Author Dawn Neill

Author Dawn Neill will be at the Severn Library in Coldwater on October 24 at 1 pm. A retired teacher, it took her ten years to complete her degree at the University of Toronto, while struggling as a single parent to three children. Her debut memoir, RESCUED: A Young Mother's Memoir of Survival on Newfoundland's Forgotten Coast, published in July 2025, chronicles her real, four-year struggle for survival in Pushthrough, an abandoned outport during the early 1970s. Told using her journals and memories, this gripping tale is and engaging read. “As a teenager, Dawn had everything she wanted in suburban Toronto—good grades, proud parents, and a passionate romance with an ambitious young artist. But when her father's affair shattered her family and her mother warned "you can't trust men," her world turned upside down. In an act of rebellion, Dawn married her boyfriend and became a young mother. Together, with their young son, they ran away to Pushthrough, an abandoned Newfoundland outport with no roads, no electricity, no neighbours, and no escape.” This book is suggested for readers of Wild, Educated, and The Glass Castle It is a coming-of-age memoir about choosing between love and identity. It is the first book in the Journey Trilogy: From Sea to Sand to Snow. This event is free and everyone is welcome. Books will be available for purchase at the event.