Friday, July 18, 2025 – Native Bookshelf: ‘The Knowing’ by Tanya Talaga

(https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/friday-july-18-2025-native-bookshelf-the-knowing-by-tanya-talaga/) Indigenous people of Canada know of the horrors generations of children were forced to endure in residential schools even though records and physical proof are hard to come by (https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/iap-residential-school-nctr-1.7528980) . They know from the stories passed down and the traumas they witnessed. “The Knowing (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-knowing-tanya-talaga?variant=43103131074594) ” is the newest book from Anishinaabe journalist and best-selling author Tanya Talaga (https://www.instagram.com/tanyatalaga_author/?hl=en) . She takes readers on a journey through scattered residential school records — and their many dead ends — to find Annie, a long lost relative. Her story weaves together her personal quest with Canadian history, providing readers with a better understanding of how racism, greed, misplaced religious intent, and government policy played into Canada’s unforgivable treatment of Indigenous children. But Talaga also celebrates the triumph of healing and the growing momentum to demand justice, acknowledgement, and real reconciliation. “The Knowing” is on our Native Bookshelf.

Written by Native Voice One