You’ve probably seen this book around. I think it’s one of the (if not the) most talked about memoirs of the past year. It’s the story of a mother and a daughter – a mother who has been an indomitable presence in her daughter’s life since she was born, and who has never been
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BOOK REVIEW | ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY – VICTOR RAY
I remember the first time I heard the term “critical race theory.” It wasn’t clear in that first exposure what it meant and whether it was bad or good, the only thing I took away from it was that there were a lot of people who seemed very upset by it, and I didn’t
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THIS BRIGHT FUTURE – BOBBY HALL
This book. Man, this book. I went into this a bit curious, but not really expecting much. For those of you who don’t know, Bobby Hall is also known as Logic, one of the most successful, influential and respected rap artists of past couple of decades. He’s known for his lyrical skills and being
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE 1619 PROJECT – NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES
I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this book since I first found out about it. It’s an expansion of an award-winning article published in The New York Times in 2019 to commemorate 400 years since the first ship carrying African slaves landed in America. It was a sensation, bringing a history not often taught
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME – TA-NEHISI COATES
This book is short but will turn your worldview on its head, shake it up and set it decisively to rights. It follows in the tradition of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, a book so short but with such power that it is still one of the most important books on race in
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | JONNY APPLESEED – JOSHUA WHITEHEAD
I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages, ever since it started making waves in the Canadian literary scene. I heard Joshua Whitehead talk a couple of times in online presentations, and loved his candor, humour and intelligence. But it wasn’t until this book was selected as September’s book for the Storykeepers podcast
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE WINDOW SEAT – AMINATTA FORNA
I loved this book. I’ll say that right up front, in case you only see the tiny excerpt of this post. I adored it, I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it, and though I just finished it, I already want to read it again. I hadn’t ever read anything by Aminatta Forna before
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | CONCRETE ROSE – ANGIE THOMAS
I’m a huge fan of Angie Thomas’ writing. I read The Hate U Give and it became one of my all-time favourite YA books. I read On the Come Up and I found it challenging, unflinching and real. I was just a little bit excited to read her newest book and prequel to The
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THIS BOOK IS ANTIRACIST – TIFFANY JEWELL
This Book is Anti-Racist is a graphic non-fiction book for young readers that covers the basics of racism – history, terminology, identities, and how to deal with and address it. I picked it up mostly because I liked the graphic style and have been looking for books on the topic for any age, as I
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | MY NAME IS WHY – LEMN SISSAY
I first heard of Lemn Sissay in a YouTube video. He is a poet, and I was very impressed with his eloquence and thoughtfulness. He briefly mentioned a bit about his childhood – the restrictions put on his reading by his parents, his relocation into state-run institutional homes at the age of twelve, and
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NON-FICTION NOVEMBER 2019 | TBR AND RECOMMENDATIONS
I’m very excited because tomorrow marks the beginning of one of my favourite themed reading months of the year – Non-Fiction November hosted by Olive from ABookOlive. The behind the monthly event is simple: read more non-fiction than you usually do. If you never read it, read one non-fiction book. If you normally
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | NATIVES – AKALA
About once every five years I pick up a non-fiction book that leaves me speechless in wonder. I’ve been lucky this year, because I’ve had a few of these – some memoir, some topical. This book, however, is arguably the most deeply impactful book I have read or expect to read for a decade
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER – BERNARDINE EVARISTO
I was intimidated going into this book. It’s long, and it’s written in an experimental style of verse that doesn’t include periods or capitals. I was nervous I’d be unable to find my feet and that it would prove too difficult for me to get into. Not so. It took about 50 pages, but
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | ORDINARY PEOPLE – DIANA EVANS
I came across this book last fall while browsing titles online. I loved the cover, and even more the description of the book. First of all, it’s set in London, and you all know how much of a sucker I am for that particular setting. Second, it’s about two young couples with young children
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE – TAYARI JONES
I’m not sure what made me choose this book when I did. I had just started using Audible, and I hadn’t yet built a library of books to choose from. This one wasn’t too expensive, and I remembered hearing good things, so I downloaded it. I was out walking to an appointment one day,
