By emmy nordstrom higdon
As the birthplace of the FOLD, Brampton, also known as Flower City, boasts a thriving literary scene. It has a robust library system, stores like Brampton Books and Knowledge Bookstore, and even a creative writing group that has published their own anthology: Rhapsody Lane – A Selection of Works from Flower City Writers.
It is no surprise that Brampton is also home to several accomplished authors, including Jesse Thistle and Rupi Kaur–both on the FOLD’s list of 12 Books that Shaped the Way We Read. Other notable names include Rohinton Mistry, Ian Williams, Susan Currie, Leonarda Carrenza, Sadé Smith, and of course, the FOLD’s own, Jael Richardson.
In addition to Jesse Thistle’s moving memoir, here are three other books by Brampton authors.
1) From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle (Simon & Schuster)
From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up.
Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around.
In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education—and newfound love—he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family.
An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds. It is one of the FOLD’s 12 Books that Shaped the Way We Read.
2) Pride and Joy by Louisa Onomé (HarperAvenue)
Pride and Joy is a heartwarming and hilarious novel about three generations of a Nigerian Canadian family grappling with their matriarch’s sudden passing while their auntie insists that her sister is coming back.
Joy Okafor is overwhelmed. The recently divorced life coach whose phone won’t stop ringing is also the dutiful Nigerian daughter who has planned every aspect of her mother’s seventieth birthday weekend on her own. As the Okafors slowly begin to arrive, Mama Mary goes to take a nap. But when the grandkids try to wake her, they find that she isn’t sleeping after all. Refusing to believe that her sister is gone-gone, Auntie Nancy declares that she has had a premonition: Mama Mary will rise again like Jesus Christ himself on Easter Sunday.
Desperate to believe that they’re about to witness a miracle, the family overhauls their birthday plans to welcome the Nigerian Canadian community and the host of AJAfrika TV to help spread the word that Mama Mary is coming back. But skeptical Joy is struggling to deal with the loss of her mother and not allowing herself to mourn just yet while going through the motions of planning a funeral that her aunt refuses to allow.
Filled with humour and flawed, deeply relatable characters that leap off the page, Pride and Joy will draw in readers as the Okafors prepare for a miracle while coming apart at the seams, praying that they haven’t actually lost Mama Mary for good and grappling with what her loss would truly mean for each of them.
3) Raise Your Roof by Karl Subban (HarperCollins Publishers)
Unlock the often-overlooked key to making positive and lasting change.
For over three decades, Karl Subban has been honing his proven approach to resilience, perseverance and goal-setting—and bringing the best out of everyone. Every year we get bigger, but not necessarily better. Older, but not necessarily wiser. Despite our best efforts, we’re not always set up for success. And we can get stuck in a place where we don’t think it’s possible to dream, let alone dream big.
As a coach, an educator, an author and a father, Subban knows that understanding and believing in your own potential are key to making changes that matter, that bring purpose to our lives and the lives of those around us. Packed with proven strategies and including “raise their roof” playbooks for leaders, parents and educators, Raise Your Roof is an inspiring and practical guide to creating meaningful change, realizing goals and finding fulfillment.
The power of potential is that it’s your starting line, not your finish line.
4) Countess by Suzan Palumbo (ECW Press)
A queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi novella in which a betrayed captain seeks revenge on the interplanetary empire that subjugated her people for generationsVirika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æcerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.
When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path of revenge, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.
The FOLD Admin