This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Ontario's illustrious Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium. To celebrate this silver milestone, Open Book has asked members of the literary community to tell us what they love about their favourite award-winning Trillium title. If you're looking for a recommended read (or re-read), follow these Trillium Testimonials on Open Book: Ontario from now until the winners of the 2012 award competition are announced. Today, journalist and Open Book: Ontario editorial intern, Ashliegh Gehl tells us why she's chosen Thomas King’s The Truth About Stories (Anansi), winner of the 2003 Trillium Book Award.
Open Book:
What do you love about this book?
Ashliegh Gehl:
The Truth About Stories introduced me to a new way of thinking.
King writes, “The truth about stories is that that’s all we are.” He calls stories wondrous, but dangerous things. And I started to look at people as canvases covered in brushstrokes, marred by the birth and death of the stories they told – intrigued by the stories they weren’t telling.
It was, in many ways, a personal awakening that overflowed into other parts of my life. He framed, rather uniquely, the essence of a story. And for that, I’m thankful.
OB:
When did you first read it?
AG:
I discovered King when I was living in Thunder Bay, studying at Lakehead University. It must have been around 2005 when started studying First Nations in Canada. As a result, I discovered King, Drew Hayden Taylor and a handful of other unbelievable writers unbeknown to me.
Ashliegh Gehl is a freelance writer and multimedia journalist.
She has written for the Montreal Gazette, Quill & Quire, OurKingston.ca, Northumberland Today and The Intelligencer newspapers.
Between countless cups of oolong tea, Ashliegh has been busy working on two books. Visit her website for more information.
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