I'm very impressed by the courage and strength it took to write this book. I know whatever I write in my review will fall short of what this book deserves. Still, I have to try...
My Daughter: Rehtaeh Parsons
Glen Canning (blog)
with Susan McClelland
Published by Goose Lane Editions
Published in 2021
I've had a blog since 2005. I know first-hand that cyberspace can be a force for good or ill. I believe that it is up to us--all of us--to ensure that good wins. So when I read a tweet about this newly released book I knew I wanted to read it and help review it. So I contacted Goose Lane Editions and they supplied me with a copy.
My Daugther Rehtaeh Parsons is a story about what can happen when cyberspace is used to destroy a life. We all can be victimized but it is the most vulnerable., the children, who are at the greatest risk.
Glen Canning shares a heart-wrenching account of how his daughter "Rae" was victimized, how a system failed her, and how cyberspace perpetuated her victimization.
Glen writes in the Introduction to the book...
'This book is not about sexual assault...
'Nor is this book entirely about the institutional failures that let Rae down...
'It is, more than anything else, about a culture that has normalized and accepted gender violence; a culture in which even women and girls play a role in perpetuating and normalizing that violence...
This book is about Rae, but it's also about how all of us, hopefully, may begin putting ourselves back together.' (p. 10-11)
What we need to do is follow Glen's lead. He could have become a vigilante and set out to make the quilty pay. He could have, but instead, he became a healer. The quest he has begun is to attempt to heal the world or as he writes put us back together. He needs, he deserves our support.
