Sixties Girl

Set in 1960s and present-day Winnipeg, this poignant coming-of-age story follows a decade in the life of a young girl growing up in a close-knit family in a time of sweeping social change.

The 1960s was a decade of major world events, exciting changes, and unforgettable fashion and music. But for Laura, navigating the cliques at school, avoiding corporal punishment doled out by the nuns, and dealing with her mother’s illness feel more real than the news stories of political assassinations, royal visits, the legalization of birth control, and the threat of nuclear war that dominate the headlines of the day. Sixties Girl is a decade in the life of an ordinary girl living in extraordinary times, from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Expo 67, from Beatlemania to miniskirts.

Told in alternating timelines—with an adult Laura recalling her childhood experiences to her grandson Will—this vivid portrait of a Canadian childhood and adolescence is a deeply personal, heartfelt reflection on family and self-discovery, as well as an insightful commentary on an era that changed society forever.