The Necessities of Life
by Gordon Self

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When Father Bao finds an abandoned newborn, shades of his own past come back to haunt him. While the police search for the child’s parents, Bao struggles with how to better serve his community, despite detractors from within his own parish. The gritty realities of urban life expose the hidden biases that threaten to tear his congregation and the community apart. In The Necessities of Life, Gordon Self reflects on contemporary social justice issues to tell a story of Vancouver’s troubled Downtown Eastside that glows with humanity, dignity, and compassion. Far from abandoning those in greatest need, Self shows how we each have a burden to bear, and that beyond social differences is a shared humanity that binds us together.

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Gordon Self is a senior health care executive providing ethical reflection and leadership on issues impacting vulnerable communities, including newborn safe havens and addiction strategies. He considers himself an adopted brother of a Vietnamese family who made the perilous boat crossing to Canada in 1979. He lives in Edmonton with his wife, and they have three adult daughters. This is his first novel.

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Contributors

Author

Gordon Self

Photographer

Jon Popowich