A renowned author investigates the dark and shocking history of her prairie house.
When researching the first occupant of her Saskatoon home, Candace Savage discovers a family more fascinating and heartbreaking than she expected
Napoleon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in the 1920s, an era when French-speakers like him were deemed "undesirable" by the political and social elite, who sought to populate the Canadian prairies with WASPs only. In an atmosphere poisoned first by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan, Napoleon and his young family adopted anglicized names and did their best to disguise their "foreignness."
In Strangers in the House, Savage scours public records and historical accounts and interviews several of Napoleon's descendants, including his youngest son, to reveal a family story marked by challenge and resilience. In the process, she examines a troubling episode in Canadian history, one with surprising relevance today.
Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute
- ISBN13 9781771642040
- Publish Date 24 October 2019 (first published 24 September 2019)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country CA
- Imprint Greystone Books,Canada
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 248
- Language English