The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew

I first became aware of Wab Kinew when I saw the CBC TV series, The Eighth Fire.  As the host of this series on the contemporary issues of Indigenous people in Canada, Kinew brought a depth of personal experience, an urban perspective and enormous openness and charisma to our national discussion on reconciliation. The same qualities infuse his memoir, The Reason You Walk.

This memoir is rich and thoughtful.  It is not only a reflection on Kinew's life, but also explores his relationship with his father, a residential school survivor.  Much of the memoir focuses on his father's last year of life, when it was clear that he was terminally ill, and Kinew took time off work to be with his dying father.  Throughout Kinew tells the stories that brought him, his father and his family to this point.  Each vignette is vividly told, giving the reader the impression of witnessing these moments, and each ties into the broader themes of growth, understanding, family and reconciliation.

Kinew does not avoid the difficult issues, such as the impact of residential schools, the suicide crisis among young indigenous people, and conflicts over land use, but he brings to the discussion a vision of a future where we can move beyond the harms of the past, and build a better world, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.  Now, when reconciliation is arguably the biggest challenge our nation faces, he brings a calm voice, a deep understanding of both Indigenous and settler culture, and an expansiveness of spirit to the debate.

As Kinew describes it: "Reconciliation is action. Reconciliation is not something realized on a grand level, something that happens when a prime minister and a national chief shake hands.  It takes place at a much more individual level. Reconciliation is realized when two people come together and understand that what they share unites them and that what is different about them needs to be respected."

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a deeper understanding of the need for reconciliation and anyone who wishes to understand the importance of culture and ceremony in achieving it.

Four smileys out of five: 😀😀😀😀