Audio version of residential school book released

When Wawahte author Robert Wells first heard the audio version of the book, he was amazed at how similar the readers sounded to the people that first shared their residential school stories with him.
One woman in particular, Sharon Bodan, who read the part of Esther Faries of Constance Lake First Nation, sounded so perfect that Wells could not distinguish between the character and the real life person.
“The voices really added a cadence into the story that made it so authentic,” Wells said. “I just couldn’t believe that I was a part of something that sounded so good.”
The book edition of Wawahte was released in 2012. It documents the stories of three residential school survivors from Constance Lake.
Esther Faries, Mary Elizabeth Tenniscoe and Stanley Stevens each tell the story of their experiences at residential school. Each has a unique take on the school, and a unique background that led up to their time at residential school.
The audio version of the book was recorded in Kingston, Ont., with a team of volunteers from the First Nations and non-Aboriginal community in and around Kingston reading the parts.
Wells said he wanted the book to be accessible to as many people as possible, “because of the importance of the story,” which is why recording is as an audio book was so important.
“Until we know what went on in residential schools, it is more difficult to help make it right,” Wells said.
He said that the Constance Lake community has given positive feedback about the audio book, and there are plans to provide Elders in the community with copies of the audio book.
Anyone interested in getting a copy of the book can visit the publisher’s website at www.goodminds.com.
Wells said he is working on getting the audio book available as a download.
The book is also being given out to anyone who makes a $35 or more donation to the Kingston Rotary Club to help send a group of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug youth to Portugal in June.
The youth have been invited to attend an international youth conference, and they are being sponsored by the Kingston Rotary Club.