My Decade at Old Sun, My Lifetime of Hell

Through vignettes, Arthur Bear Chief outlines his experiences at the Old Sun residential school and, later, the trauma of revisiting his experiences for a federal lawsuit. My Decade at Old Sun, My Lifetime of Hell is a raw and graphic first-hand account of a residential school experience, but it also highlights the important role that family and traditions play in healing. Appendices include legal correspondence that provides a deeper look into not only the residential school system but also the experience of survivors who were later involved in legal actions, and how different forms of abuse were assigned monetary amounts. A list of further reading offers other Indigenous voices and perspectives on related topics, such as intergenerational trauma and reconciliation. If used with cultural and trauma sensitivity, this narrative could provide a very real human connection to the history and outcomes of residential schools.

Athabasca University Press is an open access publisher. An open access version of this resource can be found here.

Award:
Winner, Best Regional Non-Fiction, 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards