Just three shorts month ago I moved to Point St. Charles, the mysterious neighbourhood bordering Verdun and St. Henri. I say mysterious because as a non-Montreal native, I literally knew nothing about the area (other than the rent is insanely cheap, hence my decision to move there). After some Wikipedia articles and some bike rides, I discovered The Point to be a lot like it's neighbouring boroughs; very pretty, very quiet, and sometimes kind of unsafe looking.

In comes the announcement for a book launch on my RSS feed for Kathy Dobson's first novel, With a Closed Fist: Growing up in Canada's toughest neighbourhood, a book promising to details life in The Point back in it's blue collar Irish class days. Eager to learn about my new surroundings, I gave it a shot.

Written from her own 8-year-old perspective (and obviously based on what she experienced growing up), Dobson eases into her family's struggles growing up in Point St. Charles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, all while emphasizing the area's tough interior. Among the gang fights, the blatant language-based racism, and the extreme poverty, Dobson gives a second hand account about how her mother Eileen fought for the rights and privileges of her fellow citizens (despite some of them's reluctance to accept it).

Her mom's efforts lead to Dobson and two of her sisters (they are a family of 6 girls, in total) attending 'rich schools' in Westmount in an attempt to provide kids from Point St. Charles with the same education as the upper public middle class. The results, needless to say, are somewhat hilarious but generally awful, as Dobson tries to fit in with kids that are er...not as rough around the edges as she is. The book also details the characters making up Dobson's family, from her cranky conservative grandmother to Dobson's often-absent father, the latter of which seems like the best and worst person in the world at times.

In all, the book is a great first person account of what life in The Point was like in the 1960s, and very enlightening for anyone who did not grow up in the Canadian lower class. It sheds light on why my new neighbourhood doesn't seem all peaches and cream, but has a very good-hearted history that may have paved the way for lower class rights in Quebec and Canada.

For some far better insight, check out what The Gazette had to say.

And if you're interested, heck out Kathy Dobson's web site (also where you can purchase the book)

Header photo courtesy of Kathy Dobson's website.