EBOOK
About
A poetic memoir as intricately woven as a dreamcatcher about overcoming the pain of generational trauma with the power of traditional healing.
In her deeply affecting memoir, “Soft as Bones”, Chyana Marie Sage shares the pain of growing up with her father: a crack dealer who went to prison for molesting her older sister. She details the shame and guilt she carried for years after her family's trauma as she went from one dysfunctional relationship to another, from one illegal drug to another. In revisiting her family's history and weaving in the perspectives of her mother and sisters, Chyana examines the legacy of generational abuse, which began with her father's father, who was forcibly removed from his family by the residential schools and Sixties Scoops programs.
Yet hers is also a story of hope, as it was the traditions of her people that saved her life. In candid, incisive, and delicate prose, Chyana braids personal narrative with Cree stories and ceremonies, all as a means of healing one small piece of the mosaic that makes up the dark past of colonialism shared by Indigenous people throughout Turtle Island.
• A probing, moving, beautiful memoir that explores many universal themes: pride in one's cultural legacy and heritage, the pain of generational trauma, complex family dynamics, and self-healing. Encompassing both tragedy and hope, it is not just about cycles of abuse, but cycles of healing.
• “Soft as Bones” is intended for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. There are many Cree-specific cultural artifacts and stories woven throughout each section, which fellow Indigenous people will find familiar. However, it is also very much intended for people wanting to learn and understand Canada's history of colonialism and genocide against Indigenous peoples.
• Healing and overcoming intergenerational trauma are the motifs of Chyana's work and life. She aims to critique the legacies of colonialism, but her writing is also a celebration of culture and legacy.
• This book will speak to readers who enjoy reading about overcoming adversity, hardship, and rising above addiction, abuse, and childhood trauma. It is very much a story of working through the darkness of our lives and coming out lighter in the end.
• There is great interest in voice-driven narratives and Indigenous stories, many of which remain to be told and celebrated.
In her deeply affecting memoir, “Soft as Bones”, Chyana Marie Sage shares the pain of growing up with her father: a crack dealer who went to prison for molesting her older sister. She details the shame and guilt she carried for years after her family's trauma as she went from one dysfunctional relationship to another, from one illegal drug to another. In revisiting her family's history and weaving in the perspectives of her mother and sisters, Chyana examines the legacy of generational abuse, which began with her father's father, who was forcibly removed from his family by the residential schools and Sixties Scoops programs.
Yet hers is also a story of hope, as it was the traditions of her people that saved her life. In candid, incisive, and delicate prose, Chyana braids personal narrative with Cree stories and ceremonies, all as a means of healing one small piece of the mosaic that makes up the dark past of colonialism shared by Indigenous people throughout Turtle Island.
• A probing, moving, beautiful memoir that explores many universal themes: pride in one's cultural legacy and heritage, the pain of generational trauma, complex family dynamics, and self-healing. Encompassing both tragedy and hope, it is not just about cycles of abuse, but cycles of healing.
• “Soft as Bones” is intended for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. There are many Cree-specific cultural artifacts and stories woven throughout each section, which fellow Indigenous people will find familiar. However, it is also very much intended for people wanting to learn and understand Canada's history of colonialism and genocide against Indigenous peoples.
• Healing and overcoming intergenerational trauma are the motifs of Chyana's work and life. She aims to critique the legacies of colonialism, but her writing is also a celebration of culture and legacy.
• This book will speak to readers who enjoy reading about overcoming adversity, hardship, and rising above addiction, abuse, and childhood trauma. It is very much a story of working through the darkness of our lives and coming out lighter in the end.
• There is great interest in voice-driven narratives and Indigenous stories, many of which remain to be told and celebrated.