In Valley of the Birdtail, alumni Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson tell the story of two communities in Manitoba “divided by a valley, a river and 150 years of racism”. This book held a special significance for me, given my close proximity to Rossburn and my mother's upbringing there. It narrates a poignant and sobering tale of how two communities diverged, becoming segregated and unequal—a narrative with implications far beyond their borders. In Rossburn, settled by Ukrainian immigrants seeking refuge from poverty and persecution, the average family income mirrors the national average, with a notable proportion of adults holding university degrees. Conversely, in Waywayseecappo, families often struggle below the national poverty line, and educational attainment levels are significantly lower,...
When Frankie McGrath, a twenty-year-old nursing student, first hears the words "Women can be heroes, too"... it's like a lightbulb moment. Raised on Coronado Island, always doing the right thing, she takes a wild turn in 1965. With her brother off to Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps on a whim. As clueless as the guys sent to Vietnam, Frankie faces the chaos of war and the shock of returning to a changed America. "The Women" sheds light on all the forgotten women who risked it all. From the moment Frankie's plane descends into Vietnam, to her first night in the barracks- I was aghast and desperate to read on. This book made it all seem so close. Kristin Hannah...
Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage Endurance by Alfred Lansing In case you’re in the mood to be BLOWN AWAY…. GIRD YOUR SOUL in preparation for this tantalizing odyssey. In August of 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica in the hopes of crossing the LAST uncharted continent on foot. Five months later, after battling a thousand miles of pack ice- Shackleton and his crew are trapped. Their ship is slowly being crushed to death. They have no choice but to abandon it. What happens after this is nothing short of a miracle (well, more like a hundred miracles….) The challenges these men endured (the ship was aptly named) are inconceivable: the physical demands on their bodies,...
