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Almost brown : a mixed-race family memoir / by Gill, Charlotte,1971-author.;
"An award-winning writer retraces her dysfunctional, biracial, globe-trotting family's journey as she reckons with ethnicity and belonging, diversity and race, and the complexities of life within a multicultural household. Charlotte Gill's father is Indian. Her mother is English. They meet in 1960's London when the world is not quite ready for interracial love. Their union, a revolutionary act, results in a total meltdown of familial relations, a lot of immigration paperwork, and three children, all in varying shades of tan. Together they set off on a journey from the United Kingdom to Canada and to the United States in elusive pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness--a dream that eventually tears them apart. Almost Brown is an exploration of diasporic intermingling involving parents of two different races and their half-brown children as they experience the paradoxes and conundrums of life as it's lived between race checkboxes. Eventually, her parents drift apart because they just aren't compatible. But as she finds herself distancing from her father too--why is she embarrassed to walk down the street with him and not her mom?--she doesn't know if it's because of his personality or his race. As a mixed-race child, was this her own unconscious bias favoring one parent over the other in the racial tug-of-war that plagues our society? Almost Brown looks for answers to questions shared by many mixed-race people: What are you? What does it mean to be a person of color when the concept is a societal invention and really only applies halfway if you are half white? And how does your relationship with your parents change as you change and grow older? In a funny, turbulent, and ultimately heartwarming story, Gill examines the brilliant messiness of ancestry, "diversity," and the idea of "race," a historical concept that still informs our beliefs about ethnicity today"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Gill, Charlotte, 1971-; Gill, Charlotte, 1971-; Identity (Psychology); Immigrants; Race awareness in children.; Racially mixed families; Racially mixed families; Racially mixed people; Racially mixed people; Racially mixed women; Women authors, Canadian; Race;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Angry queer Somali boy : a complicated memoir / by Ali, Mohamed Abdulkarim,1985-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Writing from a homeless shelter in downtown Toronto, Mohamed "Mo" Ali chronicles how he ended up there in this powerful and often irreverent memoir of exile, addiction, and racism. Kidnapped by his father on the eve of Somalia's societal implosion, Ali was taken first to the Netherlands by his stepmother, and then on to Canada. With its promise of freedom, opportunity, and multiculturalism, his new home seemed to offer a new lease on life. But unable to fit in, he turned to partying and drugs. Interwoven with world history and sociopolitical commentary on Somalia, Canada, and Europe, the story of this gay Muslim immigrant is told with tenderness in a refreshing and welcome new voice."--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Ali, Mohamed Abdulkarim, 1985-; Somalis; Muslim gays; Somalis; Somalis; Gay immigrants; Gay immigrants; Muslim gays; Muslim gays;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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They call me George : the untold story of black train porters and the birth of modern Canada / by Foster, Cecil,1954-author.;
"A historical work of non-fiction that chronicles the little-known stories of black railway porters-the so-called "Pullmen" of the Canadian rail lines. The actions and spirit of these men helped define Canada as a nation in surprising ways, effecting race relations, human rights, North American multiculturalism, community building, the shape and structure of unions, and the nature of travel and business across the US and Canada. Drawing on the stories and legends of several of these influential early black Canadians, this book narrates the history of a very visible, but rarely considered, aspect of black life in railway-age Canada. These porters, who fought against the idea of Canada as White Man's Country, open only to immigrants from Europe, fought for and won a Canada that would provide opportunities for all its citizens."--
Subjects: Pullman porters; Porters; Train attendants; Black Canadians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Trudeau [videorecording] : Justin & Pierre Eliiot / by Distribution Select.; National Film Board of Canada.;
Disc 1. God save Justin Trudeau -- The champions, part 1: Unlikely warriors -- The champions, part 2: Trappings of power.Disc 2. The champions, part 3: The final battle -- Dancing around the table, part 1 -- Comfort and indifference.This collection explores the legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, with several major works from the NFB. Both a visionary and an idealist, Trudeau changed the face of 20th century Canada, and his influence is still being felt today. He's a key figure in Quebec and Canadian history, an inspiration for several generations. Trudeau came onto the scene in tumultuous times that saw many revolutionary changes, such as the legalization of divorce, the decriminalization of abortion and homosexuality, the abolishment of the death penalty and, of course, the October Crisis. The indelible mark he made on society is still in evidence today - perhaps even more so since his son, Justin Trudeau, was elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. With a vision to make the world a better place through justice and democracy, Pierre Elliott Trudeau championed multiculturalism, a principle that had a profound impact on Canadian society.E.DVD, full screen presentation, Dolby Digital 5.1.
Subjects: Trudeau, Justin.; Trudeau, Pierre Elliott, 1919-2000.; Biographical films.; Documentary films.; Fathers and sons; Prime ministers;
For private home use only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Languages of truth : essays 2003-2020 / by Rushdie, Salman,author.;
"Salman Rushdie is celebrated as a storyteller of the highest order, illuminating deep truths about our society and culture through his gorgeous, often searing, prose. Now, in his latest collection of nonfiction, he brings together insightful and inspiring essays, criticism, and speeches that focus on his relationship with the written word, and solidify his place as one of the most original thinkers of our time. Gathering pieces written between 2003 and 2019, Languages of Truth chronicles Rushdie's own intellectual engagement with a period of momentous cultural shifts. Immersing the reader in a wide variety of subjects, he delves into the nature of storytelling as a deeply human need, and what emerges is, in myriad ways, a love letter to literature itself. Rushdie explores what the work of authors from Shakespeare and Cervantes to Samuel Beckett, Eudora Welty, and Toni Morrison mean to him, often by telling vivid, sometimes humorous stories of his own personal encounters with them, whether on the page or in person. He delves deeper than ever before into the nature of "truth," revels in the vibrant malleability of language, and the creative lines that can join art and life, and he looks anew at migration, multiculturalism and censorship. The ideas, true stories and arguments presented here are at once revelatory, funny and eye-opening, enlivened on every page by Rushdie's signature wit and dazzling voice, making this volume a genuine pleasure to read"--
Subjects: Essays.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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