(The following review is by Lana Shupe, whose Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/LanasAtlanticBookLoves. She has graciously allowed The Miramichi Reader to publish her review of To See The Stars by the late Jan Andrews.)
[dropcap]Reviewing[/dropcap] this book To See the Stars by Jan Andrews on International Women’s Day seems particularly poignant given the story between the covers. This story encompasses the fight for the rights of women garment workers after the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in 1911 that killed 123 women who were trapped there. Women exercising their right to strike even before they were allowed the right to vote. But there is so much more too.[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”#1A3C5F” class=”” size=””]A young Newfoundland girl comes to understand the value of how where you come from shapes the person you become.[/perfectpullquote]The story allows us to follow along as a young Newfoundland girl comes to understand the value of how where you come from shapes the person you become. How she embraces the knowledge that moving forward means you can never go back. I loved Edie Murphy (the book’s protagonist), her fortitude, her sense of adventure, her ability to rise from the ashes of trauma and forge a way forward while helping others. Edie faces so much “life” and grows to know the value of her woman’s voice. She never falters in her conviction that she must commit to helping other women.
Jan Andrew’s was an extraordinary storyteller. She died in 2017 and her partner made sure this book came to be published. Women helping women. Women loving women. Women lifting up other women. Jan Andrews was a founding member of Storytellers of Canada – Conteurs du Canada (of which I am a proud member) and the author of many award-winning books. I read her first book, The Very Last First Time back in the ‘80’s when it was first published and read several others over the years. This was my absolute favourite. Thank you Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides for the opportunity to read and review. I have been deeply affected.
To See The Stars by Jan Andrews
Running the Goat Books and Broadsides
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Emma Rhodes is Co-Editor in Chief of The Miramichi Reader. She is a queer writer currently living and working in Tkaronto/Toronto. She is the author of the chapbook Razor Burn (Anstruther Press), and the joint chapbook with the Egg Poets Collective All Things to Keep You Here (Qwerty Homerow Chapbook Series). You can find her at emmarhodes.net
- Emma Rhodeshttps://miramichireader.ca/author/emmar/
- Emma Rhodeshttps://miramichireader.ca/author/emmar/
- Emma Rhodeshttps://miramichireader.ca/author/emmar/
- Emma Rhodeshttps://miramichireader.ca/author/emmar/
- Emma Rhodeshttps://miramichireader.ca/author/emmar/
- Emma Rhodeshttps://miramichireader.ca/author/emmar/
