Mamaskatch
A Cree Coming of Age
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Mamaskatch
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Narrated by:
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William C. Wikcemna Yamni ake Wanzi
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Written by:
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Darrel J. McLeod
About this listen
Growing up in the tiny village of Smith, Alberta, Darrel J. McLeod was surrounded by his Cree family's history. In shifting and unpredictable stories, his mother, Bertha, shared narratives of their culture, their family, and the cruelty that she and her sisters endured in residential school. McLeod was comforted by her presence and that of his many siblings and cousins, the smells of moose stew and wild peppermint tea, and his deep love of the landscape. Bertha taught him to be fiercely proud of his heritage and to listen to the birds that would return to watch over and guide him at key junctures of his life.
However, in a spiral of events, Darrel's mother turned wild and unstable, and their home life became chaotic. Sweet and innocent by nature, Darrel struggled to maintain his grades and pursue an interest in music while changing homes many times, witnessing violence, caring for his younger siblings and suffering abuse at the hands of his surrogate father. Meanwhile, his sibling's gender transition provoked Darrel to deeply question his own sexual identity.
The fractured narrative of Mamaskatch mirrors Bertha's attempts to reckon with the trauma and abuse she faced in her own life, and captures an intensely moving portrait of a family of strong personalities, deep ties, and the shared history that both binds and haunts them.
Beautifully written, honest and thought-provoking, Mamaskatch - named for the Cree word used as a response to dreams shared - is ultimately an uplifting account of overcoming personal and societal obstacles. In spite of the traumas of Darrel's childhood, deep and mysterious forces handed down by his mother helped him survive and thrive: her love and strength stayed with him to build the foundation of what would come to be a very fulfilling and adventurous life.
Cover design courtesy of Douglas & McIntyre, (2013) Ltd.
©2018 Darrel J. McLeod (P)2018 Audible, Inc.Related Collections
What listeners say about Mamaskatch
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Norman
- 2023-02-28
Growing up native is not easy.
This was a very difficult read. Pressures of race, religion, sexual orientation, and a difficult family situation combine to make Darrel McLeod's life a living hell. Only the knowledge that he lived to write this memoir allowed me to finish it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MiSs JaMiE
- 2019-08-11
Beautiful but sad story
Excellent audio book. Very sad story but beautiful. i always prefer when authors read their own stories tho but narrator was very good!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chip
- 2022-07-24
Wonderful memoir in the vein of Angela’s Ashes
I had no idea what to expect when I started this book. But I can say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The point of view and timeline jumps around a bit at times, but it can’t imagine my own memoir would be linear.
I recommend this book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Joan Porter
- 2019-08-23
Interesting
An intimate view of one man's coming of age as a Cree in Canada in the 50s. Well written, at times difficult to read, but well worth the struggle.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-01-16
Such a great book
I enjoyed this book, the story is told beautifully, moving through time in a nonlinear fashion and so well structured that I never felt lost. It's a book of deep honesty, great emotion, hope, and lasting grief. Beautiful.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cake
- 2019-10-02
Recommended
I really enjoyed this story, it is truly a coming of age. There is a lot of sadness as well as a lot of humour
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gillian Brass
- 2019-07-17
Why the southern accent?
Loved the story and book overall. However, the narration kept throwing me because I don’t picture a Cree from rural Alberta sounding like a southerner from the US. And the narration lilt kept changing from southerner to a mix of something else. It seemed out of place and strange which impacted my ability to fully integrate into the story.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julia
- 2019-09-30
Love this book
I am so proud to be Cree. This book touched me in many ways. This book hits home.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-09-17
Mamaskatch
Highly recommend this book. I found it very difficult to listen to at many times throughout this story. It’s very good to see the perspective of the child who has been affected by the Residential School. I cried many tears. Thank you Darrel for sharing
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tracy Brown
- 2022-12-07
A must read for all Canadians
Heart wrenching and highly descriptive story. Although the details of his life are raw and uncomfortable to hear, it’s an eloquently written autobiography of a hard-lived life of discrimination & multitudes of abuse.
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