Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Just the Usual Work is a wonderful addition to histories of the Maritime region and a loving homage to a woman whose diary practice spanned almost an entire lifetime. As Huskins and Boudreau navigate the accounts of Ida’s life, their analysis offers readers an overview of a community governed by patterns of seasonal labour, the need for frugal spending, and a complicated sense of contentment alongside a desire for stability. Without flourish or the time for embellishment, the ebb and flow of Ida’s narrative are enlightening and unique, so too are the insights Huskins and Boudreau garner from her words and experiences.” The Miramichi Review
“Just the Usual Work is a stellar example of research that sets diary writing in its historical context. … Michael Boudreau and Bonnie Huskins use this manuscript diary for a deep dive into local social history, using precise historical research to show how Ida is both representative of her time and place and uniquely herself. They correctly note that “elderly men and women are ‘the most invisible to the social historian’”, and, for this alone, the edition breaks fresh ground in terms of reading life writing across an entire life span.” Canadian Historical Review
“What makes this publication especially valuable is the well-informed analysis provided by Ida’s granddaughter Bonnie Huskins and her partner Michael Boudreau, both social historians specializing in the history of Atlantic Canada. They bring an impressive body of personal and professional knowledge to bear on Ida’s world, fleshing out her often-cryptic comments to round out her life story. A welcome addition to the growing body of academic literature on the surviving diaries of ordinary people who offer a unique angle of vision on the past.” University of Toronto Quarterly
