The First Few Feet in a World of Wolves chronicles the fictionalization of the year the author spent teaching in Aupaluk (a remote Inuit community on the Ungava Coast of Nunavik). The second outlines, and explores, the history of oppression experienced by the more than five hundred Indigenous nations across northern Turtle Island at the hands of the Canadian government since the Royal Proclamation.
Told through the voice of Nomad, who finds himself very much at odds with the land itself. Nomad slowly learns how to reconnect with his fractured history as he embraces and is embraced by the Elders and his own students. Told is crisp, spare prose, this debut novel brings forward a powerful new indigenous voice to the literary landscape.
“Never in the history of Canada have Canadians been more in need of education. Never have Canadians been more open to learning about issues that face our Indigenous communities than they are today as collectively we attempt to implement the recommendations of the TRC. Scott Mainprize’s The First Few Feet in a World of Wolves is a source of education, inspiration and hope.” - David Bouchard, Indigenous author/advocate ,p. “Speaking in a voice that is both powerful and playful, Scott Mainprize weaves a thoughtful investigation into the Indigenous Peoples’ oppression through the eyes of his fictional character, Nomad. And we discover as Nomad discovers that the art of storytelling is a way towards healing and reconciliation.” - Mary Barnes, author of Moving Upstream
