Augie Merasty recounts, these schools did more than attempt to mold children in the ways of white society. They were taught to be ashamed of their native heritage and, as he experienced, often suffered physical and sexual abuse. But, even as he looks back on this painful part of his childhood, Merasty's sense of humour and warm voice shine through.
Synopsis
A courageous and intimate chronicle of life in a residential school, The Education of Augie Merasty highlights the urgent need for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
About the Author
A retired fisherman and trapper, Joseph Auguste (Augie) Merasty is a Canadian Indian Residential School survivor. One of an estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children who were taken from their families and sent to the government-funded, church-run schools. Merasty attended St. Therese Residential School in the community of Sturgeon Landing, Manitoba, from 1935 to 1944.
David Carpenter is a well-known, award-winning author of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, whose most recent works include The Literary History of Saskatchewan, Vols 1 & 2. Virtually all of Carpenter’s books are set in and inspired by the Canadian West.