Last week, the winner of Canada Reads 2018 was announced: Forgiveness, by Mark Sakamoto. On February 26, 2016, Mark Sakamoto came to talk to our Grade 10 students (now in Grade 12) here at SCS. Prior to his visit, students read excerpts from Forgiveness in English class, as they worked to understand the events of World War II from different perspectives. Forgiveness is a powerful family memoir, in which Mr. Sakamoto recounts his grandparents’ experiences of World War II, as well as his own experiences of dealing with his mother’s addictions. During his emotional and inspiring talk, Mr. Sakamoto read excerpts from his book and spoke about racism, empathy, forgiveness, and change. He encouraged the students to “try and take a 360-degree viewpoint” on all issues, and he reminded them that “people, countries, and organizations can change”. It was one of the most memorable author visits we have had here at SCS. Congratulations to Mark Sakamoto for winning Canada Reads 2018!
