67/68

"67/68 - A Diary of the 60's" is a history of political and cultural events of that watershed year in the city of Toronto and beyond. It is written as seen through the eyes of myself, a grade eight student in North York, a suburb of Toronto. Other characters include best friends, teachers, bullies, and other outcasts. Two teachers move the story forward by having an open class format to their teaching methods. They provide challenges and assignments to the students; we follow up by finding these assignments in real life in the city. Issues encountered include political leadership conventions, Vietnam demonstrations, gay rights marches, the mental health rights movement, and meditation groups. Media itself is a major figure. The impact of daily radio (CHUM AM) and television (Walter Cronkite) is explored. Maple Leaf Gardens, Jungle Jay Nelson of CHUM, and the Toronto subway are characters in themselves.

Each chapter starts with a radio bit from either CHUM or CFRB AM, which allows for a recap of news, sports, and popular music tunes. As the year is covered month by month, starting with August 1967, we see the optimism of 1967 change into the horror of the assassinations of 1968. While the political parts of the months are humorous, the personal, mental health parts are more serious. They are about responses to trauma, as I move through the responses of dissociation, addiction, impulsivity, and emotional bluntness. The heroes of the story are the friends and teachers who show that it takes a community to raise a child.