In an Iron Glove

Claire Martin's autobiography was first published in two volumes in 1965 and 1966. Already a prize winning Quebec writer, the author generated a wave of controversy with this detailed account of a childhood subjected to cruelty and brutality. Her deeply moving portrayal drew acclaim from readers who saw aspects of their own childhood experiences mirrored in its pages; it also evoked resistance from traditionalists unsettled by its exposé of family, church, and convent school some decades before