Angela Sterritt
Beautifully written, Marie Wilson’s North of Nowhere is a stunning work of truth, power, and wisdom. An imperative read for all Canadians to understand the layers of shrapnel left by the residential school system that will leave you with emotion and hope. Wilson is an incredibly brilliant and gifted writer.
Chief Willie Littlechild
This book is a must-read for everyone! Dr. Wilson captures stories about lived experiences through her personal heartfelt reflections. From shattered families comes the power of hope, to forgive, to respect. Dr. Wilson challenges all of us to make a commitment to positive action, to advance reconciliation. It is about working together: Upintowin, lifting each other up. The thousands of stories culminate in this most powerful story from the North: ‘Love is the direction.’ Hai Hai, merci beaucoup, thank you.
Richard Van Camp
For anyone wanting a front row seat to the Spirit, the vision, and the mechanics of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, North of Nowhere is definitely it. Commissioner Dr. Marie Wilson recounts and celebrates the courage of everyone involved in one of Canada’s most important chapters of coming to terms with residential school Survivors and their families and their communities forever changed with a policy of cultural genocide. I hope everyone reads this and finds their way to support Survivors, their families, and their communities as they continue to reclaim so much of what was stolen. What a profound and riveting read.
Charlotte Gray (CM)
I found Marie Wilson’s North of Nowhere profoundly moving and surprisingly optimistic. With humility and wisdom, she takes us behind the scenes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As a non-Indigenous woman long settled in the North, she has a unique viewpoint, and she leavens an account of the traumatic intergenerational impact of residential schools with details from her own personal story. Wilson goes beyond the grief and misery triggered by the Truth aspect of the TRC to suggest the joy and laughter that true Reconciliation can produce in survivors. But reconciliation will be achieved only if we don’t look away. North of Nowhere is a powerful book that shifted my perspective, and, thanks to Wilson’s lucid prose, helps the rest of us glimpse what is needed.
Perry Bellegarde
In North of Nowhere, Marie Wilson honours her vow to residential school Survivors to ‘do no harm’ and to bear witness to and honour their experiences. Marie has achieved her purpose to educate readers and inspire reconciliation and, most importantly, hope. ‘I see you. I hear you. I believe you. And I love you’—Marie’s words as a Commissioner to Survivors set the tone for this very important book.
Judy Rodgers
Journalist Marie Wilson brings us into the emotion-charged rooms, the sacred spaces of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation hearings. She listens with the heart of a mother, looking into the souls of the adult Survivors standing before her and seeing the children they once were. Though she holds nothing back, in the end this is a triumphant, restorative narrative—a testament to the healing that happens when we share our deepest, darkest truths.
Cindy Blackstock
Marie Wilson is the truth keeper entrusted with the accounts of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children who went to residential schools, the memories of those who did not make it home and the fate of us all if we do not learn from the past. The savagery of ‘civilization’ comes into stark relief as children emerge from the pages to awaken the national consciousness and render the TRC Calls to Action imperative.
Cadmus Delorme
This book is one of the best I’ve ever read. It made me laugh, get emotional, and helped reset my journey on the role I need to play. As a child of residential school Survivors, I was motivated to continue to learn my language and strengthen my pride as an Indigenous person. Truth must come before reconciliation; this book will empower Canadians to focus on what we can control today when it comes to implementing the Calls to Action. This book advocates for building awareness, understanding, and long-term relationships between Indigenous people and Canadians. If every Canadian reads this book, the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action can be achieved.
Sylvia Vollenhoven
Marie Wilson has the power to inspire people. This power emanates from deep inside her being. In North of Nowhere, she combines her rare insight with her ability to be a beacon of inspiration. She has turned the story of the Canadian TRC into a healing narrative for the whole world.
Tammara Soma
TRC Commissioner Marie Wilson beautifully centres the Survivors at the heart of her book. North of Nowhere includes stories of heartbreak and of loss but also celebrates stories of resurgence and redemption. It powerfully ruptures the colonial myth-making and storytelling that has for so long suppressed Indigenous voices, languages, and cultures. Commissioner Wilson calls on everyone and, in particular, invites Canadians to bear witness and to promise in a sacred trust to never stop telling the stories of residential school Survivors. A trust that is binding upon us for as long as the river flows.
Elizabeth Hay
Marie Wilson’s remarkable memoir is a schooling in painful facts and brave reckonings. In many ways it’s both an owner’s manual and a spiritual handbook: how to own and own up to the darkness in Canada’s past, how to move into the light of understanding and compassion. The stories she tells of heartbreak and soul-break lift off the page, and what evolves is a kind of spiritual strength that has a touch of the miraculous.
ane Middelton-Moz
TRC Commissioner Dr. Marie Wilson’s book, North of Nowhere, takes its reader on a six-and-a-half-year journey to Canada’s Indigenous communities. Here the reader experiences the sadness, courage, and resilience of Canada’s residential school Survivors. North of Nowhere combines the passion of a truth-teller with the objectivity and impartiality of a journalist, balanced with the heart of both a mother and grandmother. Dr. Wilson’s masterful work speaks for children whose voices have been silenced and whose stories have remained untold, allowing Survivors to continue their healing through the inspirational examples and words of many others. The reader is invited to bear witness to the heartbreaks, courage, and resilience of these Survivors. Dr. Wilson opens a doorway, allowing her readers to both witness and reconcile with this dark chapter in Canada’s history.
Jane Middelton-Moz
TRC Commissioner Dr. Marie Wilson’s book, North of Nowhere, takes its reader on a six-and-a-half-year journey to Canada’s Indigenous communities. Here the reader experiences the sadness, courage, and resilience of Canada’s residential school Survivors. North of Nowhere combines the passion of a truth-teller with the objectivity and impartiality of a journalist, balanced with the heart of both a mother and grandmother. Dr. Wilson’s masterful work speaks for children whose voices have been silenced and whose stories have remained untold, allowing Survivors to continue their healing through the inspirational examples and words of many others. The reader is invited to bear witness to the heartbreaks, courage, and resilience of these Survivors. Dr. Wilson opens a doorway, allowing her readers to both witness and reconcile with this dark chapter in Canada’s history.
Cynthia Reyes
Marie Wilson's book, North of Nowhere, is a tour de force. It's that rare thing: both an intimate memoir and a compelling portrait of a crucial part of Canada's past and present. The only woman, northerner, and non-Indigenous member of the three TRC commissioners, Wilson brought a unique combination of journalism skills and cross-cultural experience as a member of a Dene family to the most revealing and far-reaching inquiry into Indigenous peoples' individual and collective experiences with the country's residential school system. Told with nuance, deep insight, and power, this book offers the reader a unique chance for understanding Canada's past and present, all told in an intimate, illuminating, and compelling story.
From the Publisher
"Marie Wilson challenges all of us to make a commitment to advance reconciliation. It is about working together: upintowin, lifting each other up." —Chief Dr. Wilton Littlechild
"Marie Wilson is the truth keeper entrusted with the accounts of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children who went to residential schools." —Cindy Blackstock, executive director, First Nations Child & Family Caring Society
"Marie Wilson's remarkable memoir is a schooling in painful facts and brave reckonings." —Elizabeth Hay, author of All Things Consoled
"Marie Wilson elicits emotional and insightful responses that move us along our journeys of understanding the truth of Canada." —Shelagh Rogers and Monique Gray Smith
"Beautifully written, Marie Wilson’s North of Nowhere is a stunning work of truth, power, and wisdom. An imperative read for all Canadians to understand the layers of shrapnel left by the residential school system that will leave you with emotion and hope. Wilson is an incredibly brilliant and gifted writer." — Angela Sterritt, author of Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls
"I hope everyone reads this and finds their way to support Survivors, their families, and their communities as they continue to reclaim so much of what was stolen. What a profound and riveting read." —Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed and Godless but Loyal to Heaven
"Canada needs this book. North of Nowhere brings us face-to-face with our buried past; it will make us stronger for the future. As a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, Marie Wilson walks with us, guides us, and helps us see, hear, and accept the difficult truth of our country. With beautiful writing, superb insights, and sensitivity, she leaves readers not guilty or damaged but optimistic for a shared future as we travel a national road to reconciliation." —Whit Fraser, Vice Regal Consort of Canada
"Profoundly moving and surprisingly optimistic." —Charlotte Gray, (CM), author of Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt
"The long-matured work of a true elder, this magnificent book is a sober masterpiece of sacred activism." —Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism
"A powerful, readable, personal, and uniquely informed review of the historic damage done to Indigenous people in Canada and a compelling reminder of how and why we can change that legacy. I strongly recommend this book." —The Right Honourable Joe Clark
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The Right Honourable Joe Clark
Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Marie Wilson has given Canadians a powerful, readable, personal, and uniquely informed review of the historic damage done to Indigenous people in Canada and a compelling reminder of how and why we can change that legacy. I strongly recommend this book.
Duncan McCue
During Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I watched Marie Wilson listen so deeply to so many Survivors who shared their terrible truths, and I wondered: How could she bear to witness it all? We find out in this heartfelt book, crafted from the careful observations of a seasoned journalist, mother, and grandmother. An insider’s look at the TRC, a meditation on love, and a timely reminder that we as a country cannot ignore our painful past if we hope to move forward together.
Denise Amyot
This amazing, compelling, and moving book from former journalist, Commissioner, and Warrior Marie Wilson, is not only a testimony of the stories, the tears, the smell, the ache, and the hopes heard during the TRC, and the behind-the-scenes camaraderie between the three Commissioners. It is a real gift to humanity to immortalize the spirit of the TRC hearings, a call for a new beginning, and a special blessing bringing the circles of truth and light to healing. I cried. I got angry. I felt ashamed. I smiled. I laughed. I got inspired. I am hopeful for the future. Thank you, Marie, for your openness and authenticity in sharing those stories so that they become our stories for generations to come.
Nora Sanders
This is a book for all Canadians. It presents an account of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work that is both painful and inspiring to read. The stories and experiences that Marie Wilson shares are deeply personal, and they call us each to look within ourselves to find the ways we can be part of the important work of reconciliation.
Whit Fraser
Canada needs this book. North of Nowhere brings us face-to-face with our buried past; it will make us stronger for the future. As a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, Marie Wilson walks with us, guides us, and helps us see, hear, and accept the difficult truth of our country. As a former journalist whose own family has confronted the aftershocks of Indian residential schools, she brings both an insider and outsider eyewitness-soul-searching view of our painful past. With beautiful writing, superb insights, and sensitivity, she leaves readers not guilty or damaged but optimistic for a shared future as we travel a national road to reconciliation.
Shelagh Rogers and Monique Gray Smith
North of Nowhere is the story of a national soul-searching, braided with Dr. Marie Wilson’s own personal story and her unique perspective as a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner. Every page tells a story. This is a book that is bound to ignite dialogue. It has been a catalyst that has been the spark for numerous visits, deep discussions, and reflections, which is why we wanted to write a collective review. Marie’s writing had us thinking and talking about the stories, truths, and wisdom shared throughout the pages. Through her writing, Marie elicits emotional and insightful responses that move us along our own journeys of understanding the truth of Canada.
Virginie Ladisch
Through vivid personal stories, Marie Wilson transmits both the tremendous technical challenges of the TRC journey, and even more importantly, the passion, courage, and heart that are needed to move towards reconciliation, one story at a time. North of Nowhere fills a crucial void in the literature on truth commissions and transitional justice: the heart element of this work.
Nancy MacPherson
North of Nowhere is a must-read for public and private funders and philanthropists who share a sense of outrage at the intergenerational harms of residential schools. Marie Wilson’s deeply personal story gives new meaning to the work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and what still urgently needs to be done to fill the glaring educational, economic, and sociopolitical gaps that continue to exist. She makes it clear that the tangible, specific, and urgent Calls to Action of the Commission are not limited to the federal government, but apply to all sectors of society. As such, she challenges us all as the inheritors of the history and harms of residential schools ‘to do more, to do differently, and to do better.’
Andrew Harvey
The long-matured work of a true elder, this magnificent book is a sober masterpiece of sacred activism. It deserves to be read by everyone aghast at the chaos and cruelty of our world. Its level decency of tone, its lucidity, its determined hope in terrible circumstances both transmit and model those qualities we all now need to build a new world out of the smouldering ashes of the old.
Lizanne Murphy
North of Nowhere is both a necessary call and a collaborative invitation for all Canadians. A beautiful blend of both a heartbreaking account and an inspiring call to rise, told with the care and empathy of a mother. Even in the midst of residential school despair, there are glimpses of hope in seeing how sport could briefly lift the spirits of struggling children, serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of sport in reconciliation.
Susan Aglukark
We ask and demand so much of our leaders and healers. And we expect that while they work, they also hold space for us. In that space is our healing. The Commissioners heard it all—an emotional snapshot, a glimpse of our collective history—and held it throughout and carried on, every day. Words like Marie Wilson's, from her beautiful soul, are the salve.
Natan Obed
Marie Wilson’s North of Nowhere is a necessary book. Within its pages, a reader will find the story of a remarkable woman with tremendous humility and strength who has chosen to serve the country and all those affected by residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission journey and the pathways to its 94 Calls to Action come into focus in very personal ways, not only through Wilson’s reflections but also and most powerfully through Survivors’ testimony and truths, which punctuate like sledgehammers. Marie Wilson places her own life and story in the service of reconciliation, as an agent for truth and as a reporter for the TRC story, whose legacy has profoundly changed this country for the better. But most of all, this book is about love. Love of her family, love of Inuit, First Nations, and Métis, and in turn, a collection of moments exemplifying the love she has received in return.
