Book Club 2nd Edition

Seven of us met on Feb. 25th at Jane’s to discuss “Permanent Astonishment: Growing Up Cree in the Land of Snow and Sky” by Canadian author, playwright and musician Tomson Highway. We greatly enjoyed this unique memoir, full of vivid descriptions of aboriginal culture, community life in the north (often do-or-die survival living off the land), family dynamics and philosophies of life. Plus hilarious riffs on linguistics challenges translating between English and Cree and a sense of humour in telling a coming-of-age story. The book was inspired by and dedicated to Tomson Highway’s beloved younger brother, René, a world-renowned dancer, who died young in TO during the AIDS epidemic. The book’s epigraph is a quote of René’s last words to Tomson, “Don’t mourn me, be joyful.”