Matt D'Alessandro
"Boy Erased was one of my all time favourite reads as I really could connect with the relationship that Garrard and his mom shared. Although my experiences may have been different from Garrard’s, I think everyone can connect beyond the memoir’s context about staying true to your identity, even if it means enduring hardships such as breaking important bonds within your life.”
Rosalyn Martin
"I picked up Fairly Equal: Lawyering the Feminist Revolution last summer after writing a paper about gender and Canadian law. A biography of a woman's struggle to become a lawyer in the 1960s, her journey in changing policy to recognize a females assets or need for marital support in a divorce, as well as her involvement in educating other women on their rights as a Canadian citizen, in a time that it was taboo for women to be independent. I would highly recommend this read to any person who is passionate about ending gender violence and oppression, intersectional feminism and lack of it in Canadian policy or considering a career in law. I was lucky enough to meet the author, Linda Silver-Dranoff, this summer and sat down to speak with her about her experiences as a female lawyer in the 1970's, her fight for equality in the law and her views on intersectional feminism! As a key player in the uphill battle for gender equality under the law in Canada, Linda advocates for vigilance and sisterhood to continue the fight for female representation in the law and has been awarded the Order of Canada for her work.
Fairly Equal is one of my favourite reads, as it continuously inspires me to pursue a career in Canadian and International law whilestrengthening my advocacy for the representation of gender in policy across Canada!”
Sagal Sharma
“A friend once told me they make a conscious effort to read books and novels with marginalized people at the forefront of the content - from the characters, to the stories, to the authors. I had never really thought about that. How the stories I had grown up with and devoured from Nancy Drew to Harry Potter to (ashamed, but admittedly) Twilight were telling stories that I could connect with, but did not always have characters I truly identified with.
Since my friend mentioned that, I became more aware of the books and stories that I read. Zadie Smith is one of those authors I have chosen consciously to pick-up and I feel so incredibly grateful as her words and stories have a way of evoking such a strong sense of feeling and relatability. Now, even though the main character's story starts with a love of dancing (something I absolutely cannot do), I found that the central core of the story was something I could deeply connect with. It touched on the pressure to do right by your family and where you come from and how a connection can form with someone over the shared colour of your skin was - these simple every day things that I deal with and I really appreciated the beautiful nature of the story. If reading a book is a daunting task, I really recommend reading some of Smith’s essays in The New Yorker (you can find them all online!).”
Alissa Enns
“I love that Asking For It unapologetically calls out the ways that rape culture exists within our institutions, but also shares the work of activists who are fighting for change - that makes me feel hopeful.”