I saw that Julie over at One More Book came up with a post called Loving the Lines.

Basically, Loving the Lines is dedicated to books with stand-out quotes that need to be shared. I’m often moved by passages and lines from the books I read, and I thought this would be a great way to show love to those books! Many thanks to all the wonderful writers who inspire, empower, entertain, and make people think. 

As soon as I saw this post I knew I needed to make this post! Instead of focusing on just one author, I’ve decided to focus on one book that has some really powerful and memorable quotes.

We were children… and neither of us survived, even though I’m still walking.

You know no one talks about it. About the schools. 

We all suffered. You, me, all those other children and their parents. 

It’s not even the money, Clara. It’s about telling my story. Having my say after all these years. Not just me, but for the ones who can’t speak out. Like Kenny. Like my mom.

…You’ve already survived. This is letting them know what you survived.

Can’t give me back my childhood, but maybe we can make a better life with this.

We were just little kids.

‘They call us survivors.’

‘Yeah.’

‘I don’t think I survived. Do you?’

About the Book:

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Published: April 14, 2020

Synopsis:

Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention.

Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn’t want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission.

Fuelled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can’t stop running and moves restlessly from job to job—through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps—trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew.