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Secret Path
Secret Path is a ten song album by Gord Downie with a graphic novel by illustrator Jeff Lemire that tells the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, a twelve-year-old boy who died in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School fifty years ago.
Chanie, misnamed Charlie by his teachers, was a young boy who died on October 22, 1966, walking the railroad tracks, trying to escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School to return home. Chanie’s home was 400 miles away. He didn’t know that. He didn’t know where it was, nor how to find it, but, like so many kids—more than anyone will be able to imagine—he tried.
Chanie, misnamed Charlie by his teachers, was a young boy who died on October 22, 1966, walking the railroad tracks, trying to escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School to return home. Chanie’s home was 400 miles away. He didn’t know that. He didn’t know where it was, nor how to find it, but, like so many kids—more than anyone will be able to imagine—he tried.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2016
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October 14, 2017
10/14/17: I re-read this book and participated in this multi-media project as part of my Fall 2017 YAL class, also read in conjunction with Wenjack, by Joseph Boyden, which is also about the same kid, Chanie Wenjack. I edited my original review a bit here and there, too.
12/25/16: I'm not a big marketing guy here, but just buy this book. And you get more than a book when you buy it; you get the 96 page large format graphic novel by Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County), you get the lyrics to ten songs by Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie (now terminally ill with brain cancer), you get a link to all the music, and their notes, a letter from Downie, and a link to a 2-hour documentary about Wenjack, others, and the ongoing Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
So, Secret Path tells the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, a twelve-year-old boy who died in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School fifty years ago. There are now, I find, lots of versions of the story of this kid, who sort of has come to symbolize the tragedy of the Canadian "re-education" programme that mirrors the (tragic) one my old US of A set in place, to rip kids off reservations and un-Indian them.
Chanie, misnamed Charlie by his teachers, in the way white western people have in wanting non-western people to have western-sounding names, died on October 22, 1966, walking the railroad tracks, escaping from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School to return home, 400 miles away. He just wanted to go home. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know how to get home. He died along the way, frozen to death.
Chanie's story gets mixed up in my head with my own teenaged son, 17, who attends a "therapeutic day treatment" school (for kids with special needs) that he walks away from once in awhile. As with Chanie, my son walked out of the school and tried to walk home in freezing weather the other day, without a coat or gloves, taking no food or water, and walked several miles toward home until the police picked him up and an EMT treated him for near-frozen hands. He didn't die, no, and he isn't being re-educated, but he isn't doing anything in school he can relate to, he wants to be outside, working with his hands. It's not the same thing, I know, but it colors my reading of Chanie's story. Kids who are lost, literally and figuratively.
Chanie's story gets mixed up in my head with all the kids I see homeless on the streets of Chicago, thousands of them, some of them riding the trains all day, just to stay warm, begging for change or food from folks along the way. Lost kids, neglected by the rest of us, increasingly.
But Chanie is not those kids. Chanie's story, as The Secret Path has it, is a simple one, with simple, sad images of his walking along railroad tracks. Memories of school. A raven, as he approaches the end. He is driven by images of home, flashbacks from his earlier life. Knowing Lemire's work with father-son stories, one image that drives Chanie is of his father, and fishing back home. The images are spare, lovely, sad, haunting. Downie's songs are spare, lovely, sad, haunting. More sad than angry, though you'll feel that, too, I hope. Money for this project goes to the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Project. It's less story than multi-genre tone poem in music and art. Images and sounds of silence. It's not so much a political statement as a spiritual one, a moment of collective grieving.
Jeff Lemire said this project was the most emotionally intense work of his life, and I can believe it. It is sadly beautiful, all of it, and you won't forget it. And Downie, sick with cancer, that adds a layer of intensity and darkness to the tale, a layer of foreboding, another life cut short. Buy it, don't just get this--as I usually do--from the library. Librarians, get it for your library. I know it sounds dark, but as a work of art, uh!!
12/25/16: I'm not a big marketing guy here, but just buy this book. And you get more than a book when you buy it; you get the 96 page large format graphic novel by Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County), you get the lyrics to ten songs by Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie (now terminally ill with brain cancer), you get a link to all the music, and their notes, a letter from Downie, and a link to a 2-hour documentary about Wenjack, others, and the ongoing Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
So, Secret Path tells the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, a twelve-year-old boy who died in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School fifty years ago. There are now, I find, lots of versions of the story of this kid, who sort of has come to symbolize the tragedy of the Canadian "re-education" programme that mirrors the (tragic) one my old US of A set in place, to rip kids off reservations and un-Indian them.
Chanie, misnamed Charlie by his teachers, in the way white western people have in wanting non-western people to have western-sounding names, died on October 22, 1966, walking the railroad tracks, escaping from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School to return home, 400 miles away. He just wanted to go home. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know how to get home. He died along the way, frozen to death.
Chanie's story gets mixed up in my head with my own teenaged son, 17, who attends a "therapeutic day treatment" school (for kids with special needs) that he walks away from once in awhile. As with Chanie, my son walked out of the school and tried to walk home in freezing weather the other day, without a coat or gloves, taking no food or water, and walked several miles toward home until the police picked him up and an EMT treated him for near-frozen hands. He didn't die, no, and he isn't being re-educated, but he isn't doing anything in school he can relate to, he wants to be outside, working with his hands. It's not the same thing, I know, but it colors my reading of Chanie's story. Kids who are lost, literally and figuratively.
Chanie's story gets mixed up in my head with all the kids I see homeless on the streets of Chicago, thousands of them, some of them riding the trains all day, just to stay warm, begging for change or food from folks along the way. Lost kids, neglected by the rest of us, increasingly.
But Chanie is not those kids. Chanie's story, as The Secret Path has it, is a simple one, with simple, sad images of his walking along railroad tracks. Memories of school. A raven, as he approaches the end. He is driven by images of home, flashbacks from his earlier life. Knowing Lemire's work with father-son stories, one image that drives Chanie is of his father, and fishing back home. The images are spare, lovely, sad, haunting. Downie's songs are spare, lovely, sad, haunting. More sad than angry, though you'll feel that, too, I hope. Money for this project goes to the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Project. It's less story than multi-genre tone poem in music and art. Images and sounds of silence. It's not so much a political statement as a spiritual one, a moment of collective grieving.
Jeff Lemire said this project was the most emotionally intense work of his life, and I can believe it. It is sadly beautiful, all of it, and you won't forget it. And Downie, sick with cancer, that adds a layer of intensity and darkness to the tale, a layer of foreboding, another life cut short. Buy it, don't just get this--as I usually do--from the library. Librarians, get it for your library. I know it sounds dark, but as a work of art, uh!!
April 9, 2018
All that Chanie Wenjack wanted, alongside the other thousands of kids taken to Canadian residential schools, was to return to his home, which so happen to be over 400 miles away. At twelve years old, he died on his journey, not knowing how truly far he was from all he has known. His story is no the only one like it, but it needs to be told, the world has kept silent for far too long, his story swept under history.
The view on Canada today is that it is an utopia, a perfect place for everyone, where refugees are welcome, women’s rights are not obstructed, and healthcare is readily available. So it is astounding to hear and read that this was not always the case. Canada has a dark past, particularly when it comes to the abuse of the first nations. Children were taken from their homes, and forced into schools, in order to assimilate them into “Euro-Canadian” culture. These Christian/missionary schools were seen as the path to civilizing the aboriginal children, as keeping them far away from their families would help speed the process along. Society in Canada has since moved on from such a racist and discriminatory system, and has tried to repair the relationship between both sides of the Canadian community, but the damage was already done, as more than 6000 children died while in attendance, were abused (physically and sexually), forced to speak English or French, forced to forget their traditions. In 2008, the government finally, publicly apologized for the harm caused, and a commission was made to investigate the events by asking for stories from the survivors, although not soon enough.
Jeff Lemire was the perfect fit for the art in the tale. His art is always darker, slightly out of shape, more suited for the stories that will leave you questioning everything, and as a plus, he is also Canadian.
Be assured, this album/comic will make you feel disgusted with “civilization” in general. Tears might fall from your eyes as we are introduced to such a hopeful child slowly have his aspirations demolished by the harsh winter and the memories of what happened to him.
The view on Canada today is that it is an utopia, a perfect place for everyone, where refugees are welcome, women’s rights are not obstructed, and healthcare is readily available. So it is astounding to hear and read that this was not always the case. Canada has a dark past, particularly when it comes to the abuse of the first nations. Children were taken from their homes, and forced into schools, in order to assimilate them into “Euro-Canadian” culture. These Christian/missionary schools were seen as the path to civilizing the aboriginal children, as keeping them far away from their families would help speed the process along. Society in Canada has since moved on from such a racist and discriminatory system, and has tried to repair the relationship between both sides of the Canadian community, but the damage was already done, as more than 6000 children died while in attendance, were abused (physically and sexually), forced to speak English or French, forced to forget their traditions. In 2008, the government finally, publicly apologized for the harm caused, and a commission was made to investigate the events by asking for stories from the survivors, although not soon enough.
Jeff Lemire was the perfect fit for the art in the tale. His art is always darker, slightly out of shape, more suited for the stories that will leave you questioning everything, and as a plus, he is also Canadian.
Be assured, this album/comic will make you feel disgusted with “civilization” in general. Tears might fall from your eyes as we are introduced to such a hopeful child slowly have his aspirations demolished by the harsh winter and the memories of what happened to him.
October 27, 2017
من دریافتم که مرگ بیدلیل و بیرحمانهی چانی ونجک در پنجاه سال پیش، داستان یک گمشدهی بیگناه نیست. این داستان بیگناهی سرزمینی به نام کاناداست که با خشونت به تملک درآمده است. جوزف بویدن
کتاب مصور مسیر مخفی به همراه آلبومی با همین عنوان در پنجاهمین سالگرد مرگ دلخراش چانی ونجک، کودک سرخپوست 12 ساله کانادایی منتشر شد (دربارهی چانی ونجک اینجا بخوانید) . این کتابچه و آلبوم موسیقی کاملا مکمل یکدیگرند و باید حتما در کنار هم مورد توجه قرار بگیرند. کتاب 9 اپیزود دارد و به موازات 9 ترانهی آلبوم پیش میرود. من هر اپیزود را با ترانهی خودش همزمان دیدم و شنیدم
اپیزود اول: غریبه
چانی غریبهای است که نمیتوانی او را ببینی، نه تنها ببینی، بلکه بفهمی. هرگز نخواهی توانست. این اپیزود چانی را به تصویر میکشد که لنگان لنگان در مسیر راهآهن قدم برمیدارد. برای مخاطب شاید تنها این یک ریل باشد، یا مسیری که به مرگ ختم میشود، اما برای او این یک راه مخفیست، راهی به سوی آزادی
اپیزود دوم: تاببازی
فرار چانی از مدرسه شبانهروزی با همراهی دو دوست دیگرش (دو برادر) صورت میگیرد. در آغاز این اپیزود چانی و دوستانش را میبینیم که مشغول تاببازی اند. اما نحوهی تصویرسازی از حرکت پاها بر روی تاب، نوعی درجا زدن روی زمین را تداعی میکند و همزمان گورد در ترانه از دهان چانی میگوید آلان وقتش است؟ (فرار) و هربار پاسخ میشنود نه. تا لحظهای که دختر سرخپوست را کشان کشان میبرند و دو برادر میگویند حالا
اپیزود سوم: هفت کبریت
دو برادر برخلاف چانی، برای فرار نقشه داشتند. آنها به خانهی داییشان که در همان حوالی در جنگل قرار داشت میروند، اما خانوادهی او توانایی نگهداری چانی را ندارند و او را با این خیال که به مدرسه بازمیگردد از خانه بیرون میکنند. قبل از آنکه چانی خانهشان را ترک کند، دخترک سرخپوست به چانی هفت چوب کبریت در یک شیشهی مربا میدهد. در این اپیزود این هفت کبریت را میبینیم که در طول مسیر دانهدانه کم میشوند. اما چه چیزی چانی را در بوران گرما میبخشد؟ شعلهی آتش؟ لبخند و نگاه دخترک؟ احتمالا هردو. چون چانی تا مدتی بعد از تمام شدن کبریتها، شیشهی مربا را با خود حمل میکرده است. در پایان این اپیزود چانی آخرین کبریت را آتش میزند
اپیزود چهارم: من متوقف نمیشوم
کبریتها تمام شده. چانی هنوز میتواند به مدرسه بازگردد و خود را نجات دهد. او به نقشه نگاه میکند، اما نمیتواند نقشه را بخواند و بعد با یک فلشبک، تخته سیاه مدرسه مقابل ظاهر میشود و واژهی انگلیسی "ران". نه، او تسلیم نمیشود، او این مسیر مخفی را ادامه خواهد داد
اپیزود پنجم: فرزند
یکی از دردناکترین قسمتهای کتاب. چانی سرش را روی ریل راهآهن گذاشته، آتش خاموش شده و او از سرما میلرزد. ناگهان پدرش ظاهر میشود و تصاویر خاکستری و سرد، رنگی شده و تداعیبخش گرما میشوند. گورد در ترانه از دهان پسر به فرزندش میگوید: حتی وقتی دنیا در حال فروپاشیست، هرگز آرزوها و خواستههاست را تسلیم نکن. اما ناگهان تصویر دوباره خاکستری شده و دستان پدر از دست چانی محو میشود و ما حقیقت ماجرا را میبینیم: چانی در خود مچاله شده و خود را در آغوش گرفته
اپیزود ششم: مسیر مخفی
در آغاز این اپیزود کودک را میبینیم که همچنان، خسته و سرمازده روی ریلها راه میرود، اما شیشهی مربا را روی زمین انداخته. امیدش را از دست داده؟
اپیزود هفتم: اجازه نده آنها لمست کنند
ضمیر آنها اشاره به کشیشهای مدرسهی شبانهروزی و سواستفادهی جنسی از کودکان دارد. چانی از سرما در حال مرگ است، اما با به یادآوردن یکی تجاوزهای جنسی، آزادی از طریق مرگ را به بازگشت به مدرسه ترجیح میدهد
اپیزود هشتم: آنها را مسخ کنید
ضمیر آنها در اینجا اشاره به کودکان سرخپوست در مدارس شبانهروزی دارد. چانی (احتمالا در رویا)، دوستانش را میبیند که در حال ساخت نقابهایی کاغذی، بدون روزنهای بر دهان هستند و بعد آنها را با همان نقابها در میان درختها میبیند که به او خیره شدهاند. این بخش کتاب چقدر یادآور ویدئو "آجر دیگری در دیوار" پینک فلوید است
اپیزود نهم: اینجا، اینجا، و اینجا
اینجا، کنار ریل راهآهن جاییست که چانی سرانجام از پا در میآید، اینجا جاییست که آزاد میشود و اینجا جاییست که پدر او را در آغوش میگیرد. چانی بالاخره به خانهاش رسید
October 25, 2016
Secret Path
, drawn by Canadian cartoonist
Jeff Lemire
, is another account of the story of an
Anishinaabe
child
Chanie Wenjack
, the same told in Boyden's
Wenjack
. Secret Path is a graphic novel, Lemire's wordless drawings in pencils with watercolours being interspersed with lyrics from Downie's
album of the same name
.
Secret Path is a high point in Lemire's career, and a high point for the the Canadian graphic novel, depicting the struggle of a young boy to return home in all of its sadness and all of its glory with beautiful art.
This, too, is a book that must be read.
Secret Path is a high point in Lemire's career, and a high point for the the Canadian graphic novel, depicting the struggle of a young boy to return home in all of its sadness and all of its glory with beautiful art.
This, too, is a book that must be read.
May 26, 2017
Chanie Wenjack and all the children should not be forgotten. We owe them their stories and more.
This is a beautifully done tribute to a brave, tortured, saddened young boy who only wanted to go home. I was surprised that Chanie's story ended in 1966. I thought the Residential schools had ended years before this.
These stories must come out. For years we've heard of the Residential Schools, yet in vague terms. The stories of those who lived the experience have yet to be told. Chanie's story is heart-breaking. He should have been a happy, healthy boy growing to adulthood. Instead, he was a scared, hungry, cold child who died while trying to get home.
This graphic novel with the lyrics of 10 dedicated songs is a lovely tribute. It brings out Chanie's fears and suffering. It also gives him the peace he deserves. I hope Chanie's real story ended with peace.
This is a beautifully done tribute to a brave, tortured, saddened young boy who only wanted to go home. I was surprised that Chanie's story ended in 1966. I thought the Residential schools had ended years before this.
These stories must come out. For years we've heard of the Residential Schools, yet in vague terms. The stories of those who lived the experience have yet to be told. Chanie's story is heart-breaking. He should have been a happy, healthy boy growing to adulthood. Instead, he was a scared, hungry, cold child who died while trying to get home.
This graphic novel with the lyrics of 10 dedicated songs is a lovely tribute. It brings out Chanie's fears and suffering. It also gives him the peace he deserves. I hope Chanie's real story ended with peace.
October 21, 2017
Ok, so I picked up this book again today and re-read it while listening to the downloaded track of Gord Downie songs that comes with it. It is hauntingly sad and real and painful and a must not forget aspect of our Canadian history that we need to learn from and apologize for and not let happen ever again.
This is a short graphic novel telling the story of the last days of an indigenous child, a young boy, who walks away from the residential schools that took indigenous children away from their parents, their communities and placed them in religious schools meant to erase their culture, their way of life (all in the name of progress, sigh). The boy never makes it home; he dies while trying to reach it. It is one story of many, that have been buried.
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip is a Canadian icon. He passed away, from a brain tumor this week, and our country has been paying respects to this ideal changer. He grew up in a city just down the highway from where I live and I have been listening to his music for most of my adult life.
He wanted to leave something behind that was more than just him (although him alone would be a fine legacy to leave) and he has done this with this project.
Thank you Gord, for all you have done. I saw a man wearing a t-shirt yesterday that said "In Gord we trust". Yep, we did.
This is a short graphic novel telling the story of the last days of an indigenous child, a young boy, who walks away from the residential schools that took indigenous children away from their parents, their communities and placed them in religious schools meant to erase their culture, their way of life (all in the name of progress, sigh). The boy never makes it home; he dies while trying to reach it. It is one story of many, that have been buried.
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip is a Canadian icon. He passed away, from a brain tumor this week, and our country has been paying respects to this ideal changer. He grew up in a city just down the highway from where I live and I have been listening to his music for most of my adult life.
He wanted to leave something behind that was more than just him (although him alone would be a fine legacy to leave) and he has done this with this project.
Thank you Gord, for all you have done. I saw a man wearing a t-shirt yesterday that said "In Gord we trust". Yep, we did.
August 14, 2018
Chanie Wenjack was a real Indigenous boy who died in 1966 trying to make his way home after escaping from one of the residential schools where he might have been raped and abused, like so many other Indigenous children torn from his family. He didn't know that his home was 400 miles away, and sadly died of exposure within two days.
This is my second time reading a book about Chanie, Wenjack being the first. It was just as upsetting the second time and will continue to be every time I hear stories like this.
The artwork is absolutely stunning, very beautifully coloured. The song lyrics that accompany them are disturbing and sad, as they should be. I like that there is no dialogue and that the story is told by art and lyrics alone. If you want a bit more depth than what it gives in the synopsis on the back (which tells the whole story) I would recommend reading Wenjack first.
This is my second time reading a book about Chanie, Wenjack being the first. It was just as upsetting the second time and will continue to be every time I hear stories like this.
The artwork is absolutely stunning, very beautifully coloured. The song lyrics that accompany them are disturbing and sad, as they should be. I like that there is no dialogue and that the story is told by art and lyrics alone. If you want a bit more depth than what it gives in the synopsis on the back (which tells the whole story) I would recommend reading Wenjack first.
October 18, 2016
Well, anyone who knows me or has read any of my reviews knows how much I love Jeff Lemire's illustrations. Secret Path does not disappoint. The text is supplied by Tragically Hip singer, song writer Gord Downie and Lemire's water-colour and ink illustrations are a perfect representation in visual form.
Lemire has definitely matured from his days of Essex County. This is also far superior to Trillium. It is absolutely clear that this project is something that Lemire is passionate about; his pain is evident in the emotions his drawings evoke. Prepare to be touched to the core with this poignant retelling of the Chanie Wenjack story. There is nothing extravagant here. The message is clearly defined, and beautifully so.
JUST BUY IT AND READ IT! You will thank me.
Lemire has definitely matured from his days of Essex County. This is also far superior to Trillium. It is absolutely clear that this project is something that Lemire is passionate about; his pain is evident in the emotions his drawings evoke. Prepare to be touched to the core with this poignant retelling of the Chanie Wenjack story. There is nothing extravagant here. The message is clearly defined, and beautifully so.
JUST BUY IT AND READ IT! You will thank me.
February 14, 2017
For some odd reason I've never listened to the tragically hip. I'm sure I've heard their music on the radio, I do live in Canada after all. But this is the first time I've sat down and listened to Gordon Downie's music. It won't be the last.
These stories of our government's failures need to be told. I felt angered that this kind of stuff was allowed to happen. Children being systematically abducted from their family and often times faced (additional) abuse by the people who were supposed to "assimilate" them.
Lemire's art is wonderful. I feel like he excels in telling this kind of story. It's a shame he doesn't do more of it! His art is full of emotion.
I highly recommend the music video. It covers the entire album and animates all of Lemire's art. (It's probably a better overall experience than reading the book). CBC has it hosted right on YouTube too! Just give it a quick search because I'm too lazy to grab a link for you guys.
These stories of our government's failures need to be told. I felt angered that this kind of stuff was allowed to happen. Children being systematically abducted from their family and often times faced (additional) abuse by the people who were supposed to "assimilate" them.
Lemire's art is wonderful. I feel like he excels in telling this kind of story. It's a shame he doesn't do more of it! His art is full of emotion.
I highly recommend the music video. It covers the entire album and animates all of Lemire's art. (It's probably a better overall experience than reading the book). CBC has it hosted right on YouTube too! Just give it a quick search because I'm too lazy to grab a link for you guys.
November 16, 2016
I read this beautifully illustrated graphic novel on the heels of Joseph Boyden's Wenjack. The unfortunate story of Chanie Wenjack should be known to all Canadians and books like these are making that a reality.
November 12, 2016
I read this as I was listening to Gordon Downie's album of the same name. Unfortunately this story is Canada's story, and it's not a pretty one. It is not the first story on Residential Schools that I have read, and I am always left speechless. How could we let this happen? When will we start making this right? When do we take care of our own?
October 1, 2021
I read this book on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 🧡 This day provides an opportunity to bring awareness to the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools and honour their survivors, their families, and communities.
SECRET PATH by Gord Downie was emotional, touching, and thought-provoking.
SECRET PATH by Gord Downie was emotional, touching, and thought-provoking.
October 29, 2016
I am so amazed by the number of stories coming out inspired by Chanie Wenjack. Secret Path is Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire's collaboration: a series of songs, written by Downie, that tell the events leading up to Chanie Wenjack's death and are available for free download or on a vinyl record. Lemire created a comic book based on Chanie's story and Downie's poems. The final result is a beautiful book that tells a crucially important story to as wide of an audience as possible: by combining the written word with illustrations and music.
I haven't had a chance to listen to the album yet, but Gord's writing is simple, clear, and poetic. I could hear him singing in my head. It is very true to his style that he's developed over the years. I am eager to listen to the album: it is clear this is something he is incredibly passionate about and I'm sure the music is going to sound as good as it reads.
Jeff Lemire's artwork is hauntingly beautiful. His rough, two-dimensional characters fit the raw and depressing content of the story.
Highly, highly recommend!
I haven't had a chance to listen to the album yet, but Gord's writing is simple, clear, and poetic. I could hear him singing in my head. It is very true to his style that he's developed over the years. I am eager to listen to the album: it is clear this is something he is incredibly passionate about and I'm sure the music is going to sound as good as it reads.
Jeff Lemire's artwork is hauntingly beautiful. His rough, two-dimensional characters fit the raw and depressing content of the story.
Highly, highly recommend!
December 23, 2018
Necekal sem, ze Lemire zvladne vytvorit neco vic depresivnejsiho nez jeho debut Lost Dogs...
Secret Path je album hudebnika Gorda Downieho, ke kterymu Lemire vytvoril doprovodnou grafickou novelu. Ta je temer bezeslov a pribeh “vypravi” vedle kresby i koncepcni album.
Secret Path vypravi pribeh Chanieho Wenjacka, maleho indianskeho kluka, ktery byl, stejne jako dalsich 150 000 deti v obdobi konce 19. a konce 20. stoleti, odebran rodine a umisten do “asimilacni” skoly.
Smichejte si vezeni, koncentrak a deti zneuzivajici cirkev a budete mit predstavu o tom, jak tyhle skoly fungovaly. Chanie jednoho dne utece a vydava se na cestu do sve rodne vesnice. Na cestu dlouho 600 kilometru...
Secret Path je album hudebnika Gorda Downieho, ke kterymu Lemire vytvoril doprovodnou grafickou novelu. Ta je temer bezeslov a pribeh “vypravi” vedle kresby i koncepcni album.
Secret Path vypravi pribeh Chanieho Wenjacka, maleho indianskeho kluka, ktery byl, stejne jako dalsich 150 000 deti v obdobi konce 19. a konce 20. stoleti, odebran rodine a umisten do “asimilacni” skoly.
Smichejte si vezeni, koncentrak a deti zneuzivajici cirkev a budete mit predstavu o tom, jak tyhle skoly fungovaly. Chanie jednoho dne utece a vydava se na cestu do sve rodne vesnice. Na cestu dlouho 600 kilometru...
December 28, 2016
This is a quick read - it took me only minutes to finish. But the art work and the depth of the story contained with in makes it very much worth the purchase. I was glad that I'd taken the time to watch the video aired by CBC. The music definitely adds to the experience.
It matters to me that Canadians take time to know Chanie Wenjack's story. His story is, as Gord Downie puts it, "Canada's story". We need to take more time to know our history and the individuals impacted by our path to nationhood.
It matters to me that Canadians take time to know Chanie Wenjack's story. His story is, as Gord Downie puts it, "Canada's story". We need to take more time to know our history and the individuals impacted by our path to nationhood.
July 22, 2018
This is kind of a hard book to categorize. It's a graphic novel, but it's also poetry. Most of the story is told without words (at least, in the traditional narrative sense), but the poems fill in the blanks. The sparse monochromatic scheme works here, especially given the subject matter. The illustrations are haunting, and add more emotion to what is already a heart-wrenching read.
It's a sad story, and it boggles the mind that it could happen so recently. This would be a good introduction to the topic of residential schools, and should be required reading for all Canadian adults.
It's a sad story, and it boggles the mind that it could happen so recently. This would be a good introduction to the topic of residential schools, and should be required reading for all Canadian adults.
November 24, 2016
This is the heartbreaking story of little Chanie Wenjack who ran away to escape horrible abuse at his residential school and just wanted to go home to his family. The illustrations vividly portray the cold and lonely walk that led to his death. Gord Downie's words make it all the more touching and horrific. This is a difficult book but an important one for all Canadians. We should never forget the atrocities of the past and the residential schools were one of the darkest.
October 11, 2017
This book is incredibly powerful. I recommend you go through the pages as intended - while listening to the music at the same time. This made reading The Secret Path a highly immersive experience. I dare you to read it and not cry. I DARE YOU. The illustrations are beautiful--yet haunting. Lemire uses blue shading for present day events, and memories of Chanie's family are depicted with warm, vibrant tones. A truly heartbreaking story told in a unique and striking manner.
5 stars.
5 stars.
July 3, 2018
Readehthon January 1, 2018 - January 8, 2018
September 10, 2021
wow..
such a heartbreaking story about an indigenous boy who escapes a residential school & tries to reunite with his family.
the illustrations spoke volumes & the amount of writing was just enough, because the quality & depth of it was perfect.
jeff lemire’s work is definitely up there for me & this one is no different, i think the collaboration with gord downie worked very well.
this is a devastating read that will leave you heart broken, chanie’s story is the story of many indigenous children who were separated from their families & yearned & tried to return home.
such a heartbreaking story about an indigenous boy who escapes a residential school & tries to reunite with his family.
the illustrations spoke volumes & the amount of writing was just enough, because the quality & depth of it was perfect.
jeff lemire’s work is definitely up there for me & this one is no different, i think the collaboration with gord downie worked very well.
this is a devastating read that will leave you heart broken, chanie’s story is the story of many indigenous children who were separated from their families & yearned & tried to return home.
January 7, 2022
Ja som tak rada že som to nečítala, kým som bola v Kanade, lebo keby po tom čo vidím tie tisíce sviečok a asi 500 plyšových hračiek na schodoch galérie si toto prečítam niekde tam, tak revem ešte teraz.
Read
October 7, 2024"I am soaked
To the skin
There's never been
A colder rain than this one I'm in."..
To the skin
There's never been
A colder rain than this one I'm in."..
February 3, 2024
When I heard of the graphic novel Secret Path drawn by one of my favorite artists, Jeff Lemire, I knew I wanted to read it, not understanding that it was so much more than a book. Secret Path is a ten-song concept album written by Gord Downie paired with a graphic novel that tells the story of Chanie Wenjack.
Chanie was a twelve-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died in 1966, trying to escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Ontario, Canada. Chanie, often called Charlie, was trying to walk approximately 400 miles home by following the Canadian National Railway but perished of hunger and exposure.
Lemire’s interpretation of Chanie’s last journey is wordless but with lyrics of Downie’s songs alongside the pictures. The residential school and Canadian wilderness are shown starkly with white, grey, black and blue colors representing his loneliness and isolation. Only when Chanie is thinking of his family are his memories shown in contrasting warm-hued colors. This is similar to how Lemire told another story about a First Nation family in his recent book, Roughneck. Lemire also effectively frames Chanie’s sad memories of the school in an off-kilter method that keeps the adults' heads out of the panels and draws his trademark blackbird as part of the imagery.
While the graphic novel is excellent, it should be read in tandem with listening to the ten songs that were written by Downie before he even contacted Lemire to illustrate the accompanying book. Afterward, watch the video that combines the graphics and music into a haunting montage. Sadly, Downie died in October, but his music and the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund will be a lasting legacy.
While this tragic story highlights one individual, Chanie truly represents the hundreds of thousands of native children that the Canadian government took from their homes and sent to residential schools. Canada doesn’t stand alone in trying to eradicate native culture, the United States government did the same to native families- ripping family and cultural connections from them and trying to get them to assimilate into what government and religious officials felt was appropriate. Kudos to Downie and Lemire for bringing attention to this shameful part of Canada’s (and America’s) history, for only through a truthful reflection can positive change and reconciliation be established.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2017/12/0...
Chanie was a twelve-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died in 1966, trying to escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Ontario, Canada. Chanie, often called Charlie, was trying to walk approximately 400 miles home by following the Canadian National Railway but perished of hunger and exposure.
Lemire’s interpretation of Chanie’s last journey is wordless but with lyrics of Downie’s songs alongside the pictures. The residential school and Canadian wilderness are shown starkly with white, grey, black and blue colors representing his loneliness and isolation. Only when Chanie is thinking of his family are his memories shown in contrasting warm-hued colors. This is similar to how Lemire told another story about a First Nation family in his recent book, Roughneck. Lemire also effectively frames Chanie’s sad memories of the school in an off-kilter method that keeps the adults' heads out of the panels and draws his trademark blackbird as part of the imagery.
While the graphic novel is excellent, it should be read in tandem with listening to the ten songs that were written by Downie before he even contacted Lemire to illustrate the accompanying book. Afterward, watch the video that combines the graphics and music into a haunting montage. Sadly, Downie died in October, but his music and the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund will be a lasting legacy.
While this tragic story highlights one individual, Chanie truly represents the hundreds of thousands of native children that the Canadian government took from their homes and sent to residential schools. Canada doesn’t stand alone in trying to eradicate native culture, the United States government did the same to native families- ripping family and cultural connections from them and trying to get them to assimilate into what government and religious officials felt was appropriate. Kudos to Downie and Lemire for bringing attention to this shameful part of Canada’s (and America’s) history, for only through a truthful reflection can positive change and reconciliation be established.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2017/12/0...
January 5, 2017
Secret Path is one of those "must own" titles. Not only do you get the accompanying album free as a download with the book, this is also a stunning work on its own. Essentially a lyrics book in graphic novel form, Secret Path collects Gord Downie's lyrics into a gorgeous large-format graphic novel with illustrations by Jeff Lemire that tell the story of the album. Lemire's images use minimalism, perspective, and repetition, that unfold with a percussive urgency towards the story's tragic end.
Proceeds from the sale of this book go towards truth and reconciliation efforts, so simply buying it is an act of reconciliation. But it's important to own for personal and cultural reasons as well. "[Chanie Wenjack's] story is Canada' story," reads the back cover. Secret Path is a multimedia masterpiece, a moving final work in the legacy of Gord Downie, and a sobering reminder for us to do better as a nation.
Proceeds from the sale of this book go towards truth and reconciliation efforts, so simply buying it is an act of reconciliation. But it's important to own for personal and cultural reasons as well. "[Chanie Wenjack's] story is Canada' story," reads the back cover. Secret Path is a multimedia masterpiece, a moving final work in the legacy of Gord Downie, and a sobering reminder for us to do better as a nation.
February 9, 2017
What a gift this book is.
A gift from our National Treasure, Gord Downie. A gift from Jeff Lemire, who put Downie's untouchable poetry into a visual work that captures, I think, every one of the poem's magic. I think this is a perfect pairing, and it's a book unlike any other I own. I'll be sharing with my kids and rereading over the years to come.
I did see the Secret Path film yesterday, and while it communicated the infamous story of Chanie Wenjack well, I just feel like holding this book, reading the lyrics as poetry, really make it a more intimate experience. I don't want to put the book away.
I hope so much that this can be a bridge for our communities, at least a start... For Downie to give his talents to this cause is remarkable.
A gift from our National Treasure, Gord Downie. A gift from Jeff Lemire, who put Downie's untouchable poetry into a visual work that captures, I think, every one of the poem's magic. I think this is a perfect pairing, and it's a book unlike any other I own. I'll be sharing with my kids and rereading over the years to come.
I did see the Secret Path film yesterday, and while it communicated the infamous story of Chanie Wenjack well, I just feel like holding this book, reading the lyrics as poetry, really make it a more intimate experience. I don't want to put the book away.
I hope so much that this can be a bridge for our communities, at least a start... For Downie to give his talents to this cause is remarkable.
November 3, 2017
A powerfully simple attempt to show the story of Chanie Wenjack by Jeff Lemire's illustrations. I found his visual style well-fitted to the material, even his birds-in-motion peculiarities (which have merely struck me as odd in other books).
R.I.P. Gord Downie. Thanks for the words. They interrupted the visual flow. They jarred me back into the somewhat familiar reading mindset. They slanted my perspective in preparation for each of Lemire's sequential art sections. All good negatives.
Get it and read it. And then read other reviews here to find the other books about Chanie Wenjack's tragic life.
I haven't downloaded the album because i'm considering gifting it to a friend who experiences music more deeply and personally than i will.
R.I.P. Gord Downie. Thanks for the words. They interrupted the visual flow. They jarred me back into the somewhat familiar reading mindset. They slanted my perspective in preparation for each of Lemire's sequential art sections. All good negatives.
Get it and read it. And then read other reviews here to find the other books about Chanie Wenjack's tragic life.
I haven't downloaded the album because i'm considering gifting it to a friend who experiences music more deeply and personally than i will.
December 26, 2016
The sense of how cold and alone Chanie Wenjack would have felt trying to get home comes across through Jeff Lemire's art so well it's as if he must have walked those tracks himself to get a feel for it. Joseph Boyden's Wenjack is more to my taste as a way of telling a story, but this multi-media approach ensures a wider audience for a story every Canadian over the age of twelve should know, a story of so many more than this one boy that must inform our judgements of other country's treatment of "others" and how we move forward as a country.
December 10, 2016
Brilliant. I began this graphic novel moments after finishing Joseph Boyden's "Wenjack" and it's staggering in its clarity, its vulnerability, its culpability and its truth. It further crystallizes the tragedy of Chanie's heartbreaking and shamefully premature departure from this earth. It gives me hope that permanent lessons have been learned from these reprehensible mistakes. Truly a gem.
February 1, 2017
Important that this tragedy be publicized, as part of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Act. Personally, I found Joseph Boyden's rendition of Chanie Wenjack's death more profound, and spiritual, in his book, WENJACK. The cultural depictions seemed lacking in SECRET PATH, and carried WENJACK. Two interpretations told in very different formats by skilled visual and literary artists. Read each book.
June 12, 2017
Beautifully written and illustrated. This is one book that every Canadian should read. We have so much to atone for with what we have done to our First Nations and especially the children. This is one book I plan to have in my collection and I plan to buy the album too. Chanie Wenjack and all the other children should never been forgotten.
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