Lake of the Prairies

by Warren Cariou

Powerful, funny, moving and personal, "Lake of the Prairies" is a richly layered exploration of the ubiquitous childhood question: where do I come from Warren Cariou's story of origin begins in the boreal Saskatchewan landscape of rock, water and muskeg that is Meadow Lake -- ensconced in the ethos of the north, where there is magic in a story and fiction is worth much more than fact. Grounded in the fertile soil of Meadow Lake are two historical traditions -- Native and settler. Warren Cariou's maternal grandparents were European immigrants who cleared acres of dense forest and turned it into pasture. This land also held traces of centuries of Cree settlement --arrowheads, spear points and stone hammers, which Cariou stumbled upon as a boy. Though the tragic story of how these traditions came to share the same home would remain buried from Warren until much later, history's painful legacy was much in view. In the schoolyard and on the street corners Warren witnessed the discrimination, anger and fear directed at the town's Cree and Metis populations -- prejudices he absorbed as his own. As an adult, Warren Cariou has been forced to confront the politics of race in Meadow Lake. He learned that a rambunctious Native schoolmate could be involved in a torture and murder that would shock the world. And then Warren discovered family secrets kept hidden for generations, secrets that would alter forever Warren's sense of identity and belonging in Meadow Lake. In the tradition of Wallace Stegner's classic "Wolf Willow," "Lake of the Prairies" is an intimate and provocative memoir.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2002

Reviews

[Dylan]

What can I say... when people ask what it's like to live and grow up in small-town prairie Canada, I will give them this book.

[Yvonne]

This one surprised me. Cariou is a beautiful writer and gifted storyteller

[Wayne Inkster]

This one took a long time to read, I could not get hooked into it.

The author tells general information and stories of his family and childhood... but as with most "family tales" the humor is likely greater to those related or live in the area.

There was nothing "wrong" with it... just found it to be not intriguing.

[Sabby]

Lovely story of a boy grown up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan - recalling his childhood memories.

[Jessie Taylor]

beautiful telling of finding identity

[Justene Ortman]

Blind date with a book 16 was slow and hard for me to stay interested in the story line.

[CAW]

This was an interesting read centering on life in the Meadow Lake area of Saskatchewan. I enjoyed it.

[Ruthie]

This was a mixed bag for me. The author recounts his childhood in a small town in Northern Saskatchewan.I loved the descriptions of the area, the landscape and the history. The book is the story of Cariou's life, his childhood and his attempt to answer the question - where do I come from?

Cariou explores the racial divides in Meadow Lake( only from his perspective), dips into his family tree and introduces us to his parents and siblings. My problem with the book is that his childhood was not that interesting, his sibling are barely described, and there just wasn't much meat in his story. Cariou spends a great deal of time describing adventures in nature, fishing, hunting, digging up artifacts, etc, but then he skims over school, friends, etc. I got a good sense of his Father but not his mother, some loving glimpses at his grandparents (who seemed quite intriguing) but his sister and brother were mere sketches. The author is approx. my age, but at first I felt like the book was set in the early 30's, not the 70's! Later mentions of TV shows and popular songs were jarring.

The author learns some secrets that have been buried in the family closet, but they are not that surprising. I guess they were life-changing for him, but I didn't really feel his conflict. He also spends time on an old school mate who became infamous, but since that was not his story it felt like he was attaching himself to a scandal and internalizing it merely because they went to the same school. It felt apart from the rest of the book and took up too much space, especially since any insights Cariou offered were mere speculation.

To me, the story of the settlers in the area would have been fascinating, but Cariou's life was just not that interesting.....

[Robynne]

This is a beautifully written memoir full of the kinds of stories that we use to define ourselves and our place in the world. Cariou uses family and community stories to answer that all-important question "who am I?"; at the same time he explores the impact of surprises we sometimes find when we seek to deconstruct the complexities of identity. The book is, in part, an ode to his father and his father's avid storytelling (an art that Cariou himself seems to have acquired). It is also an ode to the landscape he calls "home," even though he no longer lives there. Anyone who has lived in northern Saskatchewan, where prairie meets parkland, will be familiar with the views he describes and the characters that populate this lake of the prairies.

[Diana]

Cariou tells the story of his childhood growing up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada during the 1960’s and 1970’s. He relates episodes from his family life but also interjects the history of the area which included settlers and Native people. As an adult, he is able to look back on his beginnings and assess the culture of the area from an adult perspective. It is an entertaining, thought provoking, and well written book. I enjoyed the book very much, partly because I could relate to his childhood experiences which reflected some my own.

[Ishita]

Enchantingly written, this memoir conjures many beautiful and ugly images of life in a small prairie town. The vivid descriptions make this a very enjoyable read, however I did feel that Cariou's text lacked some depth in analyzing his relationship with Clayton Matchee and his actions, and seemed to pick the most obvious answer to the complicated issue of racism against Native peoples in Canada.

[Jeanne]

From the time he was a small boy, the author has sought to answer the question, "where do I come from?", his memoir tells a captivating story of his search for an answer. Good descriptive writing, even through I have never been to Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan I could still feel the mosquitoes biting!

The book just missed 4 stars.

[Joshua Bertram]

Cariou's language is poetic, and he captures the joys and pains of life on the prairies. Though he grew up some years before me, his descriptions of childhood resonated with me in a visceral way.

[Linda]

Really interesting read.