Category Archives: Displays

Redpath Book Display: Works of Fiction by BIPOC authors

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According to McGill’s International Student Services, as of the 2020-2021 academic year, there are 11,942 international students enrolled at McGill from over 150 countries. In order to celebrate our internationally diverse study body, this month’s Redpath Book Display is dedicated to works of fiction by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) authors from a wide variety of countries. Our physical book display in the Redpath Library features works such as:

Hot Comb, by Ebony Flowers, is a graphic novel and collection of stories that examine the coming of age of a young Black girl living in the United States.

Celestial Bodies, by Omani author Jūkhah Ḥārithī, won the Man Booker Prize and tells the story of three sisters growing up in the village of al-Awafi.

No Knives in the Kitchens of this City, by Khālid Khalīfah, is set in Aleppo, Syria, between the 1960s and the 2000s and examines the lives of one family during that time period.

Harbart, by Nabāruṇa Bhaṭṭācārya, is a beloved cult novel in India, translated from Bengali into English for the first time.

Ms Ice Sandwich, by Mieko Kawakami, is a novella by an up-and-coming Japanese author.

Blackass, by A. Igoni Barrett, is set in Lagos, Nigeria, and is about a Black man who wakes up on the morning of a job interview to discover that he has turned into a white man.

In the Pond, by Ha Jin, is a piece of satire about a Chinese factory worker who becomes famous for drawing a political cartoon.

Five Little Indians, by Michelle Good, is a timely look at Canadian residential schools by a Cree writer, poet, and lawyer.

In addition to our physical book display, we have also curated a list of works of fiction by BIPOC authors in e-book format on the OverDrive platform. If you are in the mood for some romantic comedies to read over the holiday season, or simply to give yourself a break during exam period, then be sure to check out works such as:

Take a Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy, by Alyssa Cole

You Had Me at Hola, by Alexis Daria

Heart Principle, by Helen Hoang

Dial A for Aunties, by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The Startup Wife, by Tahmima Anam

If you would rather read fast-paced thrillers and mysteries, then look no further than the following reads:

My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite

When No One Is Watching, by Alyssa Cole

Leave the World Behind, by Rumaan Alam

The Case of the Missing Auntie, by Michael Hutchinson

Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

American Spy, by Lauren Wilkinson

The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris

No matter your taste in literature, we are confident you will find a great read from one of these amazing BIPOC authors!

Canadian Indigenous Picture Books: Selections from the ECRC

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The Education Curriculum Resources Centre (ECRC) contains a curated collection of books and other formats to support the Faculty of Education curriculum. The Canadian Indigenous Picture Books: Selections from the ECRC exhibition showcases picture books, written by Canadian Indigenous authors. The book selections contain publications from Indigenous perspectives from across Canadian provinces and territories. The selections in the exhibition are contained in this bibliography: https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org:443/list/18108355.

Picture books or picture story books combine illustrations with short narratives and their audience is usually young children. The imagery in a picture book helps bring the story to life and assists beginning readers to follow the storyline. Picture books are essential teaching and learning resources and have been recognized for their ability to engage students and teach self-awareness.

I have highlighted two book selections in this post. One of the featured authors is C.J. Taylor, an acclaimed artist and children’s author of Mohawk heritage who was born in Montreal in the 1950s and raised in the Eastern Townships. C.J. Taylor credits Tundra Books’ publisher May Cutler for her support and encouragement to enable her work to be first published. Read more about C.J. Taylor in the Canadian Review of Materials profile: https://www.cmreviews.ca/cm/profiles/taylor.html

Taylor, C. J. (2004). Peace walker: the legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita. Tundra Books.

Also included, is Inuit storyteller, Michael Kusugak’s picture book entitled My Arctic 1,2,3. This counting book introduces its readers to arctic animals, landscapes and people. Read more about Michael Kusugak on his website: https://www.michaelkusugak.com/

Kusugak, M., & Krykorka, V. (1996). My Arctic 1, 2, 3. Annick Press.

The ECRC picture books are superimposed over a series of Canadian Indigenous maps created and published by Aaron Carapella called “Tribal Nations Maps”. Tribal Nations Maps is a U.S. Indigenous company dedicated to representing all historical Indigenous nations across the Western Hemisphere, using traditional and given tribal names. The Tribal Nations Maps are located in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Map Room (second floor) and are available by consultation only.

https://www.tribalnationsmaps.com/store/c6/Canada.html

The exhibition Canadian Indigenous Picture Books: Selections from the ECRC will be on display in the Redpath Exhibition display cases from November 5, 2021 until the end of the month. For more information about this exhibition, please contact sharon.rankin@mcgill.ca, Education Liaison Librarian, McGill University Library.

Redpath Book Display: Cundill History Prize

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Each year the Cundill History Prize, administered by McGill University and selected by an international jury, recognizes a book that “embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality and broad appeal.” It is the most lucrative prize of its kind, with winners receiving an award of US$75,000 and two runners-up receiving US$10,000.

This year’s finalists are:

  • Rebecca Clifford, Survivors: Children’s Lives After the Holocaust (Yale UP)
  • Marie Favereau, The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press)
  • Marjoleine Kars, Blood on the River: a Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast (The New Press)

The winner will be announced December 2nd.

The Cundill History Prize Book Display in Redpath

To highlight the achievements of this year’s nominees, as well as those of previous years, the Humanities and Social Sciences Library has put together a book display on the main floor of the Redpath Library Building. It consists of longlisted, shortlisted, and finalist titles from the past several years. Please take a look and borrow one today!