Mind Over Matter: Hard-Won Battles on the Road to Hope

• Author: Jordin Tootoo and Stephen Brunt
• Genre: Memoir
• Publication Date: October 16, 2023 
• Publisher: Penguin Canada

Thank you to libro.fm for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook. I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily.

Following the bestselling success of the inspiring All the Way, pioneering Inuit NHLer Jordin Tootoo begins the process of healing in the wake of the suicide and violence that marks his family, only to discover the source of all that trauma in his father’s secret past.

For some hockey players, retirement marks the moment when it’s all over. But Jordin Tootoo is not most hockey players.

Having inspired millions when he first broke into the league, Tootoo continued to influence people throughout his career—not only through his very public triumph over alcoholism, but also his natural charisma. And now, years after hanging up his skates, he is more committed to doing things the right way and speaking about it to others, whether it’s corporate executives or Indigenous youth.

But the news of unmarked graves on the grounds of residential schools brought back to life many of the demons that had haunted his family. In a moment of realization that left him rattled and saddened, Tootoo fit the pieces together. The years that were never spoken of. The heavy drinking. The all too predictable violence. His father was a survivor, marked by what he had survived.

As he travels back to Nunavut to try to speak with his father about what haunts him, he encounters the ghosts of the entire community. Still, as Tootoo says, we are continuously learning and rewriting our story at every step. He has learned from his mistakes and his victories. He has learned from examples of great courage and humility. He has learned from being a father and a husband. And he has learned from his own Inuk traditions, of perseverance and discipline in the face of hardship.

Weaving together life’s biggest themes with observations and experiences, Jordin shares the kind of wisdom he has had to specialize in—the hard-won kind.

I don’t read a lot of sports memoirs, but I’m always intrigued by stories that advocate for facing down demons and fighting them the right way. What made this appeal even more to me was the fact that it’s written by an Indigenous Inuk man who played professional hockey, and now works as a public speaker to big corporations as well as within small communities of Indigenous youth. And you know I can’t resist an audiobook narrated by the author. 

Tootoo comes from the far north of Canada, where he was exposed to the land and traditional way of Inuit life by his father. However, he also discussed a lot of the dysfunction that he was exposed to as well. It’s clear from the way he speaks about his life that he’s been through therapy, even before he mentions it. His own story isn’t told in a linear fashion—the book focuses more on his present, with tidbits from his past being mentioned as they are relevant to the story. This seems to reflect an aspect of Indigenous storytelling that I’ve noticed, where stories aren’t structured the same way as that of European culture.

While he maintains a hopeful outlook, and discusses not only his personal philosophy, but also the ways in which he lifts up his family and community, and personally gives back to the First Nations Community, there are many heavy topics discussed in this book. Among some, he discusses alcoholism, mental health issues, substance abuse, child abuse, suicide, grief, residential schools, child neglect, intergenerational trauma, and racism in sports. And he drops a lot of f-bombs. If you’re easily offended or don’t like to hear the f-word a lot, this isn’t the book for you.

There was only one thing that I didn’t really like about the book, and it took me a little bit of time to really decide on whether it was an issue that could be controlled or not. I do recognize that Native Americans and First Nations people do tend to have a different rhythm to their speech, and it can take me a minute to slip into that mode and get used to it after hearing something different for the majority of my time. However, I don’t think that was the case here. Tootoo definitely does have that different rhythm, and I actually enjoy it once I’m listening to it. But he also comes across sounding stiff, like he’s reading directly out of a book, and his reading almost sounds a little choppy, as though he’s reading each word individually, rather than going through a sentence at a time and placing expression on the words. All the same, I still appreciate a book read by the author.

One thing that especially stood out to me about this book was the way that Tootoo not only talked about the strengths of being Indigenous, but he also talked about the obstacles that Indigenous people face in today’s world. Some of these were external factors, such as residential schools, intergenerational trauma, lack of family support (including family members actively holding loved ones back when they do succeed), and the large number of unique tribes and the lack of unification amongst the tribes to speak on behalf of the good of all of their people. Others were internal factors, such as an inability to express emotions and share stories (due to suppression of this as a result of colonization), substance use, and playing the victim rather than putting in the work to succeed. At times, his words may come across as harsh, but his tone never does—in fact it’s always supportive and genuinely caring.

This is the kind of book that I enjoy reading when it comes to nonfiction. Actually, it’s a rather short book, but I can see why he’d do well as a motivational speaker, although I hope he tones down the cursing when speaking to kids. Even with the somewhat flat delivery, his charisma shines through, making this the kind of book that feels like a good investment of time and energy. And while Tootoo made his name known in the world of professional hockey, he actually doesn’t talk about hockey that much in the book, making this the perfect kind of memoir for a girl like me who really isn’t into sportsball.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through my links.