The Fire Still Burns: Life in and After Residential School

by Sam George, Jill Yonit Goldberg (Contributor), Liam Belson (Contributor)

Sam George’s harrowing account of surviving Canada’s Indian Residential School system.

“My name is Sam George. In spite of everything that happened to me, by the grace of the Creator, I have lived to be an Elder.”

Set in the Vancouver area in the late 1940s and through to the present day, this candid account follows Sam from his idyllic childhood growing up on the Eslhá7an (Mission) reserve to the confines of St. Paul’s Indian Residential School and then into a life of addiction and incarceration. But an ember of Sam’s spirit always burned within him, and even in the darkest of places he retained his humor and dignity until he found the strength to face his past.

The Fire Still Burns is an unflinching look at the horrors of a childhood spent trapped within the Indian Residential School system and the long-term effects on survivors. It illustrates the healing power of one’s culture and the resilience that allows an individual to rebuild a life and a future.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous

133 pages, Paperback

Published July 5, 2023

Reviews

[Leigha Struthers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it was hard to read due to the subject matter, I’m glad I found this book at the library. Sam is courageous to tell his story before, during and after the Residential School he attended in Squamish, BC. I always knew the conditions of these schools were bad, but never this bad. Relatively short read, educational & well written.

[Hailey Boehner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who has ever lived in North Vancouver, visited St Thomas Aquinas High School, should read this book. This book provided me with the local historical context that I sorely lacked while growing up (and in fact my mom still lives) within the shadow of the former residential school.



“Now there's talk of using ground-penetrating radar at St. Paul's. A lot of the grounds have been paved over (to make way for St. Thomas Aquinas School), but I went up there and I seen where we dug that hole. It's still there. It hasn't been paved over.”

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read. A must read for addicts. A must read for non-addicts.
Abmust read for Canadians. Abmust read for American. A must read for everyone.
It is a tale of pain and redemption. It is a tale of an injustice, and a tale of finding freedom from that injustice.
Jill Goldberg tells Sam George’s story in his words in a forthright and comprehensive way.. The organization and thoroughness of this book is outstanding. I highly recommend it.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squamish Elder Sam George's story is one that needed to be told, and I'm so grateful that he is willing to gift it.

I found out at the end of the book that this story is a product of a program called Writing Lives, a course at Langara College taught by coauthor Jill Yonit Goldberg. I hope to find more stories from this program!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖 4 ⭐️
Bit-sized memoir about life in & after Residence School.
I really loved the ending where it talks about how you can honor the land & Indigenous People who’s land we live on: like learning the indigenous names of landmarks/spaces & citing the Indigenous People land we’ve settled on.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great memoir. If you are a local it helps give historical context about a dark piece of North Vancouvers history that many people living here may not know. Suggest checking out the readers guide for some post reading reflection questions.

[Jecca Hrechka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hard read but so so worth it. I felt a little stab to the heart reading the name of my hometown in this book, knowing I grew up never learning any of the history of the indigenous people who lived here.
The writing jumps around a lot but still finds such a nice flow chapter to chapter.

[Sheena Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this would be a quick read at just over 100 pages. Technically it was, but the material was so heavy that I needed longer to sit and process than I was anticipating. What an incredible, harrowing story of trauma and recovery. Everyone needs to read this book.

[dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important story of the horrors of what happened in residental schools, a story of survival and truth and in the end, hope. Everyone should read this.

[Meg Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone living on turtle island!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important story.

[Christen Mcdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick memoir that is definitely worth the read. I read this book quickly but spent some time going through the readers guide which has questions to help you dive deeper into the content.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

everyone who lives on native land should read this book, or another one like it

[Gropp - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening book on residential schools and an interesting life.

[Evelyn]

This is the story of Sam George, residential school survivor. The words were put to paper with the help and support of teacher, Jill Yonit Goldberg (and others).