I received this book from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review.
“Hamilton General Hospital – 21
This is where I said goodbye to my mother.
I wonder where my family will say goodbye to me,” (Hamilton – A Guidebook from Memory).
Hamilton A Guidebook from Memory invites readers to explore the city of Hamilton through short essays, artwork, and music through the memories of it’s contributors.
Thank you to Robert Motum for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review. Hamilton A Guidebook From Memory was such a delightful little book to read. The overall design of it was wonderful and pocket-sized, something you could carry anywhere which would make any reader interested in finding these locations for themselves a fun idea. I enjoyed Chooi-Harley’s ink marbling artwork throughout, and loved the variety of memories in this book. There are well-known landmarks any Hamiltonian and more personal ones like location 32. Basement on Ford Street. The memories themselves are just as varied, from nostalgic to heartfelt to aching like the one found at location 11:
“Behind The Downtown Market – 11
The first and last place I saw my love.
It’s where we tried fentanyl for the first time.”
I have only a few gripes: while there is a QR code to listen to the soundtrack associated with the book it wouldn’t allow me to access it unless I downloaded the Soundcloud app, which I didn’t do. I did try searching for Hamilton A Guidebook From Memory on Soundcloud and did find an Introduction from Jonathan Harley, but no other tracks associated with the book. Maybe including the link to the playlist would be helpful for future editions in this project. I would have liked more pictures of the places mentioned, and it would have been nice to have the names of those who submitted their stories listed either with their contributions or acknowledged at the end. Artists should be acknowledged for their work!
Hamilton A Guidebook from Memory is a wonderful little book made from the love of it’s community. I really enjoyed the different memories from it’s contributors and think this is a wonderful, unique way to show how wonderful our city really is.
Publication: October 2024
Publisher: Hamilton Artists Inc.
Pages: 106 pages (Paperback)
Source: River Street Writing
Genre: Non Fiction, Canadian
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
Edited by Robert Motum; illustrated by Jojo Chooi-Harley; and featuring a unique soundtrack composed specifically for the book by local musician, Jonathan Harley, Hamilton: a guidebook from memory includes over 40 works of art, 70 stories, an essay, and an overarching invitation to explore Hamilton through the memories of our neighbours.
Sarah O'Connor 