A string of trade beads is passed from generation to generation, from Captain Cook at Nootka Sound to a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry hearing in Northern British Columbia.&nbsp&nbsp Through three hundred years of Canadian history, the beads bear witness to the story of a family who unwillingly play a central role in our collective record of&nbspassimilation, unbridled&nbspracism, colonialism, genocide-and of&nbspthe “rare&nbspacts of compassion and courage from&nbspthe “few&nbspsettlers who saw injustice and risked their careers and even their lives- to end it.&nbsp
Based on, and heavily inspired by, real events and real people,&nbspThe Colour of Glass&nbspis a work of fiction. It chronicles the relationship between Indigenous people and the fur traders, politicians, judges, police, priests and school staff who looked to profit from, assimilate, or eradicate Indigenous people and their cultures, and it lays open the costs of those actions; costs we are still paying today.&nbsp
The Colour of Glass&nbspis an unflinching account of three centuries of contact. It speaks uncomfortable and difficult truths about Canada's relationship with its Indigenous people, but it also speaks to the hope that with truth there will come understanding-and ultimately reconciliation.&nbsp

David Starr is a prize-winning author of five previous books. In The Nor’Wester, he told Duncan’s story of fleeing Scotland to Canada, where he joins Simon Fraser on his epic 1808 voyage by canoe down the Fraser. Bombs to Books chronicles the stories of refugee children and their families coming to B.C. Golden Goal and Golden Game are young adult soccer-themed books for reluctant readers. The Insider’s Guide to K–12 Education in B.C. is a resource guide for parents about the B.C. school system. David grew up in Fort St. James in northern British Columbia, and he now lives in Greater Vancouver with his wife, four children and a dog named Buster. He is one of the UBC Faculty of Education’s Top 100 Graduates and a school administrator in Metro Vancouver. For further information and readings availability, visit www.davidstarr.org.

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