Girl #85: A Doukhobor Childhood

by Helen Chernoff Freeman

Helen Chernoff was born into a Freedomite Doukhobor family in Oliver, British Columbia in 1947. Shortly after her eighth birthday Helen was taken from her family and held with other children of Freedomite Doukhobors in a residential dormitory in New Denver, B.C. as part of a government policy of forced assimilation.

Told with drama, compassion, and humour, Girl #85 – A Doukhobor Childhood is the intensely moving account of Helen’s experience of this ordeal - one she describes as a living hell. Her powerful testimony provides an invaluable perspective on a little-known and deeply disturbing event in British Columbia’s recent history.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2013

Reviews

[Bill Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative and interesting book of the author's four years from age eight to twelve that were spent within a fenced dormitory in New Denver, British Columbia. She was apprehended under orders of the BC Child Welfare Dept. and placed with several dozen other children whose parents also refused to send their children to school because of their religious beliefs. The author writes very descriptively and I could easily picture in my mind her experiences and range of emotions. Well written with a mix of humor and sadness but always interesting. An unforgettable book.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down! Helen Chernoff Freeman graciously shared her horrific childhood memoir experiences in a "dormitory" set up by our Government to "educate/assimilate" Doukhobor children, in the interior of British Columbia during the 1950's. The conditions and treatment of the children was tragic and inexcusable. A few Doukhobor families ended up settling near Agassiz, BC (near my home). Her words form a heart wrenching part of our local history, one that I previously knew very little about, and one that should never be forgotten. Thank-you Helen Freeman for sharing your story.

[Harry Junior · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening chapters of the book, describing the forced removal of a daughter from her home, were heart wrenching. Though the book spins its wheels in the latter half, and falls into the unchecked trappings of self-publication, I found much of it to be worth reading for the information alone. Something that should not be forgotten.

[chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening account as to what it was like to grow up as a Doukhobor child in the mid-late 1950's. The contrast between home life and dorm life really depicts the raw, emotional struggles that so many children have faced.

These children have since grown become a critical in the lives of others (in their communities) in the years to come.