Tales from a Snowbank
by John Horner

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In Tales from a Snowbank, you will read about the challenges of surviving in a sub-arctic community, such as walking home from school with the fear of turning a corner and coming face-to-face with a big white bear. This is an autobiographical collection documenting the author’s growth to adulthood in a small but significant Canadian community: Churchill, Manitoba. The work details his unique life and times, with humour and tenderness, and examines how the community and the author’s life experiences were instrumental in shaping him. The book provides a wonderful glimpse back in time, as each chapter touches on different adventures in different decades, from illicit pool hall escapades in the 1950s, to meeting a pretty nurse in the 1960s. The book closes with the author’s return to Churchill with his new wife to visit his parents during the Christmas of 1970. This work shows readers a part of the world and a way of life very few have experienced, describing elements of the North, such as the polar bears, belugas, and seals; living in isolation and loneliness; the beauty of Hudson Bay, and the northern lights; and the warmth of community. The book will appeal to readers around the world who appreciate nostalgia, history, or biographies, as well as those interested in understanding what the North has to offer, and the deep historical ties Churchill has with the rest of Canada.

www.johnalanhorner.com

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"To start off, I enjoyed every page! I was very happy to learn of the history of Churchill. I found out so many things I hadn’t known about this busy port town. The author’s writing style, made me feel like I was in the room with him. Thank you for that. I was able to close the book, on the final page, but I wanted more. More tales about this barren landscape called Churchill and the people who lived there.” --Lynda S, retired educator ”The author paints a wonderful picture of growing up in an isolated northern town. That town happens to be Churchill, Manitoba in 50s and 60s Lots of interest and humorous tales of everyday and high school life. An excellent read.” --Tom Melnyk, former resident of Churchill ”I really enjoyed this book! It was an easy read interspersed with humour. I felt like I got to know the author because of his story telling prowess. What I really enjoyed, especially as a Manitoban, was the knowledge and history of Churchill. I have always wanted to visit Churchill, it is now at the top of my list of places to visit in my province because of reading "Tales from a Snowbank".” --Patricia Nasema, friend, world traveller This is a book that could definitely be a memorable roller coaster ride back in time for anyone who had grown up/ lived during the ‘50’s and 60’s in this semi-isolated northern town of Churchill, Manitoba. It is packed with vivid imagery, humorous metaphors, and a chuckle around every corner. Impressively written, it can rekindle one’s appreciation and love for the North. A page turner and a very enjoyable read!” --Gloria J, past Churchill resident

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John Horner grew up in the sub-arctic community of Churchill, Manitoba in the 1950s and the 1960s. Once he was attending university on the “outside,” he would return to Churchill for summer employment and to spend holidays with his family. He last saw the community with his then new bride at Christmastime 1969, and his family left when the military base closed in 1973. With his first book, John seeks to show the reader what life was like in Churchill in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, and how the community had changed by his last visit. He also desires to share with readers the historical importance of Churchill since 1700, how global warming has changed the North over the last fifty years, and the importance of preserving wildlife and wild spaces. Having always been a reader of history and biographies, living in Churchill, and later the Yukon, gave John the opportunity to experience the presence and making of history. The manuscript was inspired by his experiences working as a teacher for thirty-one years in rural Manitoba and the Yukon, spending the last twenty-five teaching British History, Canadian History, American History, and the History of Western Civilization. John’s hobbies are reading, writing, cooking, woodworking, travelling, and volunteering as a guide at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. John lives in Winnipeg with his wife of over fifty years, Valerie, surrounded by their loving children, in-laws, grand-children, and grand-pets.

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Contributors

Author

John Horner

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