' A vast and fascinating book, Ducks is a crucial turning point in the career of an important artist.'-Etelka Lehoczky, NPR Literary Hub The Best Reviewed Graphic Literature of 2022 #1 on the Publishers Weekly 2022 Critics Pollīooklist Editors' Choice Adult Books 2022 New Yorker, Time, NPR, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post Best Book of 2022 Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people.

Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed.īeaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush-part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can’t find it in the homeland they love so much. “An exceptionally beautiful book about loneliness, labor, and survival.“-Carmen Maria Machadoīefore there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beatons, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. A New York Times Notable book! One of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022! Winner of Canada Reads 2023!

Ducks 2 years in the oil sands