The 1990's have seen an elevated interest of Black history in Canada. The African-American community has been profoundly touched by its own writers. African-Canadians are winning great recognition and awards for their writing of history, poetry, film, prose and criticism. The achievements of these talented people are finally being recognized, and deservedly so. Their talents are great and the Black community's future is like a beacon in the night. Here, I will reveiew a few books that are essential reading for all those interested in Black history.
Land To Light On
Author: Dianne Brand Publisher: McClelland & Steward Inc., Toronto, Ontario ISBN: 0-7710-1645-X
Winner of the 1997 Governor General's Award for Poetry
Excerpt:
No one writes about this country like Brand, free of post colonial cant not yet salvaged with Black suffering in the Americas. Speaking of memory without a longing for the past, these poems hover between story and song; between groundings of life, wherever your landfall, and the grace of love and light. they ring with a poet's hesitations, a woman's praise and prayer for her people and their place. "It always takes long to come to what you have to say, you have to sweep this stretch of land up around your feet and point to the signs, pleat whole histories with pins in your mouth and guess at the fall of words...
Any Known Blood
Author: Lawrence Hill Publisher: Harper Collins Publishing Ltd., Toronto, Ontario ISBN: 0-00-224567-1
Excerpt from the dust jacket:
Langston Crane V is 38, divorced and childless, and has just been fired for sabotaging a government official's speech. The eldest son of a white mother and prominent black father, Langston feels more accutely than ever the burden of his illustrious family name. After a run-in with his father in Oakville, Langston takes off for Baltimore, where he embarks on a remarkable quest for his family's past - and his own sense of self.
This book is witty and sensuous. The author slips effortlessly from the slave trade of 19th Century Virginia to the modern predominantly white suburbs of Oakville, Ontario, which was once a final stop on the Underground Railroad. The book is rich in historic detail and gives life to a never before told story. It sweeps across five generations of a Black Canadian family whose triumphs and tragedies merge with the American experience. "Any Known Blood" is an engrossing tale of one man's attempt to find himself through his roots.
No Crystal Stair
Author: Mairuth Sarsfield Publisher: Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd.
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