★★★★★ 5
Entertaining, imformative, important and compassionate
Format: Hardcover
I bought this book thinking (1), it'll be easy to consume, (2) I'll learn something about Canadian culture, (3) it'll at some point shed a light on the environmental harms that oil drilling causes, and (4) there'll be a redeeming ending. I was right about (2) and (3). Easy to consume? Not as easy as I thought and whether or not the ending is redeeming, the author Beaton leaves to the reader to determine. It is autobiographical based on the author's experiences, and she does go on after her experiences to become a renowned author/cartoonist. However, one questions whether these experiences, that were part of her path to get there, justify the means, and there is no overarching message that wraps everything up neatly "in a bow".
This book was even more important that I anticipated it to be and while it does speak to certain aspects of Canadian culture (mostly regional), the lessons can be applied beyond that context. My favorite aspects of the book were that it addressed difficult topics with humanity and compassion and even though this topics are intellectually and emotionally difficult, the medium is easier to consumer than perhaps other mediums. Highly recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2024
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