Deborah Ellis
Deborah Ellis
Deborah Ellis OOntis a Canadian author and activist...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionAuthor
CountryCanada
crimes feminist happening heard hit taliban took toronto women
When the Taliban took over in 1996, the news of their crimes hit the Toronto papers. As a feminist and as an anti-war activist, I heard about what was happening to women, and I wanted to do something to support those folks.
build extremes falls hold inner kinder less others ourselves perhaps reach reserve test until war
We never know who we are going to be until we are tested, but perhaps we can test ourselves without going to the extremes of war. Perhaps we can be kinder now, live with less now, reach out to others now - and build an inner reserve of a strong identity that will hold us up even when everything else falls away.
dark moon shine-on
Nobody really owns anything. We give back our bodies at the end of our lives. We own our thoughts, but everything else is just borrowed. We use it for a while, then pass it on. Everything. We borrow the sun that shines on us today from the people on the other side of the world while they borrow the moon from us. Then we give it back. We can't keep the sun, no matter how afraid we are of the dark.
country families happened iraq iraqi meeting refugees spent time war
While the war in Iraq was raging, I spent some time in neighbouring Jordan, meeting with Iraqi refugees who fled their country to try to find some place of safety. I interviewed many families about what had happened to them and what they did as a result.
change hope human
You have to see the human being in the enemy. If there is potential for change, there is still hope.
children owe written
We owe it to our children to be honest about the world and to provide them with material written specially for them.
good hated high people
I was really bored, pretty antisocial, and not much of a joiner, and people thought that was a problem. I hated high school. In a way, it was good... I think, for a writer, it's good to be comfortable with being on the outside.
actions decide few future grow history hit home hopefully lead learn
One of the things that has really hit home for me is that the world is how we decide it is going to be. Very few things just happen. They grow out of history, and they grow out of the present, and the more we can get a sense of how our actions lead into other actions in the future, hopefully we'll learn to make better decisions.
best burden heavy horrible meet morning people
If I'm going to be a pessimist, then I should just stop writing for young people because that's too heavy a burden to put on young readers. But also, I get to meet with people who have waded through horrible things, and they get up every morning, and they try to do their best.
comfort fall manage matter
I think most people, no matter what their situation, manage to find joy and comfort in their daily lives. I also think things fall apart.
government life restricted whatever
As a woman in Canada, I get to do whatever I want to do, and I'm used to that. I'm used to not having my government tell me my life is going to be restricted because I'm female.
canada children kids less talk talking war
There's a big thing in Canada that parents need to talk to their children about drugs and sex. I don't think talking to your kids about war is any less important than that.