White Bird Black Bird (Paperback)

~ Val Wake (Author)
Key Phrases: territorial government, territorial supreme court, pipeline party, Warren Pritchard, Father Pouchard, Dougie Green (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sprawling saga draws on the real-life culture clash between aboriginal Northern Canadians and resource-hungry land developers.

Dedicated, young Toronto cub reporter Warren Pritchard loves his craft, but after a hurricane sweeps through the region, he takes stock of his life in the quaint town of Weston. Deciding a change of scenery might provide professional purpose and a fresh start-and stem a ballooning alcohol habit- Warren heads north to Yellowknife where he is commissioned to form a territorial-wide radio news service.

This happens amid a hotbed of political controversy involving oil pipelines and racial unrest between native Inuit citizens and "rival government agencies, struggling to control the human and natural resources of the north."

Warren becomes embroiled in the turmoil along with "political fixer" Dougie Green, a straight-laced, two-year veteran of the never-ending controversy, awash in rumours and small-town gossip. As his mission becomes more and more personal, Warren explores his environs, meeting many quirky locals while picking up information to craft a well-balanced article on the palpable racial tension in Yellowknife and the trouble surrounding its impending gentrification and industrial development.

A good-natured priest educates Warren on the dangers of pipeline expansion and how it affects the indigenous people nearby just as a regional supervisor for the impending construction butts heads with a grass roots Native rights movement.

But it's Cindy- a Native Indian woman from the Hare tribe- who steals Warren's heart. A violent shooting and a politically-motivated kidnapping preface a somewhat surprising, unorthodox conclusion. While Wake, a former journalist, excels in cultivating an authentic sense of place (he spent four years living in the Canadian Arctic region), his 500-plus page narrative is verbose and becomes weighted down with the expounding details and melodrama of his character's machinations-alturistic or otherwise.

A harmless distraction with philanthropic overtones in need of edits. --Kirkus Discoveries, New York, April 2009

Product Description

White Bird Black Bird is a fictional account of the clash of cultures when the indigenous people of northern Canada come face to face with the demands of southern consumers and their need for oil and gas. The story follows the fortunes of a young reporter in a idealistic crusade to right wrongs and find a mission in life only to discover that the northern mysteries have no easy solutions. The story is based on fact and many of the issues it raises are still alive today.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 522 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (October 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439203458
• ISBN-13: 978-1439203453
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,184,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Insight into a Bland Frozen Territory, December 18, 2008

By	Cresscourt "Rosewood" (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

White Bird Black Bird is a must read for those who want to define the northern areas of Canada by more than ice and snow, blizzards and polar bears in a wilderness. Val Wake brings those areas to life. He is an author of quality who tells a story with a brisk Hemingway economy in the episodes of violence and who shows a sensitive humanity in handling the clash of cultures implicit - and more and more explicit - in the inevitable evolution of self-assertion by indigenous peoples. The plural of that last word is important. I had never heard of some of the "indigenes" before but there are more than one or two in that vast territory and harmony between them takes on much the same complexities as the relationship between new settlers and indigenous inhabitants anywhere. The "other" next door might be even harder to tolerate than the monster in Ottawa. Wake, who knows the Territory well at first hand, has written an intriguing book, well worth a five-star rating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars White Bird Black Bird, December 7, 2008

By	Michelle Johnson - See all my reviews

A gripping account of a period in the Far North of Canada that is little known or understood. The plot twists through politics, relationships and extremism to reveal some fundamental truths about the fragile landscape of the North and its diverse population. The story's main character is a dedicated journalist who moves North to recharge his professional batteries but finds he has more than a professional interest in the people who make the news. He arrives at a time when native land rights are rising up the news agenda and gas and oil men are lobbying to build a pipeline in the virgin forest. The clash of interests triggers a series of events that culminates in violence but ultimately brings redemption. A really good read with characters you care about and issues that are still contentious.