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Gutter Child by Jael RichardsonIn a nation divided into the privileged Mainland and the policed Gutter, the most vulnerable are forced to buy their freedom by working off their debt to society. Elimina Dubois is one of 100 babies taken from the Gutter and raised in the land of opportunity as part of a social experiment. But when her Mainland mother dies, Elimina finds herself all alone, a teenager forced into an unfamiliar life of servitude, unsure of who she is and where she belongs. Genre: Afrofuturism and Afrofantasy; First person narrativesCharacter: Courageous; Culturally diverseStoryline: World-buildingTone: Dramatic; MovingWriting Style: Incisive; Thoughtful
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Our Darkest Nightby Jennifer RobsonHiding from the Nazis in the guise of a Christian farmer's wife, a Jewish woman is met with suspicion by a Nazi official who harbors a vendetta against the former seminary student posing as her husband.Genre: Historical fiction Character: Well developed Themes: Love in wartime Tone: Heartwrenching
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New in Canadian Non-Fiction
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We the North : 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors by Doug SmithWe the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors tells the story of Canada's most exciting team, charting their rise from a sporting oddity in a hockey-mad country to the status they hold today as past NBA champions and national heroes. Genre: Sports and recreation Tone: Upbeat; Moving Writing style: Well-researched; Conversational
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War : How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillanFrom the internationally renowned historian and bestselling author of Paris 1919 comes a provocative argument that war is an essential aspect of human nature, and that peace is an aberration in history.Genre: History writingTone: Thought-provokingWriting Style: Accessible; Compelling; Well-researched
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"This book is set against the background of postwar Netherlands and presents the stories of seventeen families who made the trip from Rotterdam to Quebec City in 1952 aboard the Sibajak. The stories document their lives before and during the war years, the reasons for their decision to emigrate, and their first few years in Canada. The book also describes the social and economic condition of the Netherlands following WW II and the immense struggle by the Dutch government to manage its overpopulation problem, declining standard of living, and the high unemployment rate among its rural population."
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Ontario Library Association's Evergreen Award
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Broken Man on a Halifax Pier by Lesley ChoyceCharles is a fifty-five year old journalist, unemployed and has been swindled out of his life savings. While contemplating his dismal future he meets Ramona Danforth, whom he asks to drive him to his childhood home in Stewart Harbor. Once there his past begins catching up with him.Genre: Canadian fiction; Mainstream fictionThemes: Home againStoryline: Intricately plottedTone: Strong sense of place
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Five Little Indians by Michelle GoodTaken from their families when they are very small and sent to a residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are finally released after years of detention. Over the decades they struggle to overcome the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission, come to terms with their past, and find a way forward.Genre: Canadian fiction; Multiple perspectives; Psychological fictionCharacter: Authentic; Culturally diverseStoryline: Character-driven; Own voicesTone: Bleak; Heartwrenching; HopefulWriting Style: Gritty; Spare
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I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder by Sarah KurchakAn autistic writer’s memoir of the detrimental effects of pretending to be normal, and her impassioned call to redefine what is considered a successful life.Genre: Autobiographies and memoirs; Canadian literature; Essays; Life stories; Science Writing; Society and cultureStoryline: Own voicesTone: MovingWriting Style: Candid; Witty
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Indians on Vacation by Thomas KingInspired by a handful of old postcards, sent by Uncle Lenny nearly a hundred years before, Bird and Mimi attempt to trace the steps of Mimi's long-lost uncle and the family medicine bundle he took with him to Europe. By turns witty, sly and poignant, this is the unforgettable tale of one couple's holiday trip to Prague. Genre: Canadian fiction; Mainstream fictionThemes: Road trippingCharacter: Culturally diverseWriting Style: Engaging; Well-crafted dialogue; Witty
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The Library of Legendsby Janie ChangSet in 1937 China, as Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University, entrusted with a priceless treasure, must navigate a world of danger, betrayal and love to keep a 500-year-old collection of myths and legends safe. Genre: Historical fantasy; Mythological fiction Character: Culturally diverse
Writing Style: Engaging
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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaA reimagining of the classic gothic suspense novel follows the experiences of a courageous socialite in 1950s Mexico who is drawn into the treacherous secrets of an isolated mansion.Genre: Canadian fiction; Gothic fiction; Historical fantasyThemes: Facing racismCharacter: Culturally diverse; Strong femaleStoryline: Intricately plotted; Own voicesTone: Atmospheric; Creepy; MenacingWriting Style: Compelling
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Rebent Sinner by Ivan CoyoteIvan Coyote takes on the patriarchy and the political, as well as the intimate and the personal in these beguiling and revealing stories of what it means to be trans and non-binary today, at a time in their life when they must carry the burden of heartbreaking history with them.Genre: Autobiographies and memoirs; Canadian literature; Essays; Life stories; Society and cultureStoryline: Own voicesTone: Thought-provokingWriting Style: Candid; Thoughtful
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Seven by Farzana DoctorWhile researching her great-great grandfather on a trip to India, Sharifa stumbles upon family secrets and must face the indelible mark they’ve left on her life. Genre: Canadian fiction; Literary fictionCharacter: Culturally diverseTone: Thought-provokingWriting Style: Engaging; Incisive
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This book draws insistent, unyielding attention to the injustices faced by Black Canadians on a daily basis, punctures the bubble of Canadian smugness and naive assumptions of a post-racial nation, and chronicles just one year--2017--in the struggle against racism in this country.
Genre: Antiracist literature; Canadian literature; History writing; Politics and global affairs; Society and culture Storyline: Issue-oriented; Own voices Writing Style: Compelling; Incisive; Persuasive
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They Said This Would Be Fun by Eternity MartisA booksmart kid from Toronto, Eternity Martis was excited to move away to Western University for her undergraduate degree. But as one of the few Black students there, she soon discovered that the campus experiences she'd seen in movies were far more complex in reality. Genre: Autobiographies and memoirs; Society and culture Storyline: Own voices Tone: Moving Writing Style: Compelling
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Field Notes from a Pandemic : A Journey Through a World Suspended by Ethan Lou""Canadian journalist Ethan Lou reflects on the social impact of COVID-19 as a witness to the early stages of the pandemic in various countries. Originally, Lou plans his travel as a bucket list to visit friends and family around the world. For starters, Lou’s visit to his dying grandfather in China in January 2020 coincides with the emergence of the virus. He catalogues his surreal experience as citizens' lives pause as if in suspended animation while China responds to the virus. This hybrid of memoir-travelogue-commentary explores the personal, cultural, and global implications of how pandemic decisions influence individual actions, inform cultural shifts, and guide global changes." -- Jennifer, Librarian, Amherstview Branch
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