35 Canadian books to check out in summer 2021

The CBC Books summer reading list is here! Here are 35Canadian books to check out this summer.

This One Wild Lifeby Angie Abdou

This One Wild Lifeis the story of a mother and daughter bonding over hiking. When Angie Abdou sees her daughter becoming more introverted, she decides to give themboth a challenge one summer: to hike a different peak near their Fernie, B.C., home each week.This One Wild Lifeis the story of this summer, and how this goal changed their relationship and helped her daughter become more confident and more comfortable.

• Angie Abdou's memoir This One Wild Life celebrates the power of parent-child bonding

Angie Abdou is a teacher, writer and frequent columnist forThe Next Chapter.Herfirst novel,The Bone Cage, was championed by Georges Laraque onCanada Reads2011. Her other books include the novelsThe Canterbury Trail, BetweenandIn Case I Goand the nonfiction bookHome Ice.

The Next Chapter13:43Angie Abdou on This One Wild Life

TNC columnist and author talks to Shelagh Rogers on her latest memoir This One Wild Life.

Home of the Floating Lilyby Silmy Abdullah

Home of the Floating Lilyis a short story collection about the lives of Bangladeshi immigrants living in Toronto, exploring the love, loss, displacement and connection that comes with making a new country home. A newly married woman, an international student, a domestic helperand a working-class single mother are just a few of the characters who come to life in these dynamic and vibrant stories.

Silmy Abdullah is a lawyer and author who lives in Toronto.Home of the Floating Lilyis her first book.

Nothing the Same, Everything Hauntedby Gary Barwin

Nothing the Same, Everything Hauntedis an inventive novel about a Jewish man named Motl. The Second World War has just begun in Europe, and Motl's quiet life in a small village is completely upended. Friends and neighbours are being killed, and Motl dreams of having enough strength and bravery to go on a trekacross Europe to stop the Nazis. Motlbelieves a Jew's greatest revenge against Hitler would be to procreate which isn't easy since Motl lost that ability during the First World War. So Motl ends up on a quest, one stranger than he ever dreamed.

• Gary Barwin's 'morning thought experiments' are helping him feel more connected while isolating at home

Gary Barwin is a writer, composer, visual and multidisciplinary artist and the author of several books of poetry, fiction and books for children. His first novel, 2016'sYiddish for Pirates,won theStephen Leacock Medal for Humouras well as a Canadian Jewish Literary Award. It was also a finalist for both the Governor General's Award for fiction and the Scotiabank Giller Prize. He lives in Hamilton, Ont.

The Lover, the Lakeby Virginia Psmapeo Bordeleau, translated by Susan Ouriou

The Lover, the Lakewas a sensation when it was originally published in French. Now availablein English,The Lover, the Lakeis a celebration of Indigenous sexuality and sensuality. It is the story of a forbidden but fulfilling love affair between Wabougouni and Gabrie, set against the backdrop of Lake Abitibi.

Virginia Psmapeo Bordeleau is a visual artist and published author of Cree origin. She has published three novels and fourpoetry collections, includingBlue Bear Woman.

Susan Ouriou is a writer, editor and literary translator from Calgary. She has won the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for her work.

Bruised byTanya Boteju

Bruisedis a YA novel about Daya Wijesinghe, a teen girl who navigates first love and identity after a family tragedy. After a tragic accident results in the death of her parents, Daya has taken to bruising herself as a way to cope with her grief. It leads her to the physical and colourful world of roller derby.Bruisedexplores Daya's healing process and journey to wellness.

• Tanya Boteju's YA novel Bruised explores the bold and beautiful world of roller derby

Tanya Boteju is an author and educator based in Vancouver. Her debut YA novel,Kings, Queens and In-Betweens,followed a high school student named Nima and explored themes of gender identity and belonging.

The Next Chapter3:01Tanya Boteju on Bruised

Tanya Boteju on her latest YA book, Bruised.

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

The YA novelHurricane Summerisa coming-of-age story about a teen named Tilla. Her relationship with her Jamaican-born father is straining due to his frequent absences from her life. Tilla decides to spend the summer in Jamaica in order to reconnect with her father and understand herself and the island he calls home.

• Asha Bromfield's YA novel Hurricane Summer is a coming-of-age story that embraces womanhood and sexuality

Asha Bromfield is a Black Canadian actress, singer and author best known for her role as Melody Valentine, drummer of Josie and the Pussycats in the television showRiverdale.

The Next Chapter17:41Asha Bromfield on Hurricane Summer

Asha Bromfield talks to Shelagh Rogers about her debut YA novel, Hurricane Summer.

Care Ofby Ivan Coyote

Care Ofis a collection of moving correspondence Ivan Coyote wrote in the early daysof the COVID-19 lockdown, in response to lettersand communicationsthey had received, some of which dated back to 2009.The correspondenceranges from personal letters to Facebook messages to notes received after performing onstage,Coyote told CBC Radio host Dave White onAirplay.

• Ivan Coyote's book Care Of is a thoughtful collection of pandemic correspondence

Coyote is a writer, storyteller and performer from Yukon. They havewritten more than a dozen books, created four short films and released three albums combining storytelling with music, and are known for exploring gender identity and queer liberation in their writing. Their other books includeTomboy Survival Guide,Rebent Sinner,Gender Failure,One in Every Crowdand the novelBow Grip.Coyote won the 2020 Freedom to Read Award, in recognition of their body of work that examines class, gender identity and social justice.

17:12Ivan Coyote on Care Of

Ivan Coyote talks to Shelagh Rogers about Care Of: Letters, Connections and Cures.

Driven by Marcello Di Cintio

Marcello Di Cintio explores the role of the taxi cab in contemporary culture inDriven.Taxis are both public and private space, andtheirsmalldimensionsmean strangers share an intimate closeness during the duration of atrip.Di Cintiointerviews several taxi drivers from different backgrounds, and attempts to make sense of the role cabsplays in our culture,while also sheddinglight on those who drive them, often silently and anonymously.

• Marcello Di Cintio shares what it's like to separate from his wife of 19 years during the COVID-19 pandemic

Marcello Di Cintio is a writer from Calgary. His other books includeWallsandPay No Heed to the Rockets.Wallswonthe 2013 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. Hisworkcan also be found in the International New York Times, Afarand Canadian Geographic.

The Sunday Magazine22:53The secret lives of taxi drivers

In 'Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers', Marcello Di Cintio unearths the tales of a handful of Canadian cabbies, and he hears the stories you may miss if you don't pay attention.

The Girls Are AllSo Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Newfound freedom, insecurity, sexual competition these are the elements Laurie Elizabeth Flynn mixes together in her psychological thriller,The Girls Are All So Nice Here.The book is about two former best friends, Ambrosia and Sloane, who return to their college reunion to learn that they have been targeted by someone who wants revenge for what they did 10years before.

• Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's suspense novel The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a tale of toxic friendship

Flynn is a novelist based in London, Ont.She is also the author of the YA novelsFirsts,All Eyes on HerandLast Girl LiedTo.

The Next Chapter11:27Laurie Elizabeth Flynn on The Girls Are All So Nice Here

Laurie Elizabeth Flynn talks to Shelagh Rogers about her psychological thriller The Girls Are All So Nice Here.

Everyone Knows Your Motheris a Witch by RivkaGalchen

The story begins in 1618, in the German duchy of Wrttemberg. Plague is spreading and the Thirty Years' War has begun. In the small town of Leonberg, Katharina Kepler is accused of being a witch. Katharina is an illiterate widow, known by her neighbours for her herbal remedies and the success of her children enough to make anyone jealous.Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witchis astory of how a community becomes implicated in collective aggression and hysterical fear is a tale for our time. It illuminates a society and a family undone by superstition, the state and the mortal convulsions of history.

• Rivka Galchen's reimagining of a 17th century witch trial is a story that speaks to our time

Rivka Galchenis a Canadian American writer. She is also the author of the novelAtmospheric Disturbances. She lives in New York City.

Writers and Company52:03Rivka Galchens reimagining of a 17th century witch trial is a story that speaks to our time

The Canadian-born American novelist talks about magic and science and her new book about the real-life witch trial of the mother of 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler.

Bonnie Jack by Ian Hamilton

Bonnie Jackis a novel about a search for lost family and the cost of keeping secrets. As a boy, Jack Anderson was abandoned by his mother in a Glasgow movie theatre. Now living in the United States and facing his impending retirement, Jack and his wife Anne travel to Scotland to track down his long-lost sister. Along the journey, Jack gets entangled in local affairs and must confront the truth about his family, legacy and the wife he thought he knew.

• Ian Hamilton on that time he made a reader cry

Ian Hamilton is a Canadian mystery writer, a former journalist and civil servant. He is the author of both the Ava Lee series and the Uncle Chow Tung series.

The Next Chapter17:44Thomas King on Sufferance

Thomas King talks to Shelagh Rogers about his latest novel, Sufferance.

Accidentally Engagedby Farah Heron

Accidentally Engagedis the second romantic comedy from Farah Heron. InAccidentally Engaged,Reena Manji refuses to be attracted to the man her parents have set her up withthe charming and attractive Nadim. But when Reena gets the opportunity to enter a cooking competition, she will do anything to win includingpretendingto be engaged to Nadim.

• Farah Heron on why conflict is key when writing a romantic comedy

Heron is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the romantic comedyThe Chai Factor. Her first YA novel,Tahira in Bloom, will also be published in 2021.

Letters in a Bruised Cosmosby Liz Howard

Letters in a Bruised Cosmosis the secondcollection fromGriffin Poetry Prize winner Liz Howard.Letters in a Bruised Cosmosbrings together Westernand Indigenous astrophysical science to explore the nature of needingand connecting withothers. It's a collection that explores family, tragedy, triumph, love and the meaning of life.

• Griffin Poetry Prize winner Liz Howard on the indelible mark of northern Ontario

Howard is a poet from Ontario. Her debut poetry collection,Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent, won the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize.

Rebecca and Luciein the Case of the Missing Neighborby Pascal Girard

InRebecca and Luciein the Case of the Missing Neighbor,new mother Rebecca is on a quest to solve a local mystery. When her neighbour, and health care provider,Eduardo, goes missing, Rebecca is on the case. She juggles caring for her eight-month-old baby with detective work, including interviews and stakeouts.Rebecca and Luciein the Case of the Missing Neighboris a light-hearted look at post-partum life.

Pascal Girard is a comics creator from Montreal. He is also the author of the comicsNicolas, Bigfoot, ReunionandPetty Theft.

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

InFive Little Indians, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie were taken from their families and sent to a residential school when they were very small. Barely out of childhood, they are released and left to contend with the seedy world of eastside Vancouver. Fuelled by the trauma of their childhood, the five friends cross paths over the decades and struggle with the weight of their shared past.

Five Little Indianswon the2020 Governor General's Literary Award for fictionandthe 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award.

• Michelle Good on how residential schools fit into our national story

Michelle Good is a Cree writer and retired lawyer, as well as a member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.Five Little Indiansis her first book.

The Next Chapter12:27James Raffan on Ice Walker: A Polar Bear's Journey Through the Fragile Arctic

James Raffan talks to Shelagh Rogers about his book, Ice Walker: A Polar Bear's Journey Through the Fragile Arctic.

Sufferanceby Thomas King

Sufferanceis about Jeremiah Camp, a man who can look into the "heart of humanity" and see what's really causing society's biggest problems. But when he's seen one too many problems, he decides to go into hiding. But he can't escape his pasthe once made a list of 12 billionaires for a past job. When the men on this list start dying, one by one, people want to know why.

• Thomas King is hopeful that his writing has changed the world but he's still not sure

Thomas King is a Canadian American writer of Cherokee and Greek ancestry. He delivered the 2003 Massey Lectures,The Truth about Stories. His books includeGreen Grass, Running Water,Truth & Bright Water,The Inconvenient IndianandThe Back of the Turtle. He also writes the DreadfulWater mystery series.

Green Grass, Running Waterwas defended by Glen Murray onCanada Reads2004 andThe Inconvenient Indianwas defended by Craig Kielburger onCanada Reads2015.

The path to healing and reconciliation in Canada

3 years ago

Duration 2:21

A visual essay by award-winning Cree author David A. Robertson and Anishinaabe filmmaker Jordan Molaro reflecting on the path toward healing and reconciliation in Canada.

Stone Fruitby Lee Lai

Stone Fruitis a comic about a queer couple,Bron and Ray, and the ups and downs a relationship goes through as it begins to fall apart.Stone Fruitexplores family, identity and relationships through Bron and Ray's journey.

Lee Laiis an Australian cartoonist who now lives in Montreal.Stone Fruitis her first book.

The Creepby MichaelLapointe

InThe Creep, journalist Whitney Chase grapples with a mysterious compulsion to enhance her coverage with intriguing untruths and undetectable white lies. She calls it "the creep" an overpowering need to improve the story in the telling. And Whitneyhas a particular genius for getting away with it.

Set against the ramp-up to the US invasion of Iraq and the decline of print journalism,The Creepportrays an increasingly unequal 21st century exploring how deceitfulness, self-enhancement and confidently delivered lies can be transfused into fact and constitute a broader violence against the social fabric and public trust.

Michael LaPointe is a writer and critic from Toronto. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times and the Times Literary Supplement.

Day for Night by Jean McNeil

Day for Nightis a novel about a couple, Richard and Joanna, who are making a film about Walter Benjamin. Walter Benjamin was a Jewish German who killed himself while running from the Nazis in 1940. Richard and Joanna are making this movie on the eve of Brexit, and the unsettled political state, the intense experience of making a movie together and the charismatic actor they cast as Walter turn their lives upside down.

• Why Jean McNeil writes about her characters' dreams

Jean McNeil is a Canadian writer who lives in the U.K. She is the author of several books, includingIce Diaries: an Antarctic Memoir.Her storyThe Kusimade the2018 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist.

This Eden by Ed O'Loughlin

This Edenis a techno thriller about a man named Michael. Hegets caught up with a spy namedAoife and a wargamer named Towsewhen his girlfriend, a coder who was headhunted by a dangerous tech mogul, dies. The unlikely threesome end up on a chase around the world for the truth and for their lives.

• Ed O'Loughlin reignites love affair with Canada, snow and maps

Ed O'Loughlin is a Canadian author and journalist who currently lives in Dublin. His other books include the novelsNot Untrue and Not UnkindandMinds of Winter.Minds of Winterwas a finalist for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Pure Flameby MichelleOrange

Pure Flameis a reckoning with feminism, familyand motherhood. Michelle Orange learns about Jerome, one of her mother's many alter egos, and about her mother's midlife choice to leave her husband and children to pursue career opportunities in a bigger city. Through a blend of memoir, social history and cultural criticism,Pure Flametraces the forces that helped transform the world and what a woman might expect from it. Orange's account of her mother's life and their relationship results in a meditation on becoming, selfhood, freedom, mortality, storytelling and what it means to be a mother's daughter now.

Orange is a contributing editor to VQR and the author ofThis is Running for Your Life: Essays. Her writing has appeared in Harper's, the New York Times and other publications.

The Son of the Houseby Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia

The Son of the Houseis the story of two Nigerian women, the housemaid Nwabulu and the wealthy Julie. The two live very different lives, but when both are kidnapped and forced to spend days together in a dark, tiny room, they connect and keep hope alive through sharing their lives' stories, and finding common ground.

Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia is a lawyer, academic and writer who divides her time between Lagos and Halifax.The Son of the Houseis her first novel.

The Sister's Taleby Beth Powning

The Sister's Taleis the sister novel to Beth Powning'sThe Sea Captain's Wife. InThe Sister's Tale, Josephine Galloway, a sea captain's wife, is drawn to taking in a British home child named Flora. When Josephine suddenly becomes the manager of a boarding house, she is faced with bringing harmony, stability and peace to the lives of several women, including Flora's and her own.

• Beth Powning on writing novels with her eyes closed

Powning is a writer from New Brunswick. Her other books include the nonfiction workSeeds of Another Summer: Finding the Spirit of Home in Nature,the memoirShadow Child,and the novelsThe Hatbox LettersandThe Sea Captain's Wife.

The Sunday Magazine24:36Learning about love and loss through the death of a beloved father

Journalist Dan Robson explores what it means to lose a parent in his new memoir, Measuring Up.

Ice Walker by James Raffan

InIce Walker, explorer and adventurer James Raffan asks readers to look at the Arctic through the eyes of a polar bear named Nanu and her family. As climate change changes the Arctic, the bear must figure out how to find food and shelter for her family.Thelandscape that is warming up, andprecious ice is melting rapidly and everything is changing.

• Ice Walker a mother polar bear's precarious existence in the changing Arctic

Raffan is a writer, teacher, geographer and adventurer. He has written more than 20 books, includingCircling the Midnight Sun,Emperor of the NorthandSummer North of Sixty.His work has appeared in several Canadian media outlets, including the Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic and CBC. In 2020, Canadian Geographicnamed him one of the "90 most influential explorers in the nation's recorded history."

Ann Shin's documentary gives a voice to the refugee experience

9 years ago

Duration 2:40

Documentary filmmaker Ann Shin follows the real-life story about two men reunited in Canada 29 years after they met fighting on opposite sides of the Iran-Iraq war in her film My Enemy, My Brother.

Super Important Filipina ThoughtsbyAlia Ceniza Rasul

Super Important Filipina Thoughtsis the firstpoetry collection from comedian writer and performerAlia Ceniza Rasul.Rasulshares her funny and irreverent reflections on identity, family, relationships and her upbringing.

• What Alia Ceniza Rasuldiscovered after 450+ family Zoom calls during the pandemic

Rasul is an artist, producer, comedian, performer and writer from Toronto. She is a member of the comedy troupe theTita Collective.

Sugar Falls10th anniversary editionby David A. Robertson, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson

Sugar Fallsis based on the true story of Betty Ross, anelder from Manitoba's Cross Lake First Nation. Adopted into a loving family at a young age, Ross was sent to residential school at eight years of age and endured abuse while she was there.Sugar Fallsrecounts her journey in an age-accessible way, and highlights the role her father's teachings played in helping Ross to keep hope alive.

A 10th anniversary edition ofSugar Fallswas published in 2021.

• Cree author David A. Robertson on writing everything from graphic novels to a memoir

David A. Robertson, aCree author based in Winnipeg, writes books for readers of all ages. He has published 25 books across a variety of genres, including the graphic novelsWill I See?andSugar Falls, aGovernor General's Literary Award-winning picture book calledWhen We Were Alone,illustrated by Julie Flett, andThe Reckoner, a YA trilogy. In 2020 alone,Robertsonpublished three books: the memoirBlack Water, the graphic novelBreakdownand the middle-grade novelThe Barren Grounds.He also hostedthe CBCManitobapodcastKiwew.

Not Dark Yetby Peter Robinson

Not Dark Yetis the 27th book in the Inspector Banks mystery series by Peter Robinson. InNot Dark Yet, there's been a double murder on a property developer's luxury home. The owner has ties to the mafia and when the security camera reveals ties to even more crimes, the original murders that brought Banks on the scene look completely different.

• Peter Robinson reflects on writing his latest Inspector Banks mystery novel in a post-Brexit world

Robinson is a Canadian mystery writer. His books have won awards and have been translated into 20 languages. He's been called the master of the police procedural and with the latest Inspector Banks novelNot Dark Yet, he's up to book number 27 in the popular series.

Measuring Upby Dan Robson

Sportswriter Dan Robson always admired his father: a loving blue-collar man who worked hard and knew how to fix things. When his father dies, Dan is hit hard. He not only misses his father, but alsorealizes there is so much he never learned from him. So he decidesto learn all the skills his father had: plumbing carpentry, basic electrical workand more.Measuring Upis the story of Dan's father, their relationship, and how Dan found ways to keep his father's memory alive.

Dan Robson is the author ofQuinn: The Life of a Hockey Legend, and the co-author ofThe Crazy Gamewith Clint Malarchuk,Change Upwith Buck MartinezandKillerwith Doug Gilmour. He is currently asenior writer at The Athletic.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleepby Jocelyne Saucier, translated by Rhonda Mullins

Gladys is an old woman determined to end her life on her own terms. She's lived in the Ontario town of Swastika for the past 50 years. She leaves the townand her daughterbehind when she takes the train north. But where doesshe go? An unnamed narrator tells Gladys' story inAnd Miles to Go Before I Sleep.

• Rhonda Mullins on why being a literary translator can be both challenging and fulfilling

Jocelyne Saucier is a novelist from New Brunswick. Three out of her four novels have been finalists for the Governor General's Literary Awards. Dancer and presenter Genevive Gurard championed her fourth novel,Il pleuvait des oiseaux, during the 2013 edition ofLe combat national des livres. Two years later, the novel's English translation,And the Birds Rained Down, was defended by folk singer Martha Wainwright onCanada Reads.

Rhonda Mullins is a writer and translator living in Montreal. She won the 2015 Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation forJocelyne Saucier'sTwenty-One Cardinals. She has also translated Louis Carmain'sGuano, lise Turcotte'sGuyana,Herv Fischer'sThe Decline of the Hollywood Empireand Julie Demers'sLittle Beast.

The Last Exilesby Ann Shin

The Last Exilesis a novel set in North Korea. It's about two young lovers, Jin and Suja. They meet in university, but their class differences become apparent when they return home and may keep them apart. When Jin sees how much his family is struggling, he decides to escape. When Suja discovers this, she sets after him, and what unfolds is a dangerous and precarious journey for them both.

Ann Shin is a writer and filmmaker from Toronto. Her documentary films includeMy Enemy, My BrotherandThe Defector: Escape from North Korea. My Enemy, My Brotherwas nominated for an Academy Award in 2014. She has directed programs for several television networks, including CBC. She is also the author of three poetry collections.The Last Exilesis her first novel.

Green Glass Ghostsby Rae Spoon, illustrated by Gem Hall

Green Glass Ghostsis a YA novelabout gender identity and seeking a better life. When a queer young person leaves behind a troubled home situation, they arrive in downtown Vancouver with a dream of becoming a successful musician. But the protagonist must navigate jealousy, abuse and trauma to reach their desired outcome in life playing live music in front of a crowd.

Rae Spoon is a non-binary musician, producer and author from Calgary, who currently lives in Victoria. Their otherbooks includeFirst Spring Grass FireandGender Failure,which was co-written with Ivan Coyote.

Gem Hall is an interdisciplinary artist currently based on Coast Salish lands.

What You Areby M.G. Vassanji

Inthe short story collectionWhat You Are,two-time Giller Prize winner M.G.Vassanji engages with the intellectual and political questions that inspire him as a writer and a citizen, while always matching the energy of his ideas with the empathy and emotional depth he invests in his characters.What You Areweavesbetween wistful memories of youthful ambition and the compromises and comforts of age in 15 compelling stories.

• M.G. Vassanji on the sentence that changed his life

Vassanji is an author from Toronto. He has published short stories, novels, memoir and biography. He has won the Scotiabank Giller Prize twice: in 1994 forThe Book of Secretsand in 2003 forThe In-Between World of Vikram Lall.He is a member of the Order of Canada and has been awarded several honorary doctorates. His novelNostalgiawas defended onCanada Reads2017 by Jody Mitic.

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

JonnyAppleseedis a novel about a two-spirit Indigiqueer young manwho has left the reserve and becomes a cybersex worker in the big city to make ends meet. But hemust reckon with his past when he returns home to attend his stepfather's funeral.

Jonny Appleseedwon Canada Reads 2021, when it was championed by actor Devery Jacobs.

Jonny Appleseedwas also onthe longlist for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prizeand the shortlist for the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction and was afinalist for theAmazon Canada First Novel Award.

• Why Joshua Whitehead wroteJonny Appleseed

Joshua Whitehead is a two-spirit, Oji-nhiyaw member of Peguis First Nation, currently pursuing his PhD. He is also the author of the poetry collectionfull-metalindigiqueerand is the editor of the anthologyLove afterthe End.JonnyAppleseedis his first novel.

Welcome Homeby Najwa Zebian

Najwa Zebianis a poet who has gained a loyal following online for her moving and inspirational poems.Zebian's personal story is as powerful as her poetry. She came to Canada from Lebanon when she was 16 years old, andwas facedwith the challenge of figuring out who she was in a new country and who she wanted to be, whilealso dealing with racism and societal pressures.Welcome Homeis her first work of nonfiction.It combines Zebian's personal story with poetry and writing to inspirereaders to live with vulnerability and authenticity.

• Why poet Najwa Zebian shredded her first writing journal

Najwa Zebian is a Lebanese Canadianactivist, educator and writer. Her books include the poetry collectionsMind Platter, The Nectar of PainandSparks of Phoenix.

This Place: 150 Years Retold

This Placeis an anthology of comics featuring the work of Indigenous creatorsas theyretellthe history of Canada. Elements of fantasy and magical realism are incorporated throughout the book, tellingthe stories of characters like Jack Fiddler,an Anishinaabe shaman facing murder charges, and Rosie,an Inuk girl growing up during the Second World War.

This Placewas adapted into a 10-episode podcast for CBC Books.

• This Place podcast, hosted by Rosanna Deerchild, explores 150 years of Indigenous resistance and resilience

Contributors includeKateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Sonny Assu, Brandon Mitchell, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley,David A. Robertson, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Jen Storm,Richard Van Camp,Katherena Vermette, Chelsea Vowel, Tara Audibert, Kyle Charles, GMB Chomichuk, Natasha Donovan, Scott B. Henderson, Ryan Howe, Andrew Lodwick,Scott A. Ford, Donovan Yaciuk and Alicia Elliott.