This February marks the 20th Anniversary of celebrating Black History Month in Canada. Throughout the month, Canadians will be honouring the legacy and contributions of black Canadians at events across the country, and here at Open Book we are offering avid CanLit fans a reading list featuring books written by some our our country's talented black writers.
The Black History Month Reading Guide features some excellent books from indie publishers, all written by black authors across many genres. From non-fiction, to poetry, to picture books and novels, there is something on this list for every reader's taste.
A by André Alexis (BookThug)
A is a compelling narrative about Alexander Baddeley, a Toronto book reviewer who is obsessed with the work of the elusive and mythical poet Avery Andrews. Baddeley manages to track Andrews down, thinking that meeting his literary hero will provide some answers to his lifelong questions about creativity, art and inspiration. Though replete with mysticism and allusions to spirituality and the divine, Alexis' writing manages to bring higher-level concepts down to the grassroots level.
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis (Coach House Books)
And so it begins: a bet between the gods Hermes and Apollo leads them to grant human consciousness and language to a group of dogs overnighting at a Toronto veterinary clinic. Suddenly capable of more complex thought, the pack is torn between those who resist the new ways of thinking, preferring the old "dog" ways, and those who embrace the change. André Alexis's contemporary take on the apologue offers an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness.
Malaika's Costume by Nadia L. Hohn, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher (Groundwood Books)
This forthcoming book is all about Carnival time, the first Carnival since Malaika's mother moved to Canada to find a good job and provide for Malaika and her grandmother. Her mother promised she would send money for a costume, but when the money doesn't arrive, will Malaika still be able to dance in the parade? Nadia Hohn's warm and colloquial language and Irene Luxbacher's vibrant collage-style illustrations make this a strikingly original picture book.
A Mingus Lullaby by Dane Swan (Guernica Editions)
Charles Mingus, the renowned musician, composer and civil rights activist, claimed to be three people, was married to one of his wives by Ginsberg and collaborated with such luminaries as Langston Hughes and Joni Mitchell. Twelve of the poems in A Mingus Lullaby explore moments in his life, compositions, performances or are part of a fictional conversation between Mingus and the author. Themes from his life permeate throughout the collection.
No Safeguards by H. Nigel Thomas (Guernica Editions)
No Safeguards, the first in a trilogy, follows Jay and his brother Paul from childhood to young adulthood. We witness the destructive impact of fundamentalist Christian beliefs on their mother and father, opposition to those beliefs by the boys' grandmother and each boy's very different response to their parents' religiosity. This becomes even more poignant after they leave their grandmother's comfortable home in St. Vincent to join their mother in Montreal.
Oscar Lives Next Door by Bonnie Farmer, illustrated by Marie Lafrance (Owlkids Books)
Oscar Lives Next Door is a picture book about legendary jazz musician Oscar Peterson, who lived in the Montreal neighborhood of Little Burgundy. Long before he was a jazz pianist, he grew up playing the trumpet – until a bout of childhood tuberculosis weakened his lungs. He took up piano, and the rest is history. This book is a story inspired by these true events in Oscar Peterson's childhood.
Over Our Heads by Andrea Thompson (Inanna Publications)
Over Our Heads is a novel that weaves together the histories of two very different half-sisters who return home to deal with the aftermath of their grandmother's death. Emma, a punk band singer and poet turned pet psychic, and Rachel, an actuary with an interest in astronomy, both carry the remnants of childhoods overshadowed by issues of bullying, abandonment, alienation and fear. Over Our Heads is a story of acceptance, forgiveness, redemption and the beauty that can be found in the imperfection inherent in being human.
Pastoral by André Alexis (Coach House Books)
André Alexis brings a modern sensibility and a new liveliness to an age-old genre, the pastoral. For his very first parish, Father Christopher Pennant is sent to the sleepy town of Barrow. But things aren't so idyllic for Liz Denny, whose fiancé doesn't want to choose between Liz and his more worldly lover Jane, or for Father Pennant himself, whose faith is profoundly shaken by the miracles he witnesses – a mayor walking on water, intelligent gypsy moths and a talking sheep.
Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines edited by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens and Mai'a Williams (Between the Lines)
Inspired by the legacy of radical and queer Black feminists of the 1970s and '80s, Revolutionary Mothering places marginalized mothers of color at the center of a world of necessary transformation. The challenges we face as movements working for racial, economic, reproductive, gender, food justice, anti-violence, anti-imperialist and queer liberation are the same challenges that many mothers face every day. Revolutionary Mothering is a movement-shifting anthology committed to birthing new worlds, full of faith and hope for what we can raise up together.
The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson, illustrated by Matt James (Groundwood Books)
This forthcoming picture book tells the real-life story of the African-American football player Chuck Ealey, who grew up in a segregated neighborhood of Portsmouth, Ohio. Against all odds, he became an incredible quarterback. But despite his unbeaten record in high school and university, he would never play professional football in the United States. This inspirational story is told by Chuck Ealey's daughter, author and educator Jael Richardson, with striking and powerful illustrations by award-winning illustrator Matt James.
Terra Incognito by Adebe DeRango-Adem (Inanna Publications)
Terra Incognita is a collection of poems that creatively explores various racial discourses and interracial crossings buried in history's grand narratives. Set against the similarities as well as incongruities of the Canadian/American backdrop of race relations, Terra Incognita explores the cultural memory and legacy of those whose histories have been the site of erasure, and who have thus—riffing on the Heraclitus's dictum that "geography is fate"—been forced to redraw themselves into the texts of history.
They Called Me Chocolate Rocket: The Life and Times of John Paris, Jr., Hockey’s First Black Professional Coach by John Paris, Jr., with Robert Ashe (James Lorimer & Company Ltd.)
In the ultra-competitive junior hockey leagues in the early 1960s, a young man could tolerate nearly anything that helped him stand out from the hordes of other prospects, so John Paris, Jr. did just that. The African-Canadian from Nova Scotia dazzled and dominated on the ice—often facing racism on and off the ice. They Called Me Chocolate Rocket is the story of John’s life from his childhood to his eventual decision to coach, beginning with the Montreal-area minor systems and on to the pro ranks with the IHL’s Atlanta Knights.
THOU by Aisha Sasha John (BookThug)
THOU is a powerful collection of two long, narrative poems that explore the social space that exists between the self and others. Aisha Sasha John has a crush on time. She did it. She did time. Using the language that connects these two states of being, THOU investigates the idea of “you.” Building on the emotionally charged language of John's previous work, THOU will tantalize readers' senses, and will provoke comparisons to such acclaimed poets as Anne Carson and Alice Notley.
Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice by David Pilgrim (Between the Lines)
Understanding Jim Crow introduces readers to the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, a collection of more than ten thousand contemptible collectibles that are used to engage visitors in intense and intelligent discussions about race, race relations and racism. Fully illustrated, and with context provided by the museum's founder and director David Pilgrim, Understanding Jim Crow is both a grisly tour through America's past and an auspicious starting point for racial understanding and healing.
Willie O’Ree: The story of the first black player in the NHL by Nicole Mortillaro (James Lorimer & Company Ltd.)
Willie O'Ree quietly made NHL history at the Montreal Forum on January 18, 1958, when he became the first black player to take to the ice. In the dressing room before the game, his Boston Bruins teammates told him not to worry, if any one of the Montreal players said anything to him, they'd have his back. This new book by Nicole Mortillaro traces the early life of O'Ree in Fredericton, New Brunswick, his journey to the NHL, highlights from his hockey career and his work encouraging diversity in the NHL.
You Know Who You Are by Ian Williams (Wolsak & Wynn)
You Know Who You Are is the debut collection from an accomplished poet. It addresses the crisis of young black masculinity in cities, flirting with language that is street savvy and involves the reader in the creation and application of stereotypes. This is a thoughtful collection, but it's spiked with unexpected humour and laced through with a poetic playfulness that gives its difficult subject matter an unexpected sparkle.
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