The Knowing

HIGHLY RECOMMEND for anyone who identifies as Canadian and thinks that history has value... So ideally, all Canadians. It's also just such a fascinating examination of how families with indigenous ancestors have to struggle for years against generations of government disregard and malevolence just to find out about their families' past.

Basically, this book is about the author, a prominent writer and former national journalist, trying to trace her indigenous roots to find out where her family came from and where her ancestors are now. She travels from James Bay to a Toronto Highway overpass to find them. Along the way, she learns the extent to which the Hudson's Bay Company (now known as HBC or The Bay) relied on slavery and thugs to keep a stranglehold on the Canadian North, the extent of the lies told to make treaties in Northern Ontario, the systematic incarcerations of indigenous children and women, and the extent to which this land is covered in unmarked graves of indigenous people that the Canadian government tried to erase from history.

She is also candid about the resistance Canadian media has to telling these stories and the skepticism, stonewalling and backlash she faces when trying to investigate and share them as a reporter, which was quite illuminating, but not so surprising in the 2024 media-scape.

It's a life changing read. It redefines what it means to be a Canadian. It cannot be overstated how important it is to read this story.