I do not think there is a better introduction to Canadian residential schools than A Knock on the Door. This is a well-written report on how the Canadian government's policies led to residential schools and then how the Native children fared and how the system failed them. It is a thoughtful and open examination of the period of time and looks for a path forward through resolution and reconciliation.

This book was excellent but reading it as an audio was incredibly tedious and not recommended. The amount of footnotes made the audio difficult to follow. I’d prefer to read a hard copy and be able to take notes or annotate.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

This is essential reading for Canadians. I'm very grateful the the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the work that they've done and for creating this book in such a way that makes it accessible to the general public without glorifying the horrific details.

At first, I found the footnote narrative distracting but once I caught on to the audio format, I was able to follow better. There are a lot of dates, names and details in this book and many of those were lost while trying to drive my car and listen at the same time so perhaps audio is not the best format to digest that level of understanding.

I have been very interested in learning more history of indigenous peoples in Canada, especially in light of the recent discovery of the mass grave in BC. This book was a highly informative, deeply moving and tremendously sad account of the residential school system in Canada. I would highly recommend this book as a place to start for anyone looking to instruct themselves on this horrific part of Canada’s history and the goals for truth and reconciliation put forth within this book. I will definitely be recommending this resource to anyone I know interested in learning more. I was able to read this book as a reviewer with Net Galley and read it as a free audiobook, which was well read and easy to follow both the reader and the content of the book.