Augie Merasty was, like many other indigenous children of his generation, taken from his home and raised at a Catholic boarding school, enduring years of abuse. As an adult, he spoke out about the conditions he and thousands of other children endured at such schools. In this book, Augie recounts his time at school, and we learn what became of him as an adult.

This is a winding story that reads more like a conversation. Author and former English professor John Carpenter helped compile this book for Augie, and I enjoyed hearing their relationship as this book was slowly brought to life. I would say this book is a must-read so we don’t forget about the terrible wrongs done to so many aboriginal people in the Americas.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This was a heartbreaking account of one man's experience with the Residential schools in Canada. The range of emotions I felt while learning of Augie's experiences and David's journey with Augie to be able to get his story out was more than I anticipated. Rage and disgust at how we treat fellow humans, heartbreak and grief at how our fellow humans are treated, and so many more. This is a story that needs more attention to recognize the horrors those humans suffered and learn from the mistakes of our past.

I received an audio copy of The Education of Augie Merasty in exchange for an honest review. Augie was a Native American who was forced to attend a boarding school from 1935-1944. This was a difficult story to listen to as there were some horrid things that happened to Augie at the school. However the writing style and narrator made the story just as painful to listen to.

TW: Sexual Abuse
TW: Childhood abuse
(unfortunately you should have known that from the title)

This is a really hard book to review.

A very powerful and important story. Augie's story need to be heard and remembered I am glad for the re-issue of this book and an audiobook version so this is widely available. This is a short story that packs a heck of a punch. Taken from his family and forced into a Christian school where they stripped away everything that he knows and forces him to believe and live in a way that buries where he comes from and who he is.


I bought this book for the library and think it needs to be in your library collection!

David Carpenters narration was well done.

There is a study guide at the end and I truly think this book would be good for book clubs and discussions. The paper book is only about 100 pages and the audiobook runs 3 hours that makes this book accessible to all readers.

I received this book from the publisher Bespeak Audio Editions and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

4 stars

This was a tough book to listen to. While living in Alaska, I'd heard similar stories in regard to the boarding schools Native Alaskan children were taken to so this wasn't all a complete surprise, but how horrible that people in authority would abuse that trust.

Thanks to Bespeak Audio Editions and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Augie Merasty's story is just one of the 150,000 stories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who were taken from their families and forced into government- and Catholic Church-sanctioned Indian Residential Schools meant to stript them of their native culture and language in an effort to "assimilate" them. 

At times, Augie's story was emotionally difficult to read, as it includes multiple instances of physical and sexual abuse that were the constant of his childhood after entering the St. Therese Residential School at the young age of 5. Still, his voice remains genuine, extremely affable, sometimes humorous, and hopeful. At age 86, it was no small feat to finally publish his memoir, having struggled with alcoholism, homlessness, living without electricity, and the remarkable story of even having a bear break into his home and eat his entirely handwritten manuscript. 

Augie's story came on my radar when it was originally published, but this updated version includes a reader's guide, which is really helpful when discussing it in a class format. 

The Education of Augie Merasty should be required reading for anyone interested in Indigenous/First Nation history, Canadian history, and truth and reconciliation. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the access to this audiobook to review.

A tough book to listen to but a very important historical memoir.
Augie is a Canadian Cree child, age 5, when he is taken to the St Threse Residential School.
There ,he and siblings, spent 9 long years. The Catholic School was a horror of Nuns and Priests that believed in Corporal Punishment.
There is some humor in the story and some truly kind teachers interspersed between the horrors. The book is very descriptive of what life was like in Canada in the 1930’s , when most of the book takes place.
I enjoyed the introduction by the co author of the process of getting the story from Augie. It took about ten years to collect the hand written pages. The pages were lost and recreated many times. Augie had a rough life after age 77 as the introduction tells us. He turned to alcohol and lived a vagabond life. I believe much of this was due to his horrible childhood.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutre for a chance to listen to this amazing story

A memoir of a child taken from his family to a church school to be what we would say today to be radicalised into white christian society. Not a pleasant experience yet the author has managed to portray the angst and depravation with a sense of fact, this is how it was. Quite moving to hear that the boy ended up a damaged man yet there was a certain humility and character. I like the relationship between the man and the writer, one of mutual respect. Thank goodness life has moved one from those days. Thank you #NetGalley for audiobook to review.