About the Author

Catherine McKercher worked as a journalist, including a stint as the Washington correspondent for the Canadian Press, before joining the journalism faculty at Carleton University. She has authored and co-authored numerous books and articles, among them The Canadian Reporter: News Writing and Reporting.

Reviews

"A gut-wrenching chronicle of a not-so-distant history, when society warehoused its most vulnerable members. With grace and clarity, McKercher turns in a courageous memoir as she investigates what happened to her baby brother Bill, who was born with Down Syndrome in the 1950s. Sent to a "hospital school" from the age of two, Bill becomes the powerful lens through which McKercher explores her family's experience. Unsentimental and unflinching, Shut Away will make you weep for all the Bills and the crucial lessons humanity cannot afford to ignore from his story."
*Carolyn Abraham, author of The Juggler's Children*

"McKercher's meticulous research and precise, understated prose creates an unforgettable history of children placed in overcrowded, understaffed, and sometimes violent living conditions, and a searingly honest portrait of a family ruptured by the decision to send Bill away. Above all, Shut Away is a moving portrait of a brother."
*Judy McFarlane, author of Writing with Grace: A Journey Beyond Down Syndrome*