In 2005, like the three hundred ducks stuck in a tailing pond, Canadian lives were being chewed up and spit out in the northern Alberta oil sands. But Kate Beaton is quick to point out: 'you can have both good and bad at the same time in the same place.'
Ducks: two years in the oil sands
Kate Beaton
Drawn & Quarterly
2022
430 pages
Winner of 2023's Canada Reads
New York Times notable book
With a newly obtained arts degree from Mount Allison University, Kate Beaton is determined to repay her student loans. Through family and the Internet, she discovers that 'the best and fastest way of debilitating student loads' is by working in northern Alberta's oil sands. So she is forced to leave her beloved Cape Breton, Nova Scotia home.
It's been years since I read a graphic novel. With too much stuffed onto the page, I found it too easy to lose my way. However, when Ducks was chosen by the 2023 Canada Reads panel as the book all Canadians should read, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. And I'm glad I did.
Confession: Before Ducks, I'd been avoiding my daily reading hour. After devoting my entire day to research, my dyslexic brain was too exhausted to process any more words. However, Ducks combination of text and illustrations was the perfect motivation to keep reading. And the subject matter was weighty enough to engage my analytical mind.
Next Sunday on this blog...
Sunday, August 27
Grocery Shopping (short story)
This short story about neighbourliness is set on my island home of Mayne Island, BC
Many thanks to Alea Design & Print for publishing this short story in this month's MayneLiner .
