Our Backs Warmed by the Sun: Memories of a Doukhobor Life offers an intimate portrait of a Doukhobor family striving to live by their pacifist, agrarian beliefs amid controversy and state pressure in Canada.
Through the recollections of Elizabeth, a woman in her nineties who has forgotten nothing, the author traces a childhood shaped by anti-military protests, community solidarity, and the costs of dissent. Readers see the impact of internment in an abandoned logging camp, a father jailed for peaceful protest, and later efforts at forced assimilation through institutionalization of children.
The narrative follows the Doukhobor movement from its Russian origins to small but vibrant communities in British Columbia’s Kootenays. It examines both moderate groups and the Sons of Freedom, acknowledging difficult episodes of bombings and arson while remaining attentive to the toll on families and ordinary lives.
Blending a historian’s curiosity with a daughter’s compassion, this memoir illuminates how laughter, ingenuity, and steadfast conviction helped a community withstand fear, misunderstanding, and government crackdowns.
Topics explored
- Doukhobor history and migration from Russia to Canada
- Pacifism, anti-military protest, and civil disobedience
- Internment, imprisonment, and assimilation policies
- Family resilience, community life, and cultural memory
