Following the bestselling success of the inspiring All the Way,
pioneering Inuit NHLer Jordin Tootoo begins the process of healing in
the wake of the suicide and violence that marks his family, only to
discover the source of all that trauma in his father's secret past.
For some hockey players, retirement marks the moment when it's all over.
But Jordin Tootoo is not most hockey players.
Having inspired millions when he first broke into the league, Tootoo
continued to influence people throughout his career--not only through
his very public triumph over alcoholism, but also his natural charisma.
And now, years after hanging up his skates, he is more committed to
doing things the right way and speaking about it to others, whether it's
corporate executives or Indigenous youth.
But the news of unmarked graves on the grounds of residential schools
brought back to life many of the demons that had haunted his family. In
a moment of realization that left him rattled and saddened, Tootoo fit
the pieces together. The years that were never spoken of. The heavy
drinking. The all too predictable violence. His father was a survivor,
marked by what he had survived.
As he travels back to Nunavut to try to speak with his father about what
haunts him, he encounters the ghosts of the entire community. Still, as
Tootoo says, we are continuously learning and rewriting our story at
every step. He has learned from his mistakes and his victories. He has
learned from examples of great courage and humility. He has learned from
being a father and a husband. And he has learned from his own Inuk
traditions, of perseverance and discipline in the face of hardship.
Weaving together life's biggest themes with observations and
experiences, Jordin shares the kind of wisdom he has had to specialize
in--the hard-won kind.
