Adam's Tree
by Gloria Mehlmann
Paperback (fiction short stories)
8.5" x 5.25" · 256 pages
Release Date :July 2019
ISBN 9781989274057
These are highly imaginative and dark stories about life on the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan during the 40s and 50s.This is where young Sophie lives and experiences abuse, poverty and racism, while dreaming of a kinder world. Where the men who return to Cowessess after the war struggle with unacknowledged PTSD, punish themselves and the people who love them. Imogene gives a baby up for adoption in the city and is lifted by the compassion of the strong women who support her return to the reserve with baby Adam. These characters inform us of the dehumanization imposed upon them by colonization, but also the indomitable human spirit.
“Mehlmann’s characters and their conflicts have a profound psychological depth that calls forth an entire world of what is displaced, repressed, “forgotten,” dis-remembered and untold. The nuanced dialogue and roaring silence will captivate the interest of all readers, regardless of ethnicity, nation, gender or socio-cultural standing. Indigenous Literatures in Canada today are producing world literature that does what oral traditions and literatures in any language have always done: teach us who we are, who others are, and how we must live as good human beings so that coming generations can also live meaningful lives on this planet.”
Gloria Mehlmann
Gloria Mehlmann grew up on the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, before striking out to become a public school teacher (1962-1983). Her various careers include serving as a public library trustee and as Director of Aboriginal Education. Mehlmann has been recognized repeatedly for her contributions to educational, aboriginal, and civic initiatives, culminating in the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005. Author of Gifted to Learn, a memoir, in 2008. She is also a recipient of an SLTA honorary Lifetime Membership 2004. She is now a full-time writer and lives in Nanoose Bay, BC.
