Hamilton Reads
From transformative self-discovery to the challenges of living as a child with disabilities, and from celebrating a war hero to the resiliency required to live in modern-day Abu Dhabi, check out these works by local authors.
Swiftly Flowing Waters: A Memoir
By Pat Lamondin Skene
“My indigeneity has always been in the shadows of my backstory, running parallel lines along the events of my life,” writes Pat Lamondin Skene in her stirring memoir, Swiftly Flowing Waters, which recalls a life of resilience, reflection, and reclamation. Skene, who now lives in Oakville, was raised to deny and conceal her Métis roots, at a time before the word was commonly used in her community. However, with the support of her close-knit family, she found her true self.
Told chronologically in six parts, Swiftly Flowing Waters begins in 1949 in a small two-storey house on the banks of Ontario’s Magnetawan River. Skene is four years old, and her father has just lost his left hand in an accident. It’s the first of many times Skene feels vulnerable and afraid. Next, she invites readers into the most intimate moments of her life, which includes a traumatic first marriage, a breast cancer diagnosis, and helping her beloved husband Bob through a medically assisted death.
“Reliving my lifetime on this Earth through the eyes of a septuagenarian is like creating the picture in a puzzle,” writes Skene in her carefully crafted prose. “Each small piece fits together and makes more sense with the others tucked in around it. I keep working away until an image finally emerges, held there by its parts,” she writes.
A powerful storyteller, Skene brings readers along on her journey from early experiences of racism and unexplored identity to her current state of feeling “empowered, free, and capable.” Swiftly Flowing Waters celebrates the transformative experience of self-discovery, surely inspiring readers to look inward, reflecting on their own narratives.
The Scooter Twins
By Dorothy Ellen Palmer
Going to a doctor’s appointment on their birthday is a drag, but, thankfully, twins Melanie and Melvin get good news. Dr. Singh recommends mobility scooters, which will help the youngsters become more independent. Written by disability activist, and Burlington resident, Dorothy Ellen Palmer, The Scooter Twins follows the twins and their grandmother as they navigate challenges, including a rude store clerk and products that aren’t made with kids in
mind. Beautifully illustrated by Maria Sweeney, The Scooter Twins centres the experience of children with a physical disability, ensuring that many young readers see themselves, and their adventures, reflected.
Stormin Norman: Born to Battle
By David N. Robson
Stormin Norman: Born to Battle is the compelling true story of one of Canada’s unsung World War II heroes who fought in four major battles against the Germans. It’s written by his son, Ancaster’s David N. Robson, who recounts Stormin Norman’s difficult childhood, homelessness, and enlistment at the age of 16 when he joined the infamous North Nova Scotia Highlanders, also known as the North Novas. Stormin Norman was seriously injured twice, but, upon leaving the hospital, re-enlisted. Stormin Norman: Born to Battle is a heroic tale of active duty—but beyond that, it’s a powerful example of a son honouring his father’s legacy.
The Emptiest Quarter: Novellas
Raymond Beauchemin
The Emptiest Quarter is a series of three superbly written novellas by essayist, novelist, and journalist Raymond Beauchemin. Though now living in Hamilton, the book is inspired by the sands and streets of Abu Dhabi, where Beauchemin and his family lived for four years between 2008 to 2011. Driven by complex and moving characters, all striving to find themselves and their footing, The Emptiest Quarter is a profound exploration of identity, resilience, and human experience set against a vibrant and ever-changing backdrop in the Middle East.
Finally, congratulations to Brantford’s Alicia Elliott whose novel And Then She Fell recently won the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, which has a $60,000 prize. “With its gripping narrative and surreal twists, Alicia Elliott’s debut novel is an unflinching exploration of the human psyche and the transformative power of storytelling,” said judge francesca ekwuyasi.
