I Lost My Talk

by Rita Joe • Picture Book • 32 pages
Art by Pauline Young

RITA JOE WROTE THE POEM—“I Lost My Talk”—which has become a song and a symphony—and now a book of paintings that emphasize what Rita Joe was trying to say, one line at a time.

The poem tells her childhood story of losing her language while in the residential school in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia. Joe’s powerful words explore and celebrate the survival of Mi’kmaw culture and language despite the attempts to eradicate it.

A powerful teaching tool for young readers of all backgrounds, it includes a biography of this Cape Breton elder and member of the Order of Canada.