Seventeen years of planting trees across three provinces gave Charlotte Gill a unique look at Canada's vast landscape and memories to last a lifetime.
It was through those memories that Gill penned a book that has been drawing rave reviews and garnering national attention.
Eating Dirt tells the tale of Gill's nearly two decades in the rough, the people she encountered and her awe of the Canadian wilderness. Squamish residents will get to hear from Gill firsthand when she visits the Squamish Public Library to talk about her book next Thursday (April 19).
It's basically a memoir about my experience tree planting and also a bit of a study about what reforestation is and the impact it has on our country, she said of the book, which was released last fall. It's a non-fiction project I started about five or six years ago after I'd been a tree planter in Ontario, Alberta and 小蓝视频 for 17 years.
Gill points out that the average career of a tree planter is about five years and despite the hard work, she still misses the job she retired from in 2008.
I loved and hated so much about it, she said. It's physically tough, you get dirty, you get sweaty but it can be so rewarding too. At work you would see elk, deer and bears in the forest. Sometimes in the water we would see whales, dolphins and seals it was almost like being in a zoo. That was one of the incredible things about working in such remote locations.
Eating Dirt's popularity has surprised even Gill herself.
I didn't think it would be so appealing to so many people, she said. I knew tree planters would like it, but the response has surprised and shocked me. I was just a tree planter who did a little extra research and I don't think I'm any more qualified than any other planter who might be a writer.
The book was ranked as a top book by The Globe and Mail, was named a best of 2011 by Amazon.com and was named the Quill and Quire Non-Fiction book of the year. It also won the 小蓝视频 National Award for Canadian non-fiction, picking up a cool $40,000. In addition, it's been ranked on the Vancouver Sun's top 10 bestseller list for 17 consecutive weeks and still sits on that list as of press time.
It's awesome and so amazing when that type of recognition happens, she said. As writers, we struggle to get that type of attention and to get people to get out there and read our books, so this helps.
Eating Dirt follows in the footsteps of Gill's previous book entitled Ladykiller, which was also well received when it was released in 2005.
The visit to Squamish came about through interactions on Twitter with several local librarians. Gill will visit both the Pemberton and Whistler locations when she makes the trip across the pond from her native Sunshine Coast.
Gill said the show will feature pictures taken by both her and planter friends, as well as a discussion about the book, audience questions and the chance to get a copy of the book signed.
The visit will take place at the Squamish Public Library on April 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information on Gill, visit www.charlottegill.com.
