The book became a national bestseller, and was named one of the best books of 2014 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Hill Times and Quill and Quire.

Seven Indigenous students Jordan Wabasse, Kyle Morriseau, Curran Strang, Robyn Harper, Paul Panacheese, Reggie Bushie and Jethro Anderson died while separated from their families in Thunder Bay between 20.Alexandra Shimo is a Canadian writer, who was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 2014 Governor General's Awards as cowriter of Edmund Metatawabin's memoir Up Ghost River: A Chief’s Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History. This collection of stories juxtapose facts with the stories forcing us to question what we have been told about ourselves and our history. Using a high school history curriculum and text books as a starting point, Daniel Francis re-examines these lessons and how they have misshaped Canadian identity. National Dreams Myth, Memory, And Canadian History by Daniel Francis Robyn Maynard tells it from an intersectional feminist framework and how the states treatment of Black people continues to impact all facets of life. Policing Black Lives: State Violence In Canada From Slavery To The Present by Robyn Maynardīelieve that anti-Black racism isn’t real, or that it’s exclusively an American problem? Heres the proof, nearly 400 years worth of accounts of violence within slave ships, schools and prisons. With over 100 contributors, not only does this book tell the story of how Toronto became a global epicentre for queer culture, but of how diversity can take shape. This critical anthology of Torontos queer history draws on stories about police brutality, the development of queer communities and enclaves, trans rights, legal battles and what the future holds. Its an early example of Canadas exclusionary immigration policies that still persist today.Īny Other Way: How We Got Queer by various authors This 1914 incident saw 376 immigrants from India turned away from Canada, leaving many of them dead. This book uses visual and textual documents to tell the story of the Komagata Maru. The history of South Asians in Canada is rarely discussed in depth, yet it spans a couple of centuries. Undesirables: White Canada And The Komagata Maru by Ali Kazimi Weaving personal narrative with facts, she skillfully shows the impacts of racist, colonial policies and continued government negligence. Their struggle begins with life in railroad camps and continues as generations navigate gender norms, racism and shifting cultural expectations while adjusting to life in Canada.ĭrawing links between history, policy and a 2010 water crisis, Alexandra Shimo writes simply and frankly about life on the Kashechewa reserve in Northern Ontario.

She contributes to The Book Of Negroes, which is a real historical document, but continues to experience racism and oppression, debunking the myth that Canada offered freedom to Black people and welcomed them for a better life.īeginning in the late 19 th century, the story of four generations of Chinese women in Vancouver comes to life. She moves through Nova Scotia and eventually, back to Africa. This fictional account features a strong female protagonist who is taken from Africa in 1755, enslaved in North America and then finds freedom. This is a futuristic story about survival and healing, love and longing. Jully Black wrote an article about her experience on Canada Reads, and in her own words, The Marrow Thieves is the story of quiet genocide that Indigenous peoples (and their supporters) often get criticized and harassed for talking about. I looked up Canada Reads contenders from past years and browsed Toronto Public Library records to compile this list of books, which I hope will urge you to question the stories you have been told, and seek out the ones that have been kept from you. Much of that history is packed with myths and lies, and its told from a colonialist perspective.īut history is finally being considered from other perspectives, including stories from Indigenous folks and racialized immigrants to Canada. As the storm that was the Canada Reads finale subsided last week and I had my say on the interaction between Jully Black and Jeanne Beker, I reflected more on why Canadian history has not appealed to me.

Alexandra shimo