Blood Memory

The story of a mother and son forcibly removed from each other, but whose bond was too strong to break.

When Tom Wilson was fifty-three years old, he learned he was not who he thought he was. He discovered he’d been a victim of Canada’s "sixties scoop"—a tragic period in Canadian history when Indigenous children were snatched from their parents and placed into foster care—and that the couple who’d raised him, who’d claimed him as their son and who he loved dearly, had spent their lives hiding this past from him. And yet, the biggest revelation was still to come. Her name was Janie, a Mohawk woman who had popped in and out of Tom’s life since he could remember and who he’d always felt an uncanny attachment to. He had known her only as “Cousin Janie,” but she was, in fact, his birth mother.

Blood Memory is Tom’s story of reconnecting with Janie, learning about her life and discovering his Mohawk roots. It’s a story of reclaiming a messy past, of grappling with a newfound identity, of confronting the horrors of colonization. But most of all, it’s a son’s ode to his mother—to her sacrifices, her love, her pain—and a powerful testament to how the bond between a mother and child can endure a world set against them.

TOM WILSON is a three-time Juno-winning Canadian musician with multiple gold records. He has written for and recorded songs with Sarah McLachlan, City and Colour, Jason Isbell, Colin James, Lucinda Williams, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mavis Staples and The Rankin Family. His art has been shown in galleries in New York City, Vancouver, Toronto and more recently, Ottawa. His first book, Beautiful Scars, was a national bestseller. Tom lives in Hamilton.