"The Sitting Swing" was a rope swing, hung from a tree next to the tiny cottage her Russian immigrant father built by hand from hand milled logs and mud in the Northern Canada in the early 20th century. Any motion at all would smash the child into a vigorous rose bush. It was a sitting swing in a family not given to play, in a childhood stretched between two very different cultures.
Irene was born into a tight Ukrainian speaking community and a family struggling with guilt, shame, and grief over the death of a first born child—a son. The old world immigrant culture placed much of the blame for Irene's brothers death on her mother, causing her to hold her next child close to home, segregated from the new culture, victim to the blunt aggression of male cousins, and scornful townspeople.
"The Sitting Swing" shows us how guilt, fear and ignorance are borne by our children. Two distinct parts of the book look at an abusive child rearing and the process of recovery that takes place years later. On many levels this is a classic immigrant story showing us that change, growth, forgiveness and recovery are possible. It is also a heart warming healing story and a testament to the strength and courage of the human spirit.
