Subjects:  1. Alberta    2. Biography    3. Edmonton    4. Ethnic Issues    5. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    6. History: American    7. Indians of North America    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology    10. Urban residence    11. Canada    12. Indigenous peoples    13. Urban communities   

Reviews (4)

A memorable case of growing up among lovable misfits
Written and narrated by author Ian Ferguson, Village Of The Small Houses: A Memoir Of Sorts is an hilarious and highly recommended account of growing up poor in the far north when in 1959, just ahead of the law, Ferguson's con-artist father Hank headed up north in a delapidated Mercury Zephyr with his pregnant wife, Louise. Hank got as far as isolated Fort Vermilion where he passed himself off as a teacher at the "Indian school" and settled his ever-expanding family in a house devoid of plumbing and electricity. The lively recounting of a scrappy childhood, Ferguson interweaves truth, tall-tale exag-geration, and a memorable case of growing up among lovable misfits in this 2 CD, 2 1/2 hour autobiographical account.
Interesting story set in the far north
The story here is about growing up in the far north. It begins in the 1950's when a con-artist father, Hank, leaves Edmonton with his pregnant wife and eventually passes himself off at the Indian school as a teacher. Hank settles his family in remote Fort Vermilion. The cast of loveable misfits struggle with the day-to-day harsh reality of being in Canada's third-poorest community. Winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Fiction

Brilliant!
I loved every page of this book. The writing is excellent and the story flows really well.There are so many moving moments in this book that I shed a tear on a number of occassions. I also laughed my head off quite a bit. What more can one ask of a memoir?Well done Ian! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1959-    2. 20th century    3. Alberta    4. American    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Childhood Memoir    10. Childhood and youth    11. Dramatists, Canadian    12. English Canadian Drama    13. Family    14. Ferguson, Ian,    15. Form - Essays    16. Fort Vermilion    17. Homes and haunts    18. Humorists, Canadian    19. Literary    20. Personal Memoirs    21. Satire And Humor   

Subjects:  1. 1933-    2. 20th century    3. Alberta    4. Authors, Canadian    5. Biography    6. Childhood and youth    7. Children's 9-12 - Biography / Autobiography    8. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    9. Children: Grades 4-6    10. Cree Indians    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Juvenile literature    13. Loyie, Oskiniko Larry,    14. People & Places - Canada/Native Canadian    15. People & Places - General    16. Social Issues - New Experience    17. Social Issues - Values    18. Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / General   

Reviews (2)

Surprise, Surprise
I am disappointed that the editorial review did not indicate that this book is actually an evangelical platform for a born-again Christian. Mr. Petersen averages some discourse on his God and his faith about every 5 pages. There are 38 "God" citations in the index.
dream of a lifetime
I found Day By Day to be compelling reading as I share the same love and awe of nature as Mr. Petersen and his family.We enjoyed a cruise from Vancouver to Sitka, Juneau and Glacier Bay some years ago.The observations of these areas in the book were particularly interesting to me.To experience Glacier Bay cruising alone in a small boat was truly an awesome feat.The book describes the wild life viewed in detail indicating how to keep oneself safe while viewing bears, etc.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Canada - Western Provinces    3. General    4. Travel    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography & Autobiography / General    7. ISBN 1-55212-348-0,Dale Petersen,Alaska,Adventure,Guide,Powerboat,Solo Cruising,Queen Charlotte Islands,Haida Gwaii,British Columbia,Vancouver Island,Inlets and Harbors,Harbours,Boating safety,boats,dreams and reflections,boating experience,passages,Puget    8. Travel-Canada - Western Provinces    9. Alaska    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Boating    12. Cruising    13. Queen Charlotte Islands    14. Vancouver Island    15. British Columbia    16. Canada    17. Pacific Northwest    18. United States - West - Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)    19. Boats and boating    20. Guidebooks   

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Biography    3. Canada - General    4. Canada - Ontario    5. History - General History    6. History / Canada    7. History, Local    8. Ontario    9. Social life and customs    10. Travel    11. Travel / Canada    12. Canada   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Canada - General    5. General    6. American history: from c 1900 -    7. Biography: general    8. British Columbia   

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Jazz    2. Music    3. Reference    4. Canada    5. Dictionaries of biography (Who's Who)    6. Jazz    7. Music / Reference   

Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Architectural & Industrial    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. British Columbia    9. Canada, Western    10. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    11. Documentary photography    12. General    13. Photographers    14. Frank, Leonard   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Canada - General    5. Canada - History -Early 20th Century    6. Description and travel    7. Grenfell Labrador Medical Miss    8. Historical - General    9. Labrador (N.L.)    10. Merrick, Kate Austen,    11. Newfoundland and Labrador    12. Nurses    13. Women    14. d. 1989    15. Biography & Autobiography    16. Merrick, Kate Austen    17. Northeastern & North Atlantic states    18. Nursing & Ancillary Services    19. Social history   

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Baffin Island    3. Biography    4. Canada - General    5. Discovery And Exploration (General)    6. Earth Sciences - Geography    7. Europe - Great Britain - General    8. Expeditions & Discoveries    9. Explorers    10. Frobisher, Martin,    11. Gold mines and mining    12. Great Britain    13. Great Britain - History - Tudor And Stuart (1485-1714)    14. History    15. History - General History    16. History: World    17. Nunavut    18. Polar Regions    19. Science    20. Sir,    21. Travel    22. ca. 1535-1594   

Reviews (1)

For the Stanley Thompson fan!
If you are a fan of Stanley Thompson's courses, this is a reference you will useconstantly.Jim Barclay leads the reader through Stanley's life, then his courses, and he provided a reference of all of the courses with which Thompson was associated, including courses which are reported to be Thompson design, but are not. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1893-1953    2. 20th century    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Canada    9. Design and construction    10. Golf course architects    11. Golf courses    12. History    13. Literary    14. Thompson, Stanley,   

Subjects:  1. British Columbia    2. Canada - History -Early 20th Century    3. Canada - Post-Confederation (1867-)    4. Colombei-Britannique    5. Comptoirs (âEstablissements de commerce)    6. Histoire    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Indians of North America    11. Port Simpson    12. Port Simpson Region    13. Trading posts    14. American history: from c 1900 -    15. Biography: general    16. First World War, 1914-1918    17. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    18. c 1900 - c 1914   

Subjects:  1. (William George)    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Canada    6. Canada, Northern    7. Courts    8. General    9. Judges    10. Justice, Administration of    11. Legal History    12. Morrow, William G    13. Morrow, William G.    14. Courts & procedure   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography / Women    2. Canada - General    3. History - General History    4. History / Canada    5. Apple growers    6. Biography    7. Biography & Autobiography    8. British Columbia    9. Canada    10. Frontier and pioneer life    11. History    12. Smith, Jessie Ann    13. Women   

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Canada    7. Diplomats    8. Drake, Earl    9. Foreign relations    10. Historical - General    11. International Relations - General    12. Political    13. Biography & Autobiography / Political    14. China    15. Diplomacy    16. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works   

Subjects:  1. Atlantic Ocean    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Campaigns    5. History - Military / War    6. Military    7. Military - Canada    8. Military - World War II    9. Naval operations, Canadian    10. World War, 1939-1945   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Clergy    3. Lutheran Church    4. Schwerdtfeger, Johann Samuel William   

Editorial Review

Roderick L. Haig-Brown (1908-1976), one of Canada's best-known nature writers, took up subsistence gardening on a patch of land on Vancouver Island in the days before widespread development and logging scarred the place. In Read more

Subjects:  1. 1908-1976    2. 20th century    3. Authors, Canadian    4. Biography    5. British Columbia    6. Country life    7. Haig-Brown, Roderick Langmere,    8. Homes and haunts    9. Intellectual life    10. Haig-Brown, Roderick Langmere   

Subjects:  1. Alberta    2. Biography    3. Blacks    4. Calgary    5. Canada - General    6. Foggo family    7. Foggo, Cheryl    8. History    9. History Of Blacks    10. History: World    11. Reference    12. Black studies    13. Canada    14. History of specific racial & ethnic groups   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Canada - General    3. Frontier and pioneer life    4. Gold discoveries    5. History - General History    6. History: American    7. Klondike River Valley    8. Klondike River Valley (Yukon)    9. Women pioneers    10. Yukon Territory    11. History    12. Technology / Mining    13. USA    14. c 1800 to c 1900