January 04, 2023

Grey County Reads: Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

BY SOUTHGREY.CA STAFF — Lindsey Glazier (she/her) is a strategic communication and engagement professional with a passion for inclusion, diversity, equity, justice and access. Raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Lindsey currently resides in Ayton, West Grey with her partner and two cats. She is passionate about her community and currently sits on several Boards that support the arts, literacy and mental health and addictions in the region. A former member of the West Grey Library Board and a lifelong philomath, Lindsey enjoys reading both fiction and non-fiction and usually has at least one of each in her office and on the nightstand to read when she gets a moment. Lindsey recently launched a podcast with her partner which can be accessed here. Lindsey is looking forward to representing West Grey in the 2023 Grey County Reads contest and can be contacted via LinkedIn.

Her passion for learning and bookwormish nature made her an ideal candidate for this endeavour. Lindsey's book choice is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, published in 2012. The novel has won many awards and was turned into a feature film, shedding light on the dark history of Canada’s Indigenous Residential Schools and the indomitable spirit of aboriginal people.

The official Indian Horse website describes the story which takes place in late 1950s Ontario, where eight-year-old Saul Indian Horse is torn from his Ojibway family and committed to one of Canada’s notorious Catholic Residential Schools. In this oppressive environment, Saul is denied the freedom to speak his language or embrace his Indigenous culture and he witnesses and experiences all kinds of abuse at the hands of the very people who were entrusted with his care.

Despite this, Saul finds salvation in the unlikeliest of places and the most favourite of Canadian pastimes — hockey. Fascinated by the game, he secretly teaches himself how to play, and develops a unique and rare skill. It’s as if he has eyes in the back of his head and can see the game in a way no other player can. The story is one of loss and fear, but also one of hope and resilience.

Author Richard Wagamese was one of Canada’s foremost Indigenous authors and an esteemed public speaker and storyteller. A professional writer since 1979, he was a newspaper columnist and reporter, radio and television broadcaster and producer, documentary producer and the author of fourteen titles from various Canadian publishers. His book What Comes From Spirit was last year's Grey County Reads winner.

 

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