Published at 1:27 am. Updated at 11:00 a.m.
Qimmik, Michel Jean
“I couldn’t wait to find Michel Jean’s pen again because I’ve read everything he’s written so far. Every time there is something that moves me, that moves me. He has the gift of writing words from the heart. He always allows us to discover parts of the history of indigenous peoples that we know less about because we were not taught about them or because they were hidden from us. It is with great humility that we acknowledge the pain of our ancestors’ trials. And for me that always creates awareness. This also means truth and reconciliation taking the time to engage with stories inspired by real events that indigenous peoples have suffered. »
Qimmik
Free expression
224 pages
The version that no one cares about, Emmanuelle Pierrot
“When I was 14, I went to the Yukon and Dawson City to learn English. The description of the small village is so apt that I felt like I was walking through the streets again. What blew me away in a first novel and what I found extraordinary was the rhythm and casualness of the writing. I liked that it was raw and unfiltered, I liked this foray into the punk lifestyle; It sometimes reminded me of “The Goddess of the Fireflies” by Geneviève Pettersen, which I loved. […] I’m still so attached to Sacha’s character that I want to cry with her out of anger and injustice; and she succeeds in the translation. It’s rare that it happens to me like this. »
The version that no one cares about
The Quarter
320 pages
Hotline, Dimitri Nasrallah
“We are with a woman who is separated from her husband, who disappeared amid the civil war in Lebanon. She emigrates to Canada with her son and the journey becomes the journey of a mother who leaves everything behind. […] What struck me were the parallels we can draw with the reality of newcomers, this mother’s resilience, her devotion to her child. It should be included as required reading in the curriculum. […] I would place this book alongside Where I Hide by Caroline Dawson and What I Know About You by Éric Chacour. It is a story of uprooting and rooting that gave me back my faith in humanity. »
Hotline
The people
376 pages