Larry Loyie had conceived of writing a book on Canada’s Residential School system through the eyes of the children that attended it, for many years before Residential Schools: With the Words and Images of Survivors was published in 2014. In their earlier conception of the book, Loyie and Constance Brissenden had planned to call it ‘Remember the Children: A Children’s History’. This file contains materials related to this earlier version of the book and the authors’ plans to have it published by Groundwood Books.

Ultimately, the writers rejected the contract that was proposed by Groundwood Books and returned the advance they had been given. The publisher had insisted they write a falsely ‘balanced’ narrative. They wanted Loyie to sanitize the reality of the residential school system, requesting: "a broad, balanced picture" that would “include 'good' times as well as bad.”¹  They also requested he include information about Native American Boarding Schools in the United States. Loyie and Brissenden would not integrate these suggestions. Through this book, their intention was to bring settler awareness to “the true story of what happened."² Agreeing to prioritize the publisher’s uninformed perspective of the events would be a gross insult to the Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors whose stories would be told. (Note: the term “Native American” is used above as the related boarding school system was operated in the context of the United States, where currently “Native” is frequently used for describing groups of Indigenous Peoples. Other sources may still use “Indian Boarding Schools System,” as this is what the system is referred to in the legislation that enacted it. Regardless of what terminology is used or assumed as appropriate in any given context, it is important to acknowledge and respect that Indigenous Peoples often have individual preferences for being addressed.)

Includes:

• Book proposals (Aug. 28, 2004 and July 5, 2005) for ‘Remember the Children: A Children’s History of Indian Schools in Canada’
• British Columbia Arts Council grant application
• Book outline (June 3, 2003) for ‘Remember the Children: A Children’s History of Indian Schools in Canada’. This was sent to various publishers.
• Email correspondence discussing the book concept pre-contract. Opinions expressed within these emails minimize the extent of the harms experienced by some of the Survivors of Canada’s Residential School system. Take care when interacting with these records.

¹ Loyie Brissenden Collection, Remember the Children 2003-2004, box 8, folder 2 (April 17, 2003) email correspondence Residential schools book
² Ibid.