by Glenice Lilje

MMWIG Awareness and Residential School Survivors

Did you know that Indigenous women and girls are five time more likely to experience violence than any other population in Canada? Or that they make up 11% of all missing cases and 16% of all female homicides even though Indigenous people make up 4.3% of the Canadian population (Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2021)? Or that over 150, 000 Indigenous children were taken away from their families only to be left with an estimate of 80,000 survivors (Reconciliation Canada, 2021)?

For decades, Indigenous women and girls have been forgotten or seen as lesser than due to the public’s perception of them as shaped by colonial stereotypes.  The rates of violence, exploitation, mistreatment, and crimes committed against them have become an urgent issue in Canada. Yet after many tragic losses, It is only as recent as 2016 the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was launched as a federal government initiative as their response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #41. This would include the investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls and residential schools.

There is much to be done to right the many years of wrongdoing.  We can hope to focus on the prevention of future tragedies, improve awareness and continue to lift up Indigenous voices.  Below are some reads with Indigenous voices that can be found at BCIT Library.

Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story  by David A. Richardson , 2015.

Helen Betty Osborne, Betty to her friends and family, dreamed of becoming a teacher. In 1971, Betty left home to attend residential school and high school in The Pas, Manitoba. Later that year, Betty was abducted, sexually assaulted and brutally murdered by four drunken frat boy types. She was only 19. It took over 15 years for anyone to be convicted for their part in her murder. Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that hopes to raise awareness to the injustice and the disparities experienced by the Cree and Indigenous communities.

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, 2020.

Michelle Good’s award-winning Five Little Indians is the story of Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie as they are taken from their families and sent to a small, remote, church-run residential school.  Barely out of childhood, they are released after years of being detained, without any skills or familial support and into the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. We follow these five survivors over time, as they struggle to overcome their own individual traumas from the suffering they endured during their years at the Mission.

Stolen Life:  The Journey of a Cree Woman  by Rudy Wiebe, 1998.

Warning: this autobiography is not for the weak-hearted.  This is a story about terrible injustices, murder and a courtroom drama and the true life events of Yvonne Johnson, a Native woman who has decided to speak out.  We start with Yvonne’s early life growing up in Butte, Montana.  We later learn of the story of her brother’s murder while in police custody, the sexual abuse she endured from multiple family members, and then her escape to Canada.  Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman grants the reader access to Yvonne’s turbulent childhood and the spiritual guidance she receives as she heals from her traumas.

For more reading visit:

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls | Official Website

Native Women’s Association of Canada: Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls Fact Sheet

Gov’t of Canada | National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Reconciliation Canada | Official Website

by Glenice Lilje

Leadership

 Leadership (/ ˈli dərˌʃɪp / )  the ability to lead; the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. The ability to prepare and inspire others to achieve a common goal.

The foundation for efficient and effective leadership is based on ideas and experience.  Good leaders can communicate in a way that engages others to act as the leader wants them act.  They inspire change and must be personable for others to follow their orders.  Critical thinking skills are a must as leaders need to know the best way to utilize resources. So how does leadership differ from management?

Previously, the terms leadership and management were used interchangeably.  However, they are not the same. Leadership requires skill and traits that extend beyond management duties. Managers seek to inspire their team to meet goals while preserving existing organizational structures. They plan, monitor, coordinate, solve problems, and more. Leaders tend to operate more independently, giving them more room to be innovative, motivate people and visualize for the future.

How does one become a better leader?  So far, there doesn’t seem to be a straight path to get there. We can always look to those who inspire us and try to follow in their footsteps.  They can be a leader of a large organization, or someone who has shifted cultural norms. They can even be your favourite elementary school teacher.

Here are a few resources from our library for those looking to acquire new insights or looking to polish up their existing skills.

The Everyday Leader: How to Motivate, Empower and Influence Those Around You By John Cross, 2019.

Each and every one of us has the power to inspire change.  It can be done through a person’s behavior or attitude. Individuals coming together can shift the culture, goals, vision or strategy of their communities and/or organizations.  The Everyday Leader can help bring out the inner leader in you to bring motivation and empowerment in both your professional and social circles.  Readers are guided through the main challengers leaders face and are provided with skill building recommendations to become more empathetic, influential, and more efficient at making decisions.

Leading with Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work by Peter Bregman, 2018.

Great leadership is said to align teams, inspire action and achieve results.  Sounds easy, right? There are a great, many barriers one faces to accomplish these outcomes. Some people may be uncomfortable with the risks that come with their position, or can’t find a way to communicate efficiently. Leading with Emotional Courage… provides the reader with practical, real-world guidance to help build up one’s emotional “muscle” and learn to handle difficult situations while maintaining a calm, stable demeanor, and how to respond productively.

Available in both print and eBook formats.

 
The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance by Steven G. Rogelberg, 2019.

How many of us have thought, “That meeting could have been an email”?   At one point or another, we may have been guilty of tuning out of meetings or even failing to participate. Steven G. Rogelberg hopes to restructure meetings and turn them into time investments. Drawing from extensive research, analytics, data mining and survey interviews across various industries, The Surprise Science of Meetings provides the reader with practices and techniques to help enhance the quality of meetings.

by Glenice Lilje

Books You Can Cry To

Sure, I like a good cry every now and then.  I once read somewhere that one of the benefits of crying is a feeling of letting go.  The letting go of tension and anxieties, but also a literal release of oxytocin and endorphins: the feel-good chemicals! Society has brought me up to believe that crying is a sign of weakness, but I believe the contrary and that not all tears are created equal.  I don’t think I have ever ugly cried while reading a story but My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult changed all that.  The last pages were so tear-stained that I was too embarrassed to return the book back to its owner.

Although I have avoided reading other books from that author, I still remember the feeling that stayed with me.  I know I can never revisit that story again, but I always enjoy thought-provoking stories that leave me emotionally invested.

Here are some titles that will tug at your heartstrings and have you thinking about the characters long after the book has finished…….maybe have some tissues ready.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, 2020

The Midnight Library tells the story of Nora, a thirty-something woman who has many regrets about her life and is left feeling unneeded.  At the lowest point of her life, she comes across The Midnight Library whose collection represents portals into different variations of her life.  The Library exists between life and death, allowing Nora to experience these alternate realities for as long as she desires.  A story of regret, acceptance, redemption and the choices that go into a life well lived.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, 2021

Picture this: a 25-year old unmarried woman, raising two children on her own and working on a Texas farm during the Great Depression.  She had dreamt of going to college, instead she struggles to make a living while watching their land and crops dry out around them. Do they stay and hope to keep the land they worked hard for, or do they go West and start over with hopes of a better life?  The Four Winds is a book about resilience, determination, survival and the American Dream.

Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2021.

Every year in Malibu, four famous siblings throw an epic bash that attracts a lot of famous people.  One year, the party gets out of control ending with a fire that ultimately ends up burning their house down.  Broken down into four parts, Malibu Rising shares each sibling’s perspective as they navigate through familial struggles, heartbreak and a party for the ages.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2021.

Brought to you by the author of Never Let Me go, Klara and the Sun is a beautiful story of an Artificial Friend that carefully watches the behaviors of shoppers and passerby’s from the store where she hopes that someday a customer will bring her home. Follow Klara’s journey as she observes and learns about the societal pressures humans are subjected to and the artificial way people divide themselves.  This novel from Kazuo Ishiguro also allows the reader to reflect on our rapidly changing modern world and the meaning of love.

by Glenice Lilje

A Series of Unfortunate Events

From the first sparks of fire to the billionaire space race of today, there is no denying that we humans have come a long way. I am always in awe when I think about all the conveniences and advances that I have experienced during my time on this planet.  I can still recall getting our first family computer, playing games on an 8-inch floppy disk and learning to type with Mavis Beacon. Today, I can order groceries on my smartphone and have them delivered to my doorstep by the end of the day.  Amazing!

With all of our advancements, there have been many, many failures along the way (Think: The Titanic).  Here a few books from our collection that highlight some of the hits and misses throughout the years.

Dopesick:  Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy, 2018.

Beth Macy walks us through the last two decades of America’s struggle with opioid addiction and its heartbreaking trajectory.  The author investigates the dominant forces that led the medical industry to embrace overtreatment with painkillers and the powerful hold OxyContin has had since its debut in 1996.  Macy takes experiences from families, communities and first responders that have been affected by this national crisis and interlaces their stories with the dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference.

The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed our Understanding of Madness by Susannah Calahan, 2019.

Mental illness has always been tricky to define, diagnose and treat. In the 1970’s, a Stanford psychologist and seven sane, well-adjusted people went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatric diagnoses and treatment.  Forced to remain inside until they can prove that they are “sane”, each member emerged with shocking diagnoses and disturbing stories of their treatment resulting in the shutting down of some institutions and changing mental health diagnosis moving forward.  Susannah Calahan provides a well-crafted real-life detective story that proves that very little is what it seems and makes us wonder what else may be going on behind closed doors?

Humans: a Brief History of How We F*cked it All Up by Tom Phillilps, 2018.

Since the dawn of man, humans have certainly come a long way.  Advancements in art, technology, culture, science.  On paper, we are at the top of the food chain. But if you take a look at the fine print, it wasn’t always the smoothest ride to get to where we were today.  Let’s just say that with every trailblazer, there is a long list of “f*ck ups” along the way.  From Chairman Mao’s Four Pests Campaign, to the American Dustbowl and the Austrian army attacking itself one drunken evening.  As a species, humans has not appeared to have grown wiser with age.  Next time you are feeling down for screwing something up, pick up this book as a reminder that things could be A LOT worse.