The Reason You Walk: A Memoir

by Wab Kinew

A moving story of father-son reconciliation told by a charismatic aboriginal star

When his father was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer, Winnipeg broadcaster and musician Wab Kinew decided to spend a year reconnecting with the accomplished but distant aboriginal man who’d raised him. The Reason You Walk spans that 2012 year, chronicling painful moments in the past and celebrating renewed hopes and dreams for the future. As Kinew revisits his own childhood in Winnipeg and on a reserve in Northern Ontario, he learns more about his father's traumatic childhood at residential school.

An intriguing doubleness marks The Reason You Walk, itself a reference to an Anishinaabe ceremonial song. Born to an Anishinaabe father and a non-native mother, he has a foot in both cultures. He is a Sundancer, an academic, a former rapper, a hereditary chief and an urban activist. His father, Tobasonakwut, was both a beloved traditional chief and a respected elected leader who engaged directly with Ottawa. Internally divided, his father embraced both traditional native religion and Catholicism, the religion that was inculcated into him at the residential school where he was physically and sexually abused. In a grand gesture of reconciliation, Kinew's father invited the Roman Catholic bishop of Winnipeg to a Sundance ceremony in which he adopted him as his brother.

Kinew writes affectingly of his own struggles in his twenties to find the right path, eventually giving up a self-destructive lifestyle to passionately pursue music and martial arts. From his unique vantage point, he offers an inside view of what it means to be an educated aboriginal living in a country that is just beginning to wake up to its aboriginal history and living presence.

Invoking hope, healing and forgiveness, The Reason You Walk is a poignant story of a towering but damaged father and his son as they embark on a journey to repair their family bond. By turns lighthearted and solemn, Kinew gives us an inspiring vision for family and cross-cultural reconciliation, and for a wider conversation about the future of aboriginal peoples.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Memoir, Canada, Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

Audible Audio

First published September 29, 2015

About the author

Wab Kinew was named by Postmedia News as one of “9 Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know.” He is the leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party and the 25th premier of Manitoba. Before that, he was the Associate Vice-President for Indigenous Relations at The University of Winnipeg and a correspondent with Al-Jazeera America.

After successfully defending Joseph Boyden’s The Orenda on CBC’s Canada Reads literary competition, he was named the 2015 host. In 2012, he also hosted the acclaimed CBC-TV documentary series 8th Fire. His hip-hop music and journalism projects have won numerous awards. He is a member of the Midewiwin, the Anishinaabe society of healers and spiritual leaders. Wab was also an Honourary Witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

He lives in Winnipeg with his family.

Reviews

[Fischwife · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did.

I am Cree, and I have worked in the Aboriginal community, teaching Native Studies. My grandmother was a residential school survivor. I live with the intergenerational effects of that. My mother-in-law and her sisters and brothers are residential school survivors.

In addition, my mother died of cancer. She was only in her 50s.

So, there were many reasons for me to read this book and to feel connected to it.

Furthermore, I greatly admire Wab Kinew. He is highly intelligent, charming, and accomplished. I've attended presentations by him twice, and both times, I was impressed and moved. I think he is a strong role model for our youth, and I was very interested in reading his book.

However, I don't think Mr. Kinew's storytelling abilities translated fully to this book. Many times, it seemed he was simply cataloguing events instead of weaving a story about them. It was like reading lists or reports, and I frequently struggled to keep reading.

At other times, I found it difficult to understand whether the book was about Mr. Kinew's accomplishments or his father's experiences, struggles, and achievements. It often seemed it was more of the former. Of course, there is a connection, but I think it would have made more sense to focus more on the father, perhaps saving the autobiography for the future.

I think that Mr. Kinew had an important story to tell about his father and overcoming Residential School Syndrome. I think that Canadians and others can learn from reading this book. However, I think this book wasn't fully "cooked" yet, and I think it could have benefitted from more revising and editing.

That said, I would still recommend this book, but I would recommend even more that you go and hear Mr. Kinew speak, if you get the chance.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW what a great read. I am not sure this will go down as a life altering book. It certainly will not go down as fabulous literature. This is however a really great love story between a boy and his father, between a man and his people, and between a people and their desire to hold onto and live their culture (not to mention a fabulous tribute that recognizes a remarkable life journey). Having heard Mr. Kinew speak on a couple of occasions, I could hear his voice very clearly as he takes on the role of story teller. Mr. Kinew recounts his own father-son reconciliation that occurred as his father battled terminal cancer. This is a powerfully spoken and emotionally moving read, especially given the difficult topics covered that include the Residential School System, physical and sexual abuse, and substance abuse, all the while remaining a very natural read. Clearly an indication of some writing skills.

Having read this I feel I have been gifted with life learning through this tale. This story/gift is both a burden and a message of hope to its readers as we (Canadians)are beginning to move forward in this process of reconciliation following the TRC Report.

It has been a very long time since I have been moved to tears whilst reading a book and I did so more than once tonight and yet I am not at all saddened. This is such a positive and insightful story of renewal and hope that was impossible for me to put down (evidently, as I read this in one sitting - a very rare occurrence for me of late)

Recommended!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a powerful and important memoir for all Canadians! The Reason You Walk should be mandatory reading in High School/University! Wab Kinew has the gift of storytelling and brings to life our painful (and shameful) history. From the abuse that his Father and thousands of others endured at the hands of those running the Residential Schools, to the vital Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. He talks about how important our families and friends are in our lives, and the painful process of losing those we love.

I have only touched on just a few of the elements that make this such a brilliant book!

One of the most valuable lessons that I have learned from this memoir is that it is your duty to be the best person that you can be and that you must stand up for your beliefs!

This book is a must read for all!

One of the few books that I will read again and again!

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read my reviews, well, you already know I am highly judgy...especially on memoirs.
They tend to be disjointed and sloppy, which irks me more than it would in fiction.
After all this is YOUR story, you should be able to tell it coherently.
Colour me happy that this was not the case with Wab Kinew's book!

He had a beautiful flow that allowed all his memories and emotions to join and transition in a most pleasing manner.
Total bonus: He reads the audio himself (I think his voice is rather dreamy *swoon*).

[Anne Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Canadian should read this book. It teaches us not only about Canada's past in the treatment of First Nations, but understands how we can all learn to forgive and love one another. Moreover, it gives an inside look of several First Nations traditions. Everyone can learn a lot from this reading.

[Hilary Scroggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this the day before my mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sometimes the right book finds you at the right moment and you can only be grateful.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am the reason you walk. I created you so that you might walk this earth.

I am the reason you walk. I gave you motivation so you would continue to walk even when the path became difficult, even seemingly impossible.

I am the reason you walk. I animated you with that driving force called love, which compelled you to help others who had forgotten they were brothers and sisters to take steps back towards one another.

And now, my son, as that journey comes to an end, I am the reason you walk, for I am calling you home. Walk home with me on that everlasting road.

These are the four meanings of the title of The Reason You Walk, based on an Anishinaabe travelling song, as though the Creator himself were singing it to you. These four reasons-for-being also serve as a structure for this book, which is essentially a memoir for author Wab Kinew and, more in depth, a biography of his father Tobasonakwut. The life of Tobasonakwut Kinew (also known as Peter Kelly, or as Wab referred to his father, Ndede) starts from his childhood (when he was created), covers his horrifying years in a residential school (when the path became difficult, even seemingly impossible), his years as an activist and educator (when he was compelled to help others), and his decline and death from liver and pancreatic cancers (when he was called home). The details of Tobasonakwut's life – from the depths of despair and anger to a life of compassion and influence on the world stage – are more than deserving of a biography, and as Wab is able to to draw direct connections between what kind of a man his father was and the influence that had on his own personal and public lives, there's a pressing message here about the residential school system's lingering injurious effects throughout the generations, and about what reconciliation truly means.

Tobasonakwut's transformation is really fascinating, and speaks of a man with a great capacity for forgiveness and understanding. As a residential school survivor, he entered adulthood as a very angry man; slipping into years of alcohol abuse, fighting, and an unstable marriage. And then he decided to stop. To stop drinking, to stop fighting, to stop pushing his family away. He became an educator, an activist, and a leader in his community. And he decided to offer forgiveness: he adopted the Catholic Archbishop of Winnipeg as his brother; he offered an eagle feather of forgiveness to Pope Benedict XVI; he stood on the floor of the House of Commons and accepted Prime Minister Harper's official apology on behalf of Canada for the residential school system. As his end approached, Tobasonakwut seemed serene and whole.

Wab's own story is similar: with a father still at that point broken and angry from his years of abuse, Wab began acting out as a teenager; drinking, getting in trouble with the law, making babies with a woman he realised he couldn't make a life with. This is the real legacy of the residential school system: children who were stolen from their parents and raised in an abusive institution are then uneducated in the ways of parenting; they just don't know how to give the love that they were never shown. And yet Tobasonakwut was able to save Wab: by passing down his own war bonnet and making Wab a chief when he was still young, Tobasonakwut trusted his son to find the responsible center of himself and discover “that driving force called love”. With fascinating stories from sweat lodges in northern Ontario and sundances in South Dakota, it was through a reconnection to his Native heritage that Wab was able to find his own path towards reconciliation and his place in the public sphere; to break the cycle of abuse and be a loving father to his sons.

Overall, this wasn't a terribly well written book – many parts were overblown and some fantasy elements weren't quite pulled off – but it did feel honest. I enjoyed everything to do with the Ojibwe language: I appreciated that Tobasonakwut used his time in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee to preserve his oral history in his native tongue: I agree that that was the act of a victor; I was fascinated by the notion of physicists learning from the elders – that the specific Ojibwe lexicon displays a deep knowledge of cosmology; I completely see the value of Tobasonakwut spending his last months working on an Ojibwe-language app with Wab. As an English speaker, it can be easy to misunderstand why the loss of languages is tragic – wouldn't a lingua franca ease understanding amongst different cultures? And wouldn't that common language, naturally, be English? – but, of course, language is culture, and I applaud Wab's efforts to keep Ojibwe alive.

The combined weight of the churches and the Canadian state had been set on crushing children like him when they were just little – barely five, six, or seven years old – but they did not break. They survived. They may have lost some of their friends, and may have been damaged along the way, but they did not give up. They kept speaking their language. They kept practising their culture. They kept praying the way their parents had taught them to. And they waited.

If I had a complaint about this book, it's that Wab still sounds angry – and is that in the spirit of his father's legacy? Even as his Ndede was soaking in the serene atmosphere of the Vatican, Wab was bristling at the institution that was responsible for St. Mary's Residential School and the abuses his father suffered there: if Tobasonakwut could offer forgiveness, why couldn't Wab? I appreciate that it was through Native culture that both Wab and Tobasonakwut found healing, but as Wab's mother is white, he is in a perfect position to act as a bridge between the two cultures, and yet, he seems to identify solely with his Native side, as though he himself were not half coloniser. As Wab Kinew is about to embark on a political career (soon to run as a candidate for the NDP in Manitoba) I hope he finds that balance: to be a strong Native voice, but to speak as a partner in Canada instead of its victim; isn't that what reconciliation is ultimately about?

More than any inheritance, more than any sacred item, more than any title, the legacy he left behind is this: as on that day in the sundance circle when he lifted me from the depths, he taught us that during our time on earth we ought to love one another, and we ought to work hard to make them whole again.

This is at the centre of sacred ceremonies practised by Indigenous people. This is what so many of us see, no matter where we begin life.

This is the reason you walk.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watching Canada Reads a couple years ago and being so moved by Wab's impassioned defence of Joseph Boyden's The Orenda, I wondered 'who is this guy!? Then, being so impressed seeing him speak here in Kelowna a few weeks ago I knew I wanted to know more about this polished orator, activist and forthright man. Writing of his childhood, Anishinaabe culture and traditions, the chapter describing the sundance ceremony was especially moving. Even more-so, this is a touching honour-song to his father, Tobasonakwut Kinew. He writes of reconciling with his father and of his views of reconciliation for Canada. This memoir is of his first 40 years. I look forward to seeing what he does next in his life and career.

[Chelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving story about resilience, forgiveness, culture and the strength of family. Wab's father, a residential school survivor, endured years of horror at the hands of others and as a result, was filled with anger as a young man. Wab tells the story of his father's journey through reconciliation and forgiveness and ties in his own personal story as well. I absolutely loved learning about the Anishinaabe culture, and getting to know Wab's family, whom he speaks so warmly and candidly about that I felt like I knew them. I stayed up late last night to finish and shed a few tears at the end. Touching and important - I highly recommend this one!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable and inspiring memoir focusing on forgiveness and reconciliation. A father and son on a journey together in the last years of the father’s terminal cancer diagnosis to preserve the Anishinaabe culture for future generations, and to find healing. Tobasonakwut Kinew amazed me more and more in every chapter. He continuously sought out ways to fight for the human rights of Canada’s indigenous people while also forgiving those who had abused him and his people. I appreciated the look into the history, rituals, songs and beliefs of the Anishinaabe and I have gained further respect and empathy for our Indigenous people. I was surprised to learn many of the religious teachings to be grounded in the same core beliefs as Christianity.

“He had grappled with his pain, with his anger, and with his grief. Now, we had seen him conquer those things with love, a love he extended to his fellow human beings, including some who had hurt him. The worst things one human being can do to another had been confronted by the very best that the human spirit has to offer. On this day at least, the best part of us had won out.” (Page 215)

[Steven Langdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canada is being shaken by the strength of ongoing protest from aboriginal peoples about their past treatment by the national government and other institutions of our society, particularly the church authorities who implemented the residential schools to which indigenous children were forced to go, where they were subject to abusive treatment and forced assimilation. This book is a forceful explanation of this protest, a heartfelt plea for new directions -- and an emotional biography of the life of one survivor, Wab Kinew's father, and how he was damaged yet ultimately overcame his experience.

Tobasonakut Kinew was taken from his Anishinaabe family and sent to a Catholic residential school where he was raped by a nun, prevented from speaking his language and regularly beaten. He in turn became a harsh parent to Wab, whose upbringing contributed to yet further problems with school and relationships as he himself grew older. It is this long-term inheritance that makes the government's brutal efforts so devastating (the residential school system lasted until 1960.)

This is not, however, a book fundamentally about that tragedy, though its impact is vividly described. Instead, it is a story of Wab Kinew overcoming the ongoing damage of those experiences, finding new horizons in hip-hop music, in television and radio work, and in better relationships with the women in his life. And it is also a story of the reconciliation with his father, particularly through affirmation of aboriginal traditions (the Sun-Dance) and language, leading to final deep closeness before his parent's death. As autobiography, this is a forthright recounting of Kinew's often hard struggle to build on his aboriginal past rather than the damage of parental tragedy; marked by use of Ojibwe language passages, and beautifully written, this is an emotionally powerful book with strong insights.

As a human story, this is full of depth and compassion. As a political document, by one of the spokespeople for aboriginal justice, this is persuasive, a heartfelt plea for reconciliation and a demonstration of the leadership that Wab Kinew offers to our society in the years ahead. A book very much worth reading!

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are books that bring a sense of peace, forgiveness and togetherness. This is one of them.

Wab Kinew weaves together his story, his father's story, the story of his People. He adds to that ceremonies, meanings and understandings of Indigenous People of Canada, the Constitution, Reconciliation. Residential Schools are shown for what they were. Let's hope that one day, we can heal the harm they caused.

What I most enjoy about the stories told by our Indigenous brothers is that there is always a thread of hope and forgiveness woven into them, plus there is a dream and a hope for a true reconciliation that will bring us all together as one. I join in this dream and hope that we may one day all experience a unity.

I listened to this as an audio book. There were so many quotes that I found moving. But being in audio, I couldn't write them down. Here is one of them:

I am the reason you walk. I created you so that you might walk this earth.

I am the reason you walk. I gave you motivation so you would continue to walk even when the path became difficult, even seemingly impossible.

I am the reason you walk. I animated you with that driving force called love, which compelled you to help others who had forgotten they were brothers and sisters to take steps back towards one another.

And now, my son, as that journey comes to an end, I am the reason you walk, for I am calling you home. Walk home with me on that everlasting road.

[Jennifer Mathison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading about Wab's exploration of his relationship with his father and his growth as a man looking inward and questioning his culture and its importance, was enlightening. I always enjoy a book which references places I have been - having lived in NorthWestern Ontario for 5 years, I was familiar with many of the locations he mentioned, such as Washusk Onigum, Washagmis Bay, Kenora, and Shoal Lake. I was also able to relate to his descriptions of the poor relationships between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people, during the early 90s.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wab Kinew came to speak at a staff event I attended, and he was an amazing speaker. While I didn't enjoy his book as much as his speech, he does have some very important messages that we would all benefit from listening to.

[Lyndsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all those asking, "Now what?" when referring to reconciliation with Canada's aboriginal peoples, this book is a promising place to start.

[Rebecca Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up beside Six Nations Reservation, and gone to high school as a minority, I was/am ashamed that I really understood/understand(?) so little of the history of the Aboriginals in Canada. Wab Kinew writes of his father's residential school experiences - in fact, his childhood experiences, and how he and Phil Fontaine helped architect the Truth & Reconciliation work. It is fascinating - so fascinating. Learning about the residential schools and about the sundance ceremony was so interesting. I keep recommending this to people. Thanks Wab. Well done. Keep writing. You have more to say.

[❀ Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://ayearofbooksblog.com/2017/01/...

“We have a choice in life – we can choose how we are going to behave. We can determine whether we reflect the good around us or lose ourselves in the darkness”.

The Reason You Walk is a memoir written by Wab Kinew which describes the time he spent with his father reflecting on their relationship, his childhood and forgiveness. The story is told in the shadow of his father’s traumatic experience in a residential school where he was physically and sexually abused by members of the Catholic church. Wab reflects on their time he spent with his father following his diagnosis with cancer as he imparted learnings of their culture, their language and strengthened their relationship.

Wab’s father was torn between traditional teachings and the Catholic Church. The damage from the residential school impacted his parenting and his ability to show love and affection. He focussed on education and worked hard to regain his culture through language, sun dances and traditional teachings.

Growing up in the shadow of this residential school experience, Wab had a troubled relationship with his father. He experienced his own challenges with his identify and began following a self-destructive path of drugs and alcohol. The family was rocked by the suicide of his brother and a cousin, followed by the accidental loss of a second brother.

After his father’s cancer diagnosis, Wab focused on spending time with his father. As his father fought the disease, with chemotherapy killing both cancer cells and healthy cells, the father and son began to reconcile their relationship. As they accepted each other, as his Ndede passed on his teachings and shared the experiences of sweats, sun dances and pipe smoking, his father’s cancer progressed. His father lived the end of his life on his own terms until he passed into the next world. It was a time of sharing, of teaching and learning, of passing on traditions and of a son and father reconciling and loving each other.

“They left him walking forward, not looking back. This is how our ancestors tell us to leave. Their last words to him were not about closure or finality, but simply about love, in the deep familial sense, and then showing their love for him with a simple act”.

The story is poignant and thought-provoking. Limited details are given of his father’s time in residential school but the aftermath, the impact of the abuse on his relationships with his children, told the tale of the lasting effects of being ripped from his family and forced to forget his traditional ways. Wab’s beloved Ndede can be proud of his life, his contribution to the truth and reconciliation, his relationships with the Canadian government and the Catholic church and with passing down traditions and knowledge that will help his family make the world a better place.

The divisions we obsess over – money, politics, race – were stripped away first. They did not matter in the end. Then the travelling was taken away, followed by the independence of the individual, the ego. They did not matter either.
Then you got down to what really mattered.
Food.
But then you can’t eat.
Water.
But then you can’t drink.
Air.
But then you stop breathing.
Finally, all he had left was the final resource that all of us will exhaust – time.
But then his time was up.
And then he was gone.
What’s left behind?
All that remains in the end is love.
The love he had for us.
The love we still have for him.
And true love never dies.

This January, I am participating in the January Resolution Reads Non-Fiction challenge which I am trying to fulfill by reading books off my TBR shelf. The Reason You Walk is a great memoir which deals with the serious topics of residential school, the loss of culture, abuse, dying and loss. It is about strength, family, learning, acceptance and forgiveness. In Kinew’s acknowledgements, he took ownership for his past mistakes, for those that he hurt as an angry young man and for the misogynistic rap lyrics he had performed. He learned from his own errors and is a stronger man for trying to improve the world!

The underlying message of my father’s life, and especially his final year, iso n that wise women and men have know for millennia: when we are wronged it is better to respond with love, courage and grace than with anger bitterness and rage. WE are made whole by living up to the best part of human nature – the part willing to forgive the aggressor, the part that never loses sight of the humanity of those on the other side of the relationship, and the part that embraces the person with whom we have every right to be angry and accepts him or her as a brother or sister.

[Kaitlyn Tress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being known to most as a politician, this book is not about Wab’s political time, but rather about his exploration of his and his fathers life, his fathers cancer diagnosis, and their culture. Very emotional. Appreciate all the Winnipeg-isms. Gave me Crying at H Mart vibes.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first introduced and wooed by Wab Kinew when he hosted Canada Reads. He's clearly an intelligent and impressive man, and since that 2015 series ran, I've kept a distant eye on him. When he was interviewed on "The Next Chapter" for this autobiography, I ran out immediately and purchased the book. I dove in.

The book is so thoughtful and is a lovely testament to a love, a healing, between a man and his father. I appreciated it as such. I also learned a great deal about the Sundance tradition, some further details about the disgusting residential school system, and about efforts being made to revive a culture that's so unfairly been beaten down. Any person who grew up outside the Native-Canadian experience will learn much in this way.

While the book is deeply personal to Wab, I was pleased to read the Epilogue, which is really what I expected from the book in its entirety, based on Shelagh Rodgers' interview. The Epilogue delves into the idea of forgiveness, justice, universal and enduring love; Wab spoke eloquently about this on the radio. It was a lovely ending to the book.

I would be remiss if I didn't voice my personal (and, frankly, unimportant) disappointment at what felt like Wab's quasi-rejection of his own white/Caucasian background. His mother is from a reasonably affluent white family, and while Wab definitely mentions this and professes his thanks and love for her, he does (at least in this book) appear to connect so much for fully with his Native half. I understand this -- and I don't. I don't begrudge him at all -- his Native community needs him. He is an educated, charismatic, driven, impressive, committed, intelligent, beautiful speaker with compassion for his cause, and I hope more than anything that he will be successful in his efforts for what we in Canada need so very badly: better of EVERYTHING for our Native neighbours. But I feel sad, as a white woman, to feel that connection ignored, that maybe he is embarrassed by this link, that maybe he wishes he weren't at all white. I know this is a controversial comment, and I also recognize that this is a book largely about his Native father, and so that may provide an explanation. But having spent years of my life romantically involved with a half-Native man, it was all too familiar a sentiment. I apologize for any offense this may provide to Wab or anyone -- it's certainly in no way meant as an insult, but just as food for thought. If nothing else, the Epilogue does a beautiful job at weaving together the universality of "human," and this I very much appreciated.

I will carry on with my admiration for Wab Kinew, and as I mentioned, I hope more than anything that he can make a difference. I am truly embarrassed and shamed as a Canadian of the history on this land. If I could do anything to help his/our/the Native cause, I most definitely would. The book gives me hope -- for Wab himself and for the path of truth and reconciliation that he has been a part of. I hope it is this generation that can make the leaps we need to bring our Native people to a better place, a place that recognizes their human rights and their cultural rights. (I like to think that our new Prime Minister will make a difference too -- here's to hoping.)

I am clearly not as eloquent a writer as some, but I felt compelled to write a long review of this book because of the passion with which I went at it, and my honest, guttural, heart-felt, and genuine hope for things to get better for the Native people of Canada. It's an injustice we can't carry on with any longer. Tell me what to do! I think Wab just started to.

[Bohdan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very powerful and well-written look at indigenous culture told through the relationship of a father and son. I enjoyed the message of forgiveness and healing woven throughout.

[Erin L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could properly thank the author for a book that shares a family's life and experience with readers. Actually, there are a lot of things I wish after reading this book, but wishes do nothing for us.

I highly recommend reading this if you've ever had any interest at all in knowing more about residential schools in Canada. If you've ever thought that indigenous people demanded too much. If you ever wished they would just go away. Wab's father lived an interesting life filled with abuse, tragedy, and forgiveness. He took a bad beginning and turned into a survivor, merging his traditions with those of the people determined to destroy him.

The final section of this book, discussing his father's death from cancer was a hard read. It's not that long ago I watched as my own father experienced the same thing. Watching someone so strong go through that is painful and the author expressed all of the emotions I've experienced since that day eloquently.

A difficult read as I try to understand my past and the past of this country and how we can move on as a community.

[Tobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wab Kinew is the current Premier of my province, Manitoba. He has earned a lot of respect recently for changing tires in the winter (there are memes). his unwavering support of being Canadian, and many, many other things. His name has been thrown about also that he should run federally and I sure hope we don't lose him.

I did this on audio and found it to be an interesting listen. I would say my ratng is likely more 3.5 stars. I did learn some interesting things about Indigenous culture like piercing which I'd not heard about before. I also learned some horrific things of which I do have knowledge of in regards to residential schools. It will never cease to amaze me just how awful humans can be towards other humans. There were some interesting and thought provoking ideas about reconciliation.

This book was written before the author became Premier and it would be interesting to hear about how life is for him now.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel rather bad reading this book only two stars. Wab shared much of his story and his father's story as well as providing some illuminating insights into his culture. He touched on the impacts of colonialization, and residential schools; the efforts undertaken by aboriginal peoples to maintain traditional practices and language; the importance of family and was very honest about human failings. The reason I couldn't connect this book had much more to do with the writing style and that may be a cultural difference as well. It was written in a way that didn't make me live the moment but instead shared kind of a more macro view of each part of his story. It was worth the read and i would recommend it to others.

[Merrill Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about Wab’s life. He writes personably and has accountability for his actions. It’s a tribute to his father and his love for him.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author has many accomplishments, and continues to work for the betterment of indigenous people, but that does not make him an excellent storyteller. As is often the case with memoirs, the book becomes a list of events rather than literature, and maybe that’s okay. I did learn a lot about his culture, and the steps his father made to make reconciliation and forgiveness because of his residential school life.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting insight into Manitoba's popular Premier. Mostly about Wab's relationship with his father (Ndede), but a very good glimpse into the terrible residential school system and Indigenous culture. Wab is forthright about his flaws.

[Rick Mutzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important life insights from the man who has since become Premier of Manitoba.

[Sarah Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and learning more about Wab Kinew’s life before he became Premier of Manitoba. This book was so beautifully told - and Wab is such a thoughtful, intelligent, complex person. His relationship with his father was so raw and real - and the way he wrote about his dad’s final days was really beautiful. Would absolutely recommend this book.

[Orie at Let's Take A Shelfie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review and more can be found on my blog Let's Take a Shelfie.

I am embarrassed to say that before last year, I had no idea who Wab Kinew was (Sorry!). Before starting my blog, reading Canadian literature was a rare occurrence. Enter, Canada Reads 2015. From the moment I learned about the competition, I immersed myself in everything I could including reading all of the short listed books, participating in the Google Hangout, live tweeting the first four days and attending the final debate in person at the CBC. I also began researching (this is the same as Googling right?) the authors, panellists and of course the host of the show, Wab Kinew. I picked up The Reason You Walk a couple weeks after it was released and I only wish I had read it
sooner. I don't even think I can write a review that can properly express how I feel about this book. But, I will try...

The Reason You Walk is Wab Kinew's ode to his father, Tobasonakwut. Tobasonakwut was a survivor of the Residential School program in Northern Ontario and Manitoba whose mission was to "kill the Indian in the child". Tobasonakwut grew up in hardship, away from his parents and forced to forget his culture and beliefs. He grew up in a country that did not recognize him as a citizen, a visible minority with few rights and freedoms. But, despite all of this negativity, he managed to turn it all around and rise above it. Tobasonakwut became an inspiration to his children, his community, those striving to preserve Anishinaabe culture and everyone who is pushing for Indigenous equality across Canada.

"More than any inheritance, more than any sacred item, more than any title, the legacy he left behind is this: as on that day in the sundance circle when he lifted me from the depths, he taught us that during our time on earth we ought to love one another, and we out to work hard to make them whole again.

This is at the centre of sacred ceremonies practised by Indigenous people. This is what so many of us see, no matter where we begin life.

This is the reason you walk."

The Reason You Walk is more than just a memoir. It is a moving piece of literature that educates you on Canadian history and the real struggles that Indigenous people faced through out the years and still face today. Wab Kinew focuses on a once broken relationship between father and son that was mended through spiritual connections and pure love. Reading this book opened up a flood gate of emotions leading me to often stop and think about my own relationship with my parents. I have been lucky enough that our relationship has not suffered the turmoil and disconnect that Wab has experienced.This book reminded me that I need to be more respectful and caring towards them - not taking anything they do for me, for my family, for granted. I need to set a better example for my kids.

"If a son helps his father when he is sick, then his son will help him when he is old."

To say I enjoyed this book is an understatement. The amount of raw emotions it elicited and the soul searching that it prompted will stay with me for a lifetime. Thank you Wab Kinew for masterfully telling your story and helping make the world a better place for our children.

"We have a choice in life-we can choose how we are going to behave. We can determine whether we reflect the good around us or lose ourselves in the darkness."

[Jennifer Rayment · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very powerful memoir and one that really made me think about my own ignorance of my fellow Canadians. This one has been really sticking with me and makes me want to discuss with others. The abuse the Indigenous people of Canada have suffered at the hands of the priests and nuns - both sexual, physical and mental have such long reaching consequences. It sickens me that someone who is supposed to be a messenger of god could do such harm. I know people around the world think of Canada as a place of peace where there is no prejudice. I really wish that was true my friends, but we are not saints here. The fighting just to be done to actually use the term survivor makes me feel deep disgust for my fellow Canadians and our government. This book speaks quite plainly about the abuse, but it also talks about forgiveness, change, and most importantly - hope. This was truly an eye opener for me. I won't lie, its not well written, but that is really not that big of a deal as Wab is truly a storyteller, which is more important to me. Wab is a flawed and human just like the rest of us and I appreciated his self deprecating humour. This book is also a raw, honest look into a father and sons relationship.

Favorite Quotes

"More than any inheritance, more than any sacred item, more than any title, the legacy he left behind is this: as on that day in the sundance circle when he lifted me from the depths, he taught us that during our time on earthy we ought to love one another, and that when our hearts are broke, we ought to work hard to make them whole again."

"The police in Kenora used to come and round us up at two in the morning, if you were standing on the street corner, and take you to the drunk tank. Didn't matter if you were drunk or not. Just if you were Indian."

"The Residential schools were institutions of cultural genocide."

"Whenever Indigenous people stand up to safeguard their hormelands or sacred sites, it seems the prospect of job losses is ueed to whip up opposition to them. It's as if the people cannot have both jobs and spirituality. I would like to think we can make a living and still respect the earth."

"The combined weight of the churches and the Canadian state has been set on crushing children like him when they were just little - barely five, six or seven years old - but they did not break. They survived. They may have lost some of their friends, and may have been damaged along the way, but they did not give up."

"Over a lifetime of internalizing the message that you are "less than", you start to believe some of the lies you hear about yourself. It lowers your sense of self-worth and influences your behaviour. You begin to censor your own thoughts and actions or make choices because of the way you expect to be perceived as an Indigenous person."

"The First Nations youth suicide rate is five to six times the national average, and the rate for Inuit youth - is even higher - about eleven times the national average. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Indigenous , and no one is able to explain it completely. Part of the cause has to do with learned behaviour and dysfunction, most notably from the residential school experience. I saw that play out in my own family. Generations were raised by strangers, and in some cases abusers. When these generations came home and started families, they treated us, their children, as they had been treated in those institutions."