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A Child is a Piece of Paper
***2018 SPR Book Awards Honorable Mention***
***National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist***
A powerful new novel that forcefully places the reader into the brutality of Canada's infamous residential school system.
"Raw... gritty...no single adjective can sufficiently describe the intensity of A Child is a Piece of Paper."..Crossley has written a very powerful work of fiction...Poignant and painful...will stay with you long after the last page has been read."
-- SPR Book Review
"I was absolutely hooked ... The characters are diverse and vivid ... [an] outstanding story of survival ... an emotional rollercoaster ... the ending had me in tears."-- Readers' Favorite (5-star review)
"A gripping, wrenching read...thoroughly engrossing."
-- Midwest Book Review
A six-year-old boy's idyllic childhood is shattered after being torn from his remote northern reserve and forced into a Catholic-run residential school at Dresden Lake. At Dresden, where the mission is to "kill the Indian in the child", he lives in a constant state of terror while trying to survive the ever-increasing cruelty of a depraved schoolmaster. When the brutality becomes unbearable, the only option is to escape, a decision which ultimately ends in tragedy.
The ripple effects of this tragedy haunt him well into adulthood, where the destruction of his marriage mirrors his failure as a father and the slow, painful erosion of his identity. In old age, he is presented with an a chance to reclaim something that was lost and to fix a longstanding injustice. But to do so he must first return to Dresden to face his past once and for all.
Heartbreaking and beautiful, A Child is a Piece of Paper explores the impact of Canada's cultural genocide against its Indigenous Peoples and the loss of innocence of a child, a culture, and indeed an entire nation.
***National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist***
A powerful new novel that forcefully places the reader into the brutality of Canada's infamous residential school system.
"Raw... gritty...no single adjective can sufficiently describe the intensity of A Child is a Piece of Paper."..Crossley has written a very powerful work of fiction...Poignant and painful...will stay with you long after the last page has been read."
-- SPR Book Review
"I was absolutely hooked ... The characters are diverse and vivid ... [an] outstanding story of survival ... an emotional rollercoaster ... the ending had me in tears."-- Readers' Favorite (5-star review)
"A gripping, wrenching read...thoroughly engrossing."
-- Midwest Book Review
A six-year-old boy's idyllic childhood is shattered after being torn from his remote northern reserve and forced into a Catholic-run residential school at Dresden Lake. At Dresden, where the mission is to "kill the Indian in the child", he lives in a constant state of terror while trying to survive the ever-increasing cruelty of a depraved schoolmaster. When the brutality becomes unbearable, the only option is to escape, a decision which ultimately ends in tragedy.
The ripple effects of this tragedy haunt him well into adulthood, where the destruction of his marriage mirrors his failure as a father and the slow, painful erosion of his identity. In old age, he is presented with an a chance to reclaim something that was lost and to fix a longstanding injustice. But to do so he must first return to Dresden to face his past once and for all.
Heartbreaking and beautiful, A Child is a Piece of Paper explores the impact of Canada's cultural genocide against its Indigenous Peoples and the loss of innocence of a child, a culture, and indeed an entire nation.
- GenresFiction
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 25, 2018
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Lance Crossley
1 bookLance is a former award-winning journalist who worked for The Prague Post, The Haliburton County Echo, and The Ottawa Citizen. He is the author of A Child is a Piece of Paper, an emotionally charged novel that depicts the devastating effects of "Indian" residential schools, not as abstract Canadian history, but as felt knowledge.
“Raw… gritty…no single adjective can sufficiently describe the intensity of A Child is a Piece of Paper ... Crossley has written a very powerful work of fiction ... The images he paints are vivid, and the emotions visceral … Poignant and painful ... one of those stories that will stay with you long after the last page has been read.”
— Self-Publishing Review
“I was absolutely hooked ... The characters are diverse and vivid ... will definitely make the reader incensed ... [an] outstanding story of survival ... an emotional rollercoaster ... Without giving any spoilers away, the ending had me in tears ... An exceptional book by a very talented author.”
— Readers' Favorite (5-star review by Lesley Jones)
“A gripping, wrenching read ... Fiction readers seeking enlightenment into the processes of cultural domination and transformation will find A Child is a Piece of Paper an important key to understanding cultural survival and recovery …a story that is inviting, realistic, and thoroughly engrossing.”
— Midwest Book Review
"Never have I read a book as haunting as A Child is a Piece of Paper by Lance Crossley ... Anyone, anywhere who cares about the well-being and futures of the children of the world should read A Child is a Piece of Paper. It is only through books like this and writers like Lance Crossley that we can truly understand the concept of inhumanity. Readers will be shocked, torn, and close to tears as they read this novel."
— Readers' Favorite (5-star review by Viga Boland)
"A stark and moving account of a brother and sister’s experiences at the hands of a corrupt and cruel priest and a sadistic nun in one of the infamous Indian Schools ... Reading A Child is a Piece of Paper was a momentous and moving experience, one that will remain with me for some time. It’s most highly recommended."
— Readers' Favorite (5-star review by Jack Magnus)
“Raw… gritty…no single adjective can sufficiently describe the intensity of A Child is a Piece of Paper ... Crossley has written a very powerful work of fiction ... The images he paints are vivid, and the emotions visceral … Poignant and painful ... one of those stories that will stay with you long after the last page has been read.”
— Self-Publishing Review
“I was absolutely hooked ... The characters are diverse and vivid ... will definitely make the reader incensed ... [an] outstanding story of survival ... an emotional rollercoaster ... Without giving any spoilers away, the ending had me in tears ... An exceptional book by a very talented author.”
— Readers' Favorite (5-star review by Lesley Jones)
“A gripping, wrenching read ... Fiction readers seeking enlightenment into the processes of cultural domination and transformation will find A Child is a Piece of Paper an important key to understanding cultural survival and recovery …a story that is inviting, realistic, and thoroughly engrossing.”
— Midwest Book Review
"Never have I read a book as haunting as A Child is a Piece of Paper by Lance Crossley ... Anyone, anywhere who cares about the well-being and futures of the children of the world should read A Child is a Piece of Paper. It is only through books like this and writers like Lance Crossley that we can truly understand the concept of inhumanity. Readers will be shocked, torn, and close to tears as they read this novel."
— Readers' Favorite (5-star review by Viga Boland)
"A stark and moving account of a brother and sister’s experiences at the hands of a corrupt and cruel priest and a sadistic nun in one of the infamous Indian Schools ... Reading A Child is a Piece of Paper was a momentous and moving experience, one that will remain with me for some time. It’s most highly recommended."
— Readers' Favorite (5-star review by Jack Magnus)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 18, 2019
We are proud to announce that A CHILD IS A PIECE OF PAPER by Lance Crossley is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
April 26, 2021
This book is not an easy read, but oh so worthwhile. The terms 'Indian residential schools', 'sixties scoop', and such have become part of our vocabulary in recent years, and we have heard some of the stories of trauma and horror visited upon these children by those who were supposed to be protecting them. Lance Crossley gives a fictional account of one such child, his life before and during the school years, and after.
I got the book from the online public library, and when I noticed it was published by the author, I was maybe expecting not the highest quality of writing and editing. However, I'm pleased that I was wrong in my prejudices. Because of the author's skill, we develop an empathy for the young boy, and for the flawed man he becomes, even when we find it hard to accept the trajectory he inevitably finds himself on.
It is also to the author's credit that though this is of necessity a violent and heart-rending story, the violence is not graphic nor gratuitous, but portrayed in a subtle and powerful way that move us as it should.
I got the book from the online public library, and when I noticed it was published by the author, I was maybe expecting not the highest quality of writing and editing. However, I'm pleased that I was wrong in my prejudices. Because of the author's skill, we develop an empathy for the young boy, and for the flawed man he becomes, even when we find it hard to accept the trajectory he inevitably finds himself on.
It is also to the author's credit that though this is of necessity a violent and heart-rending story, the violence is not graphic nor gratuitous, but portrayed in a subtle and powerful way that move us as it should.
April 15, 2019
This is a novel about the treatment of Canadian Natives. It addresses life at home as well as life at a required school that took away their Indian heritage. I have never read a book about this subject, even if it is a novel. The story has strong characters faced with very difficult circumstances. The protagonist was well written.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews