Valley of the Birdtail

An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation

By: Andrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson

Narrated by: Greg Rogers

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Winner – 2023 Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize

Winner – 2023 John W. Dafoe Book Prize

Winner – 2023 High Plains Book Award for Indigenous Writer

Winner – 2022 Manitoba Historical Society Margaret McWilliams Book Award for Local History

Finalist – 2023 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize

Finalist – Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

Nominated – 2023 Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Evergreen Award

Shortlisted – 2023 Quebec Writers’ Federation Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction and Concordia University First Book Prize

Finalist – Canadian Law and Society Association Book Prize

Longlisted – 2023-2024 First Nations Communities Read

A heart-rending true story about racism and reconciliation

Divided by a beautiful valley and 150 years of racism, the town of Rossburn and the Waywayseecappo Indian reserve have been neighbours nearly as long as Canada has been a country. Their story reflects much of what has gone wrong in relations between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians. It also offers, in the end, an uncommon measure of hope.

Valley of the Birdtail is about how two communities became separate and unequal—and what it means for the rest of us. In Rossburn, once settled by Ukrainian immigrants who fled poverty and persecution, family income is near the national average and more than a third of adults have graduated from university. In Waywayseecappo, the average family lives below the national poverty line and less than a third of adults have graduated from high school, with many haunted by their time in residential schools.

This book follows multiple generations of two families, one white and one Indigenous, and weaves their lives into the larger story of Canada. It is a story of villains and heroes, irony and idealism, racism and reconciliation. Valley of the Birdtail has the ambition to change the way we think about our past and show a path to a better future.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Douglas Sanderson and Andrew Stobo Sniderman (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Well told history through a human lens

This book does a wonderful job of weaving past and present together by telling the generational tale of a First Nations and White family living on opposite sides of a valley. Through their stories we learn about the history of repression and endurance of First Nations and also the challenges and opportunities provided to Ukrainian immigrants. Well researched, written with a caring hand, and delivered by a wonderful narrator it is well worth listening. You will finish the book with a greater understanding of Canada’s history and how it informs our present day.

Beautifully written, deeply educational

An incredibly worthwhile read, with beautiful prose and a profound message. This should be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the history of colonialism and relationships with indigenous peoples.