Survivor Memoirs

Phyllis Webstad’s Orange Shirt Story (2018) is an account of the author’s first day at St. Joseph’s Residential School when nuns confiscated the new orange shirt Phyllis’s grandmother had bought her. Phyllis’ book became the basis for Orange Shirt Day. Many other Survivors have written about their experiences at residential school. This collection brings together their stories. It contains catalogue records for full-length memoirs of residential school, autobiographies that feature a chapter on residential school, and collections of Survivor’s memoirs. The stories are from Survivors across Canada; some accounts are addressed to adults and others to children.

To find copies of these books, approach your local public library. Alternatively, they may be purchased from an Indigenous online bookstore such as Good Minds or Strong Nations.

If you are aware of a Survivor memoir that is not included in the collection, please feel free to contact us to suggest its inclusion.