Description
Rita Jasper is of Cree/Metis descent. She graduated from the Aboriginal Film and TV Production program at Capilano College and is a multi-media artist.
This is a work of auto-fiction / biography and memoir resulting in historical literary fiction. There are two sets of memoirs; one from the early 1900s (Grandma) and the other from the 1980s to 2021 (teenager, Mary). The author explains: I've embellished and rewrote my Grandmother's factually correct memoirs and placed them into additional historical and current events. The manuscript is character-driven with honest emotions. This book is an auto-fiction story of Mary, the 15-year-old Métis, who deals with survivor's guilt, racism and finding a place where she feels she belongs. Mary lived with her plucky Grandma who told sad and happy childhood stories. Grandma Pearl shared stories that are filled with Indigenous wisdom. It is a Métis teenager's journey of overcoming personal grief, witnessing the pain of others and experiencing the healing power of a Grandma's love. While some of their stories are harshly realistic it is uplifting because instead of succumbing to self-pity the characters rise above difficult situations with courage and help from each other. Mary gets a first-hand education as Grandma takes Mary on her 'sandwich runs' to Vancouver's downtown east side where she hands out food to the people on the street.