Essays detailing one Edmonton woman's experiences moving to a tough neighborhood in the inner city.
"Ma'am, you sound like a very reasonable person. Can I advise you to just move?"
Carissa Halton and her young family move into a neighbourhood with a tough reputation. As they make their home in one of the oldest parts of the city, she reflects on the revitalization that is slowly changing the view from her little yellow house. While others worry about the area's bad reputation, she heads out to meet her neighbours, and through them discovers the innate beauty of her community. Halton introduces us to a cast of diverse characters in her Alberta Avenue neighbourhood—including cat rescuers, tragic teens, art evangelists, and crime fighters—and invites us to consider the social and economic forces that shape and reshape our cities.
"Halton clearly delights in interacting with people from all walks of life; her interest and empathy sparkle throughout. Her tone is factual, nonjudgmental, and often wryly funny.  Little Yellow House  is a balanced presentation of a diverse community in transition, complete with faults and growing pains." —Rachel Jagareski, Foreword Review
"It's books like this that remind us all . . . that community is more than about special events that happen once a year. It's about connecting to people often and throughout the year. Doing so can and does result in some wonderful experiences." —Scott Hayes,  St. Albert Gazette
"An excellent resource for communities wanting to create change. It can also be a starting point for discussion with students." —Judith Kulig,  Alberta Views Magazine
"In these stark and endearing personal essays, the author celebrates her life and lives fearlessly and fully with three children and a husband, despite a dystopian backdrop. Halton writes with humour, empathy, and spiritual maturity, and she doesn't judge the inner city world outside her yellow house." —Linda Alberta,  Prairie Books Now

Halton, Carissa, author

ACP - The University of Alberta Press

Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

First electronic edition, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2018

Canada - English Language, Canada

Oct 15, 2018

5, 20180927

Source title: Little Yellow House: Finding Community in a Changing Neighbourhood

"Ma'am, you sound like a very reasonable person. Can I advise you to just move?" A young family moves into a neighbourhood with a reputation for crime. As they make their home in one of the oldest parts of the city, Carissa Halton reflects on the changing view from her little yellow house. While others nervously examine the less-than-stellar reputation of her surroundings, she heads out to meet her neighbours, and through them discovers the innate beauty in her community. Halton invites us to meet a cast of diverse characters amongst her neighbours in Edmonton's Alberta Avenue, including cat rescuers, tragic teens, art evangelists, and crime fighters, whose walks of life, though very different from her own, have led to them being the people in her neighbourhood. Threaded through this collection of essays are questions about the social and economic forces that shape and reshape our cities."-- Résumé de l'éditeur

xii, 161 pages ; 23 cm
"Carissa Halton and her young family move into a neighbourhood with a tough reputation. As they make their home in one of the oldest parts of the city, she reflects on the revitalization that is slowly changing the view from her little yellow house. While others worry about the area's bad reputation, she heads out to meet her neighbours, and through them discovers the innate beauty of her community. Halton introduces us to a cast of diverse characters in her Alberta Avenue neighbourhood--including cat rescuers, tragic teens, art evangelists, and crime fighters--and invites us to consider the social and economic forces that shape and reshape our cities." --
Includes bibliographical references (page 161)

A young mother's extended love note to a city's storied and notorious neighbourhood

2023-06-28