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Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing Hardcover – August 24, 2021

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 212 ratings

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*FINALIST FOR 2022 CANADA READS*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 J.W. DAFOE BOOK PRIZE*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 MANITOBA BOOK AWARDS’ MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD*





NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A gritty and inspiring memoir from renowned Cree environmental activist Clayton Thomas-Muller, who escaped the world of drugs and gang life to take up the warrior’s fight against the assault on Indigenous peoples’ lands—and eventually the warrior’s spirituality.


There have been many Clayton Thomas-Mullers: The child who played with toy planes as an escape from domestic and sexual abuse, enduring the intergenerational trauma of Canada's residential school system; the angry youngster who defended himself with fists and sharp wit against racism and violence, at school and on the streets of Winnipeg and small-town British Columbia; the tough teenager who, at 17, managed a drug house run by members of his family, and slipped in and out of juvie, operating in a world of violence and pain.

But behind them all, there was another Clayton: the one who remained immersed in Cree spirituality, and who embraced the rituals and ways of thinking vital to his heritage; the one who reconnected with the land during summer visits to his great-grandparents' trapline in his home territory of Pukatawagan in northern Manitoba.

And it's this version of Clayton that ultimately triumphed, finding healing by directly facing the trauma that he shares with Indigenous peoples around the world. Now a leading organizer and activist on the frontlines of environmental resistance, Clayton brings his warrior spirit to the fight against the ongoing assault on Indigenous peoples' lands by Big Oil.

Tying together personal stories of survival that bring the realities of the First Nations of this land into sharp focus, and lessons learned from a career as a frontline activist committed to addressing environmental injustice at a global scale, Thomas-Muller offers a narrative and vision of healing and responsibility.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

*FINALIST FOR 2022 CANADA READS*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 J.W. DAFOE BOOK PRIZE*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 MANITOBA BOOK AWARDS’ MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD*

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

One of CBC’s:
“Best Canadian Non-Fiction of 2021”
“12 books for the outdoor enthusiast on your holiday shopping list”
“18 Canadian books for the memoir lover on your holiday shopping list”

“[A] brave story. . . . Thomas-Muller not only writes about his upbringing in Winnipeg, which translated from Cree means ‘dirty water,’ he unravels how he began healing by using prayer and participating in his culture. . . . [
Life in the City of Dirty Water] is a deep account of survivance against systems of oppression, intergenerational trauma and addiction, and about finding healing and highlighting his Cree experience.”
The Tyee
 
“In [Thomas-Muller’s] latest memoir,
Life in the City of Dirty Water, he painfully and bravely reveals his journey through catastrophic pain, unbelievable odds and a reconnection to land, language and culture through his work defending Mother Earth. . . . His memoir is an artefact of transformation—a transformation of a hardened youth who endured more tragedy and danger than most of us can imagine into a defender of people, land and the notion that all species and systems are connected.”
Winnipeg Free Press

“From selling drugs in a gang to organizing environmental campaigns against oil and gas extraction, the stories of Thomas-Muller’s life defy any one category to paint a complex picture of what it is to be a Cree man in Canada.”
The Globe and Mail

“An incredible story. . . [and] a beautiful book.”
—CBC, “The Current”
 
“[In
Life in the City of Dirty Water,] Thomas-Muller finds hope in the growing movement of climate change activism, especially by children.”
Vancouver Sun

“This book is an adventure story in every way. A life of drug dealers and crackhouses and guns; leaving that behind for a remarkable time of spiritual and personal growth; and there’s the ongoing adventure of working desperately to protect the planet and its sacred places. Clayton Thomas-Müller relates these adventures in ways that will help everyone through unfamiliar terrain—he’s a trustworthy guide and an authentic storyteller. In a moment when Indigenous people around the world are coming to the very fore of the most crucial fights, this volume will broaden your understanding in powerful ways. And you won’t forget its scenes any time soon.”
—Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and author of Earth and Oil and Honey
 
“Clayton Thomas-Müller—Cree poet and environmental warrior dedicated to decolonization—has crafted an awesome, lyrical memoir that captures the experiences of urban Indigenous youth facing poverty, drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, and juvenile detention. Most, like Clayton, inherited the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. Clayton found a way to escape trauma and poverty in order to fight for his people. This beautifully written book is required reading for everyone who cares about justice for the survivors of genocide who continue to survive in colonized conditions. It offers a path to liberation that may also be the way to saving the earth and humanity itself.”
—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

“[An] inspiring memoir.”
—CBC 

“The one thing that Clayton is able to do is he connects the past with the future. I think that’s what sets it apart from all the other books. We have an uncertain future ahead of us and he really takes what he’s learned from his past, his culture, his spirituality, his ancestors—and all those stories of creation and spirituality that make us a whole community. It makes the First Nations and all the people of Canada whole. It’s that wholeness that’s going to bring us forward. So I feel like Life in the City of Dirty Water really was able to do that better than any other book. It shows us a pathway forward as we try to deal with upcoming trauma that is undoubtedly going to happen as the climate changes.”
—Suzanne Simard, bestselling author of Finding the Mother Tree (Canada Reads)

“A gritty and inspiring memoir.”
Daily Herald Tribune

“[A]n artefact of transformation—a transformation of a hardened youth who endured more tragedy and danger than most of us can imagine into a defender of people, land and the notion that all species and systems are connected . . . . [Thomas-Müller] painfully and bravely reveals his journey through catastrophic pain, unbelievable odds and a reconnection to land, language, and culture through his work defending Mother Earth.”
—Winnipeg Free Press

“[An] inspiring and accomplished memoir.”
—Daily Hive

“[
Life in a City of Dirty Water has] more ups, downs, chaos, pain, and beauty than many of us will ever experience.”
—St. Albert Gazette

About the Author

CLAYTON THOMAS-MÜLLER is a member of the Treaty #6 based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan and located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. He has been recognized by Yes Magazine as a Climate Hero and is featured as one of ten international human rights defenders in the National Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He has campaigned across Canada, Alaska, and the lower 48 states organizing in hundreds of First Nations, Alaska Native, and Native American communities to support Indigenous Peoples to defend their territories against the encroachment of the fossil fuel industry, with a special focus on stopping the expansion of the Canadian tar sands and its associated pipelines. Clayton is an award winning film director, media producer, organizer, facilitator, public speaker, and bestselling author on Indigenous rights and environmental & economic justice. His book, Life in the City of Dirty Water, is a national bestseller and a CBC Canada Reads finalist.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen Lane (August 24, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 073524006X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735240063
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.23 x 0.83 x 9.28 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 212 ratings

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4.2 out of 5 stars
212 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023
    The author candidly describes the effects of colonization on the indigenous population in Canada, many of which are shared among indigenous populations worldwide, in this autobiography. He shares his ongoing struggles to overcome these challenges through cooperative action with other indigenous populations and allied groups (particularly environmental and justice groups).
    The author, first and foremost, is an excellent storyteller and this is a page-turner! Beyond that, he is brilliantly able to honestly express complicated issues from multiple perspectives. This is one of the best books I've ever read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2023
    I very much appreciate reading a story about someone who started out with so many negatives in his life and through luck and determination got rid of so many of those negatives. It was also impressive to read about someone who has dedicated so much of his life to the betterment of himself and others.
    I am not rating this any higher than three stars though because there are some grammatical errors (surprising that these were not caught in the editing process), some irritating repetitions, and the story jumped around too much for me. Chapter two was almost confusing/boring with the long, long, long list of organizations the author started and/or worked with.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Shelley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2023
    It good to read about your own communities and what happens beyond your front door
    Well written
  • ACAS
    4.0 out of 5 stars Informative
    Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2022
    I found this to be an interesting book, written by the author who doesn't mince words, and writes as though he is with you and telling his story.
  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
    Reviewed in Germany on September 29, 2021
    Being from the same area and having a similar background as the writer, I was amazed with every page and so many of my experiences were validated after reading it. It's inspiring and beautifully written, and is an incredible depiction of real life for many Indigenous people. I highly recommend everyone to read this to better understand Indigenous people and our struggles - this should be read in schools!
  • Diana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Transformation
    Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2023
    This is an amazing memoir. Clayton suffers so much trauma being an indigenous kid living in inner city poverty. His transformation from a life of violence, crime, alcohol and drug addiction is fascinating reading. He becomes an activist for indigenous rights and the environment. His ideas for restoring the earth and the economy are definitely what’s needed, a must read for all.
  • Lesley K Mallett
    3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to keep up
    Reviewed in Canada on November 12, 2021
    I found this book hard to process as it kept jumping around time frame wise. I also feel the writing is a little stilted and the story did not flow for me. I read it all though and he sure had an interesting life. An insight into a complex indigenous man for sure.