Black Canadian AuthorsLike this list

18 items

• Washington Black

  Edugyan, Esi,

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  ​Told as a memoir from the perspective of a former slave, Washington Black is a magnificent coming-of-age story that reads like a 19th century adventure with a contemporary edge. Lush, poignant, and challenging, this is an unforgettable read.

• Theory

  a Novel

  Brand, Dionne, 1953-

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  Searing and witty, Theory tackles themes of love, race, and gender like an academic dissertation. Dionne Brand has crafted a profound exploration of the tension between romance and intellect.

• Team Fugee

  McLean, Dirk, 1956-

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  At his new school in Canada, Ozzie and the other Nigerian kids compete for time on the soccer field with Victor’s team of Syrian refugees. A match between the two teams creates an opportunity for a school soccer program. Can Ozzie and Victor unite…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Africville

  Grant, Shauntay,

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  Africville was a black community in Halifax that existed for over 150 years. This book explores a place that was vibrant culturally, but at the same time reveals the social injustices Black Canadians have faced and continue to face.

• Things Are Good Now

  Stories

  Ibrahim, Djamila, 1975-

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  Ibrahim weaves powerful and compassionate meditation on the immigrant experience through this collection of short stories. With gorgeous and insightful prose, each narrative highlights the challenges of migrating to the West in a post 9/11 world.

• How to Make Love to a Negro (without Getting Tired)

  a Novel

  Laferrière, Dany

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  The Haitian-Canadian writer’s first novel is a brilliant and funny satire about race and sex.

• Fifteen Dogs

  An Apologue

  Alexis, André, 1957-

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  2015 Giller Prize winner imagines man’s best friend with human cognitive skills. Enchanting and intensely moving.

• Elijah of Buxton

  Curtis, Christopher Paul

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  This Newbery honour book is the gripping adventure story of Elijah, the first freeborn child of escaped slaves in a settlement just across the border from Detroit.

• The Alchemists of Kush

  Inspired by True Stories : the Acclaimed Novel

  Minister Faust,

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  An electrifying novel that weaves parallel stories following the lives of two boys – one living in present day Edmonton and the other living 7,000 years ago in ancient Egypt.

• Soucouyant

  [a Novel of Forgetting]

  Chariandy, David John, 1969-

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  A lyrical coming-of-age story about a son’s experiences caring for his elderly Trinidad-born mother and the revelations about her tragic past.

• This Book Betrays My Brother

  Molope, Kagiso Lesego, 1976-

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  This winner of the Ottawa Book Awards prize for English Fiction explores the singular difficulty of navigating the brutal politics around sexual assault in a rural South Africa community.

• Frying Plantain

  Stories

  Reid-Benta, Zalika, 1990-

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  Longlisted for the 2019 Giller Prize, Reid-Benta’s luminous debut short story collection captures the life experiences of being young, Black, and a child of immigrants in Canada.

• All Aboard!

  Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine

  Kulling, Monica

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  The true story of a son of escaped slaves who came to Canada and eventually became a mechanical engineer and inventor.

• Love Enough

  a Novel

  Brand, Dionne, 1953-

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  Brand’s poetic and dreamlike novel follows the intersecting stories of men and women struggling with love and life in Toronto.

• The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

  Philippe, Ben,

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  The hilarious coming of age story of a black Quebecois francophone teenager with the misfortune of finding himself attending high school in Texas.

• The Big Bed

  Laditan, Bunmi,

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  A precocious preschooler finds creative and unexpected ways to avoid sleeping in her own little bed.

• Fate of Flames

  Raughley, Sarah,

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  The Effigies, including our heroine Maia, are powerful figures imbued with elemental gifts. The Effigies are crucial in the fight to fend off evil phantoms that threaten our world.

• Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged

  Warner, Jody, 1969-

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  This is the story of the first woman to grace a Canadian banknote. A great, empowering story.