McMaster, Hamilton communities invited to meet Richard Wagamese

Richard Wagamese, award-winning author of this year’s Common Reading Program book Indian Horse, will be on campus this week.

PhD candidate Kaitlin Debicki will facilitate a discussion with Wagamese about his book Medicine Walk on Sept. 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the tent on the John Hopkins Engineering building field (JHE). Books will be available for purchase and a book signing and reception will follow.

On Sept. 3, first-year students and the McMaster community will join Wagamese for a discussion of Indian Horse from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.in the same location. Lunch will follow.

Indian Horse is a heartbreaking but triumphant story of resilience and forgiveness from the perspective of the main character Saul Indian Horse who recounts the experiences of native children taken from their homes and placed into church-run residential schools.

Wagamese says it’s an honour that Indian Horse was selected for the Common reading Program.

“It shows the universality of the story,” he said. “I hope that students will take away a better idea of Aboriginal history and reality, as well as a better idea of Canada as a country with a history that is not black and white but one with shadows and dark places too.”

The McMaster Common Reading Program is an orientation experience that provides incoming students with an opportunity to read a Canadian non-fiction book and participate in online discussions with future classmates and friends.

Students registered in the Common Reading Program can pick up their free copy of Indian Horse during Welcome Week and bring it with them to be signed. Those not registered, can do so on OSCARplus under upcoming events. For more information about the Common Reading Program, click here.

To register for the conversation about Medicine Walk click here. For the conversation about Indian Horse, click here.