BOOKS OF THE TIMES

Books that take us in new direction and help us understand the world around us.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge (Bloomsbury)

Eddo-Lodge is a British blogger whose 2014 essay of the same name is now a powerful — and timely — book on race issues where she takes on discussions of white privilege, structural racism and the failure of white feminism. The Star’s review said “her uncompromising prose is not only welcome but essential for the survival of western democracies.”

Seven Fallen Feathers, Tanya Talaga (Anansi)

Seven Indigenous students went to Thunder Bay to attend high school. All of them died. Star reporter Tanya Talaga takes a look at the circumstances surrounding their deaths — while doing so, she also puts a personal face and story to many of the political and social issues facing First Nations people today, including the lack of funding for education, such that Indigenous children have to be sent away to receive the opportunity of a high school diploma.

Curry, Naben Ruthnum (Coach House)

“Curry is life,” the Star’s reviewer wrote about this short, five-essay volume that explores what it means to be brown in our society. Curry is the ultimate metaphor — there are as many different curries out there as there are dishes, but they all seem to get lumped together as one taste, kind of like books about brown people. Ruthnum takes a look at the cultural touchstones that define that sense of identity. “It’s fun to watch him think,” the Star said.

The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King (Doubleday Canada)

Originally published in 2012, this book’s been perennially on the Canadian bestsellers list. A lot has happened since then, as King points out in an afterward for this gorgeous new illustrated edition. The book, of course, looks at the relationship between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people over centuries. The history inside is as important as it is now beautiful.