Emancipation Day

Canada is becoming a grand melange of colours and cultures In my own family, for instance, my daughters have Chinese origins, two grandchildren have African Asian and Anglo roots, my wife s mother comes from a middle eastern family and my daughter in law is Ghanaian But this comfort with diversity was much less common in our country s past We have a sad history of blocking Chinese immigration, refusing Jewish refugees, forcing Indians onto reservations and into residential schools, interning Jap [...]

I remember my mother in law once telling me about how the singer actress Dinah Shore gave birth to a black baby, and although it nearly broke up her marriage, her white husband ended up accepting the boy was his although they did secretly give the baby up for adoption after it was discovered that Shore had a black ancestor somewhere along the line My mother in law wasn t telling me this story because she was horrified by the image of a white woman having a black baby she was simply sharing a wei [...]

I loved how Mr Grady flowed the story with the characters, as if it happened , so believable I live near a Black historical museum and the whole history of it s race is sad to hear, I was born at Grace hospital in Windsor, so I totally was not putting this book down till it was finished 2 days It kept me wondering , what the characters would do with theirs lives as there history unraveled on the pages thanks for writing this book , and giving it to me to read, I am thankful to the author and the [...]

Emancipation Day is written by a Canadian author it is a novel inspired by the author s parents and his own life The settings in the story are mainly Canadian Newfoundland, Toronto, and Windsor but there are many references to Windsor s neighbouring US city, Detroit It is easy to enjoy a book which reflects sights and places one is familiar with therefore reading Emancipation Day was pure joy When Hiram Walker was first mentioned in the book, I did not have to contemplate whether Hiram Walker is [...]

I met Wayne at a writer s conference and the first thing he asked me when he met me was did you read my book to which i responded did you read mine Since that day, i ve been thinking about Wayne, and promising myself that I would read his book at least one of them so that if when we meet again, I can tell him, yes, why, yes, I did read your book I started with Emancipation Day because it takes place in the Windsor, my home city I quite like Grady s writing pulled me along and forced me to keep a [...]

A quick read about race and identity, as odd as that sounds Who we think we are and who others think we are is often not one and the same, and Emancipation Day examines this through several points of view The main character is Jack Jackson to his family Lewis, a sailor in the Canadian Navy during WWII He meets and marries Vivian, a pretty young volunteer at the Knights of Columbus hall where his band plays Vivian sees Jack as a Frank Sinatra type crooner, and it isn t until they marry and go to [...]

Although I felt Vivian s character s reactions to situations were somewhat unlikely I did very much enjoy the book Good insights to race relations and struggles of the period Not sure I understand the strength of conviction of Della s view towards the end of the book that society s reaction to inter marriage etc was seen as all ok now as it wasn t then and still is not really and whether that was the authors view or whether he was just demonstrating the diversity of opinion then and now It devel [...]

I found this book to be a very unique piece of work, about the inability of one to find himself and his place within society and the lack of acceptance of his heritage I found that I struggled through the first few chapters of this novel, but as the story started to develop, I was eager to read on and found myself absorbed in the lives and relationships of those in the novel.

One of the most devastating final sentences of any book I ever read.

This was a book that was recommended to me, and when I read that it was set around WWII and steeped in the jazz and be bop movement that was popular at that time, I just couldn t resist it When I found out that it was also a book that made the 2013 Giller prize long list and was nominated a Globe and Mail Best Book, I knew I had to read it The book is about much than WWII and the big band and jazz era It is a book about families, and father and son relationships It s a book about Canada and how [...]

At times I thought this book was just okay Many times I was confused by where the author was going with the story line.going back and forth between present and past However, upon finishing the book I must say it was brilliant Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in another races skin Jackson, the main character in this novel, pretty much does just that The final chapter, and even so, the final line dialogue in this novel is epic I thought at first I would rate this a five star b [...]

Jack Lewis, a Navy musician stationed in St John s, Nfld, during WWII, meets Vivian and marries her despite her family s misgivings After the war, they set off for Windsor, Ont to meet Jack s family before they decide where they will live It is in Windsor that Vivian starts discovering that there is much Jack has not told her and that much of what he has is not the truth.Jack s biggest secret, revealed to the reader in the first quarter of the book, is that he is passing as white His entire life [...]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through the first giveaways and I am so happy that I won a copy of this novel by Wayne Grady The book just drew me in right away and kept me wanting as I read on there are so many highs and lows when it comes to the emotional ties you make with the characters in this story Wayne Grady depicts the struggles that were faced in the early post second world war years and how a young couple who barely knew each other were able to make it through the ear [...]

This story started out as a 5 star read, until I got about half way through It became a bit unbelievable.Young Jack is a navy musician and is stationed in Newfoundland during WWII He meets Vivian and they marry against her family s wishes There is something about Jack that they don t like, but can t really pin point the reason.The couple travels to Windsor where Jack s family lives Vivian is very anxious to meet his family and when she is introduced to his mother and siblings, she becomes a bit [...]

I read Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady over just a couple days, following a pretty lengthy reading slump I don t read a lot of historical fiction, but Grady s book had rave reviews, including a Giller nomination, so I decided to try it out Despite taking place during the 1940s and 50s, Emancipation Days is extremely current with the tackling of race issues In it, Jack Lewis meets Vivian Clift while stationed in Newfoundland, and the two fall in love and marry, despite her family s disapproval Af [...]

I know that Canada as we know it today didn t become fully formed until long after our departure from England And I know that WWII impacted the world in myriad ways and places, but at the same time I think of WWII almost exclusively as Europe And when I think of racial issues in Canada, I think about residential schools, internment camps and head taxes This story, told through alternating POV, reminds you that Canada as a country did not include Newfoundland until almost 1950, and that we were j [...]

Often I find that books start off really strong, but then they drag or the end is disappointing Emancipation Day was the opposite for me I found the beginning a bit slow and the first third quite ordinary But the book got better and better especially when Vivian and Jack go to Windsor and we get far insight into the complex race relations at the heart of the story And without giving anything away, the last chapter especially the last few paragraphs is brilliant, sad and especially poignant beca [...]

I received a free copy of Emancipation Day via a giveaway I enjoyed this book I found it sad how someone could have such hatred for their ethnic heritage but since this story is set in a time I don t understand, a time when the colour of a person skin made a significant difference in lifestyle and opportunities there could be merit to those feelings Thank you and thank you Wayne Grady.

I liked this story, and the way the author moved from character to character, and his descriptive language was really good.And, perhaps my favorite part of the book, was the ending.d the fact that, in this case, the author did not tie everything up in a pretty bow but left me pondering.Well done Mr Grady.

An intelligent well written powerful book Sure it is about race and World War 2 and jazz but it ends up being about very real people brought to life by this first time novelist albeit, an accomplished experienced writer Strongly recommended.

This book shows very well the Canadian experience vis a vis race, segregation and discrimination at the time Wayne Grady is an excellent writer, and he captures not only the times but also the feelings and perspectives of the characters.

Wayne Grady s writing style is wonderful every word seems to be well chosen, pulling visuals into the reader s mind.A story of belonging and not belonging, full of surprises.Jack Jackson navigates through a life of lies.

I just finished reading this book, Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady It only came on my Reading radar due to One Book One Community in Waterloo Region What a thought provoking book This book comes on the heels of the explosion regarding ones heritage and ethnicity We have had several articles recently regarding this issue in social media, newspapers and television, etc From Joseph Boyden Boyden writes superbly on Native American heritage One Day Road, Through Black Spruce and The Orenda who is now [...]

This book explores racial issues in the mid 20th century and one man s struggle to find out who he is within the confines of prejudice his own and society s It s a slower read that uses three points of view Vivian, Jack and William Henry, Jack s father Each of these POVs helped to tell the story but William Henry was the only character whom I felt I got to know decently I had expected to like this book much than I did For a book that deals with emotional and heated issues self identity, racism, [...]

This book explores racial issues in the mid 20th century and one man s struggle to find out who he is within the confines of prejudice his own and society s It s a slower read that uses three points of view Vivian, Jack and William Henry, Jack s father Each of these POVs helped to tell the story but William Henry was the only character whom I felt I got to know decently I had expected to like this book much than I did For a book that deals with emotional and heated issues self identity, racism, [...]

Emancipation Day is the One Book, One Community book selection in my area for 2017 so I wanted to read it I must say that I found it hard to get into the book, but eventually found the rhythm and message of Grady s book The book introduces many topics parenting, racial tensions, history, life, denial, family, expectations, etc and yet Grady weaves his text in such a way that he never tells you what to think He simply presents the ideas, thoughts and concepts A thought is a window you got to look [...]

I read this as part of KW s OBOC event this year, and thought that the themes of the book around race and family relations really compelling and interesting The book as a package is great, and i would definitely recommend it.However, after sitting in the authors book discussion, I found his own relations and perspectives on race to be equal parts enlightening and troubling That leaves me in a weird place on what to think of this book Overall, the reading experience was positive, but some of the [...]

Told from 3 different perspectives, this is a story that exposes the underbelly of race relations in Canada from post world war 1 until the mid fifties Jack Lewis, his wife Vivian and his father William Henry are the narrators of their stories and it is through their perspectives that the drama unfolds I have to admit that I felt empathy with Jack s family than I did for him while at the same time understanding that I have no frame of reference for how difficult it must have been to live as a w [...]

Waterloo region s one book one community for 2017 It was a book about living in the space between absolutes The protagonist is born with white skin to a black family living in Windsor The time frame is the transition from WWII to peace in Canada The book caused me to ponder the importance of family, race, time, and place to how we view ourselves and our place in society Growing up in Southwestern Ontario with Windsor as the big metropolis and the gateway into the US, it made me realize how I was [...]

It s hard to believe this novel is Grady s first foray into fiction The story grabs the reader from the outset The characters are fully developed and memorable I learned a lot about Emancipation Day a celebration and holiday I was not aware of before picking up this book The novel explores racism, Canada U.S relations, set against the backdrop of the first World War It leaves the reader pondering many questions and that s a good thing Grady has succeeded in offering an entertaining and well craf [...]