Be Not Afraid is recommended by the Kosciuszko Foundation, based in New York City. The Kosciuszko Foundation, named after an 18th-century Polish war hero, promotes closer ties between Poland and the United States through educational, scientific, and cultural exchanges. To see Be Not Afraid on the KF’s list of  “Books by KF Scholars and Honorees,” please go to the following webpage: http://www.thekf.org/gallery/Book.

“The force of non-violence is undeniable, as the message is absolute. Be Not Afraid: The Polish (R)evolution, “Solidarity” discusses the rise of a Poland free from Soviet influence in 1989, and how it contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and Heather Kirk, who visited Poland and gained the pulse of its people, offers a fine complilation of photography, poetry, and much more to grant a snapshot of a people who liberated themselves by simply not being moved.  Be Not Afraid is a valuable read to understand the power of protest, very much recommended.”

“World History Shelf”
Small Press Bookwatch: December 2011
Midwest Book Review

“When Canadian author and educator, Heather Kirk, is asked what motivated her to write a book about Poland’s Solidarity movement she replies without hesitation.  There are lots of books about war, but very few about non-violent resistance.  How are young people to know about it?  So she chose to write about the biggest and most successful one of them all. . . .

“Heather Kirk . . . is by no means the first to write about Solidarity but it is ironic that a resistance movement that was, more than any other, a people’s movement, has largely been of interest primarily to intellectuals who write dense history, often dwelling on the minutiae of strategy and complex analyses primarily aimed at--and understood by--academics.  Without a repertoire of sound bites, one-liners and colourful personalities, what are western journalists to do?

“Ms. Kirk wanted to communicate this magnificent people’s story to ‘the people.’  Solidarity toppled a tyranny in part because its communications were pure genius, despite the need for secrecy.  But abroad, it failed to create a long-term impression, other than its famous logo and the dashing young electrician.

“It is no accident that broadcasts commemorating the fall of communism invariably show the happy crowd dismantling the Berlin Wall.  You couldn’t script a better scene to play out in front of television cameras, especially for audiences weaned on Disney.  Never mind that this scene tells you nothing about the long, hard, disciplined, and complicated struggle that took place--not in East Germany, but in Poland.

“In Be Not Afraid, Heather Kirk creates a people’s history for the people, well researched and fact-filled, but told in a quirky, original way, with a treasure trove of terrific quotations, personal stories, short biographical sketches, and historical gems; she explains national and religious symbols, and throws in the ‘Polish jokes’ of that era--those clever and witty put downs of communists and their masters in Moscow. . . .

“Be Not Afraid is a surprising, unusual book.  Kirk lists a bibliography and recommends readings on certain topics throughout the text.  She also acknowledges Professor Anna Cienciala--who is always generous with her time and her knowledge--to whom Kirk turned with questions along the way. 
I highly recommend this much needed book and hope it finds its way into school, university and public libraries everywhere.  Ms. Kirk paints an impressive picture of a society that endured much, and overcame much, with great honor and dignity.”

Irene Tomaszewski, Co-Editor
  The Cosmopolitan Review 3.4 (2012)
 Click here: http:cosmopolitanreview.com/articles/41-reviews/387-be-not.

“I love your manuscript, I just love it, and I think it definitely should be published. . . . It’s a lovely piece of scholarship. . . . It’s well written . . . beautifully written. . . . It certainly deserves to be out. . . . Congratulations!”

“Recommended.”

“An impressive body of research.”

Article on Mazo de la Roche

- Stephen Henighan, “Canadian Literature,”
Times Literary Supplement 4 Nov. 2005

“Barrie Author Breathes New Life into Classic Métis Novel.”

“Pity John Richardson, the first Canadian-born novelist, and not just because he died penniless and malnourished in New York City in 1852.  The publishing industry simply won’t let him rest in peace.  This Métis soldier and writer is best known for his novel Wacousta; a tale of murder, revenge and romance in old Fort Detroit in 1763.  Mr. Richardson, however, did not earn a pot of money, at least partially because the Americans published their own pirated edition.  Now, thanks to the work of one Barrie, Ont. author, Wacousta has been published again at half the length of the original text and in a fashion meant to win a new generation of readers.  ‘It’s a refurbished antique,’ says Heather Kirk, who decided about eight years ago to rewrite Wacousta.”

“Wacousta remains important whatever
version you read and not just because it was written by the first Canadian-born novelist.  It is impressive, despite the awkward language, because of its wealth of historical detail and the even-handed way it portrays both aboriginals and Europeans. Both groups are presented warts and all.  There are heroes and villains on both sides and even some inter-racial romance.”

“Richardson’s tale of the ‘Indian Wars’ of 1763 was first published in 1832. Kirk’s rewrite cleans up the clunky 19-century prose while keeping the gripping plot and details.”

“First published in 1832, Major John Richardson’s three-volume Wacousta is a classic tale of the ‘Indian Wars’ of 1763 and the attacks on Fort Detroit and Fort Michilimackinac.  It’s a great yarn, but for many readers, alas, also a great yawn.  The New Canadian Library’s introduction to their 1967 abridged edition speaks of the ‘stiff, rhetorical, even archaic prose’ of the original.  Heather Kirk has dared to rewrite Richardson, using many of his phrases but also ‘translating’ many of the passages to make them more accessible and more appealing to modern readers.  Some may find this a travesty while others will thoroughly enjoy Kirk’s version--and may even be led back to check out the original!”

Warsaw Spring is “a history book, a romance novel, and a coming-of-age story all wrapped up between the covers of a young-adult fiction.”

“Eva discovers Poland’s long history of suffering, the ongoing traumatic aftermath of World War II, and the debilitating influence of the communist regime of the day.  When Pope John Paul II visits Poland, Eva is amazed at the people’s faith and realizes she is witnessing rebirth not only of a nation but also of her inner bring.  She understands that the pope is leading a political as well as spiritual revolution.”