The Guiding Hand

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Born in England, Bernard Muzeen became the director of the Ottawa Boys
and Girls Club in 1969. At that time, the Club had a membership of 800
boys who shared part of the facilities with girls on two evenings a
week. By the time he retired 22 years later, the Club had expanded to
three clubhouses across the city and a membership of 3600. It also ran
Camp Minwassin, which provided activities in the summer.

Since its establishment in 1923, the Boys and Girls Club of
Ottawa-Carleton has been a leader in after-school, weekend, and summer
programs for children ages 6 to 18. While the Club appears to be open to
anyone, it would seem that it caters particularly to those young people
tempted into juvenile crime and risky behaviours (such as alcohol and
drug use). Club programs offer a healthy and positive alternative and
are designed to help children develop self-esteem, cultural awareness,
confidence, behaviours of healthy living, and a desire to become
positive members of the community.

The Guiding Hand is not a chronological history of either the Club or
of Muzeen’s time at its helm. Rather, it is a series of memories of
his years as club director. Roughly, these are categorized into seven
parts: general reflections on the Club’s history, some dramatic events
such as a kidnapping or a shooting, stories involving behaviour
modification, others of human interest, and still others involving
conflict and its resolution. The two final parts deal with bullies and
Camp Minwassin.

Muzeen seems to have an amazing ability to recall dialogue. Even if his
recollections are not always accurate, the stories he tells are
interesting and his reflections on these stories wise. The man has lots
of good advice to pass on and the book deserves wide readership.