On the Side of the Angels

Written by Jose Amaujaq Kusugak
Illustrated by Hwei Lim

“Then one day a ‘flyable’ took me away from our world through the sky to a dark and desolate place.”

Jose Kusugak had a typical Arctic childhood, growing up playing games, enjoying food caught by hunters, and watching his mother preparing skins. But he was one of the first generation of Inuit children who were taken from their homes and communities and sent to live in residential schools. In this moving and candid memoir, Jose tells of his experiences at residential school and the lifelong effects it had on him.

This title is part of our Qinuisaarniq program which was created to educate readers about the history and impacts of residential schools. Explore more titles in the program here.



Explore our free teaching guide to accompany this book.