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The wild boy of Waubamik : a memoir  Cover Image Book Book

The wild boy of Waubamik : a memoir / Thom Ernst.

Ernst, Thom, (author.).

Summary:

"Film critic, writer, and broadcaster Thom Ernst chronicles his life growing up with an abusive father in rural Ontario. The residents of Waubamik know about the Wild Boy, a somewhat feral child, standing near-naked in a rusty playground of weeds and discarded metal, clutching a headless doll. They know the boy has been plucked from poverty and resettled into a middle-class family. But they don't know that something worse awaits him there. This is a story of a system that failed, a community that looked the other way, and a family that kept silent. It is also a document of the popular culture of the 1960s, a powerful set of myths that kept a boy comforted. But ultimately, The Wild Boy of Waubamik is a story of triumph, the story of the abusive childhood of a man who grew up to become a film critic and broadcaster. It reminds us that life, even at its darkest, can surprise us with moments of joy, hope, and dreams."-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781459750876 (trade paperback)
  • Physical Description: 234 pages ; 22 cm
  • Publisher: Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Dundurn Press, [2023]
Subject: Ernst, Thom > Childhood and youth.
Adult child abuse victims > Ontario > Waubamik > Biography.
Genre: Biographies.
Autobiographies.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Stroud Branch 362.76092 Ernst 31681010308195 NONFICPBK Available -

  • Ingram Publishing Services

    A young boy endures years of abuse at the hands of his adoptive father. The Wild Boy of Waubamik chronicles the boy’s journey out of the ashes of fear and shame toward a life worth living, and illustrates how social systems can conspire to protect abusers.

  • Ingram Publishing Services

    “An inspiring story of resilience, told with a vivid sense of character and humour.” —RICHARD CROUSE, CTV host and film critic

    Film critic, writer, and broadcaster Thom Ernst chronicles his life growing up with an abusive father in rural Ontario.


    The residents of Waubamik know about the Wild Boy, a somewhat feral child, standing nearly naked in a rusty playground of weeds and discarded metal, clutching a headless doll. They know the boy has been plucked from poverty and resettled into a middle-class family. But they don’t know that something worse awaits him there.

    This is the story of a system that failed, a community that looked the other way, and a family that kept silent. It is also a record of the popular culture of the 1960s — a powerful set of myths that kept a boy comforted. But ultimately, The Wild Boy of Waubamik is a story of triumph, of a man who grew up to become a film critic and broadcaster despite his abusive childhood. It reminds us that life, even at its darkest, can surprise us with moments of joy and hope and dreams for the future.


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