A journey into Canada’s past
Twenty-four-year old Leah Linderman has accomplished something that many want but few attain. She’s a published author. Her novel, Redeemed from the ashes , was published on March 8. — supplied photo
FRANCIS RACINE francis.racine@eap.on.ca
history, labelling herself a history buff. “I always loved history,” she recalled, staring outside at the sunlight bathing the scenery. “But I was homeschooled-based off the American high school curriculum. So I didn’t get to learnmuch about Canadian history.” It was therefore a camping trip that sparked her interest in her country’s past. “While we were camping, we visitedHalifax,” she explained. “That’s where I learned about the Halifax explosion and how important it was. I simply couldn’t believe I didn’t know anything about it or that I’d never heard of it.”
December 6, 1917, started like any other day for residents of Halifax. In the sky, the sun was glowing. No one knew that come nightfall, more than two thousand residents of the city would have died. Halifax, like the rest of the world, was fully involved in the First WorldWar. Serving as the assembly and departure point for transatlantic convoys carrying supplies and soldiers to the war effort overseas, the city was quickly evolving into a giant port and major base of naval operations. In a time of war and devastation, Halifax
was thriving. That all changed in the morning of December 6, 1917.Approximatelysixminutes after 9 a.m., a dreadful miscommunication between two ships in the harbour resulted in a massive explosion, the likes of which Canada has never seen since. Over 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 were injured. The city was reduced to ruins and debris. Struck by the importance of the event, the mother of three started writing. “I had always been very good in English writing,” she bragged, running her hand in her hair.
Entering the Tim Hortons on the corner of Tollgate Avenue and Pitt Street, it’s clear Leah Linderman is an interesting individual. A smile on her face, she introduces herself, before taking a seat at a table. The 24-year-old woman has accomplished something that many want but few attain: she’s a published author. Linderman has always been a lover of
Le Journal, Cornwall
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Le mercredi 27 avril 2016
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