Description
They Called Me Number One is one of four shortlisted finalists in CODE's (Canadian Organization for Development through Education) 2014 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature. Author Bev Sellars received 3rd prize for the 2014 Burt Award.
They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at Indian Residential School by Xat’sull (Soda Creek) First Nation Chief Bev Sellars is the poignant and gripping memoir of her life and education at the St. Joseph's Mission Residential School located at Williams Lake, British Columbia. As a third generation survivor of the residential school the author writes with honesty and courage about her childhood, her family, her residential school years, her time at university gaining a law degree, and her political career. At the tender age of five, Bev Sellars spent two years at Coqualeetza Indian Tuberculosis Hospital in Sardis, British Columbia. During the years at residential school the author experienced severe physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of the Mission’s staff and teachers.
But the author remains hopeful and determined despite the negative experiences and trauma. Bev Sellars has written a clear and concise account of her life experiences. Secondary level students will find this book insightful as the author recounts her moving story of her path to healing after residential school. Highly recommended.
They Called Me Number One has been selected in the Young Adult/Adult Category Longlist for First Nation Communities READ 2017.