On June 27, we’re celebrating Multiculturalism Day! This is an annual opportunity to celebrate, honour and uplift all the unique cultures and individuals that enrich our country and communities. This week, we’ve curated a list of fantastic new and forthcoming books by multicultural authors publishing in Canada, or that celebrate the mosaic of cultures and perspectives in the country.
Looking for more ways to celebrate? Check out this interactive map of activities across the country!
Nonfiction
Out of Hiding: Holocaust Literature of British Columbia by Alan Twigg (Ronsdale Press)
Out of Hiding collects eye-witness Holocaust stories from authors based in British Columbia with the goal of ensuring the stories survive. The collection is dedicated to Dutch-born survivor Robert Krell, who has been a tireless and passionate activist for Holocast education in Canada.
Braided Learning: Illuminating Indigenous Presence through Art and Story by Susan D. Dion (UBC Press)
In Braided Learning, Lenape-Potawatomi educator Susan Dion inspires engagement with the histories and perspectives of Indigenous peoples. As Deb St. Amant, elder-in-residence (Faculty of Education, Queen’s University), blurbs: “Each reader will take away the parts of the stories that are important to them, just like listeners do when we hear stories in the lodge from our elders.”
Muddy People: A Muslim Coming of Age by Sara El Sayed (Greystone Books)
In her debut memoir, Sara El Sayed shares stories of growing up in an Egyptian-Muslim household. After leaving Egypt when she was only six years old, Sara and her family had to come together and learn to navigate their new home.
Burnt Snow: My Years Living and Working with the Dene of the Northwest Territories by Kieran Moore (Hancock House)
A powerful new memoir by Kieran Moore, an Irish immigrant who, for five years, was partially raised by a Métis family in Winnipeg. Burnt Snow captures stories about life in the North. The author collected the stories in this book while travelling from community to community—by foot, floatplane, dogsled and ice road!