Scarborough

by Catherine Hernandez

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

SP FICT Hern

Genres

General Fiction

Collection

Michael C. Weidemann LGBT Library at Gay City

Publication

Arsenal Pulp Press (2017), 272 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. HTML: In Scarborough, a low-income urban neighborhood, three kids struggle to rise above poverty, abuse, and a system that consistently fails them. The adults in their lives either rise to the occasion or fall by the wayside; together, they make up a troubled yet inspired community that refuses to be undone..

User reviews

LibraryThing member lydia1879

Do you ever read the acknowledgements of a book because you love it so much and you don't want it to end? Because, yeah, I just did that.

I think I cried in this book four separate times. The fact that this is a debut novel FLOORS me.

This book is a story about a community, Scarborough, in Toronto

and it's told from multiple perspectives. I could say "this book is redemption and love and resileniece all at once" but that doesn't really make a point, because Hernandez takes many people in a community and makes you know them, and all their little struggles and strife and how they rise against the day-to-day grind.

Hernandez takes a community and paints it with a mother's love, warts and all. This has First Nations representation and disability representation and queer representation...ALL the representation. All of it.

tw: child abuse, domestic abuse, substance abuse

I loved Laura, Sylvie, Bing, Marie and I'm a mess because her writing was so good I read it in two days.

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6 more

LibraryThing member tinkerbellkk

This was a collection of very sad stories. The circumstances surrounding each of the families portrayed in the book was difficult to read given that there are many people living like this in the suburbs of Toronto. Growing up in Scarborough as a child, it was tough to read this book and for me to

hear references of my normal blue collar family being looked down on for having memorable childhood experiences and food on the table while others not so far away were struggling to have basic necessities. I suppose as a society now we are far more aware of our surroundings then in the early 70's when we lived without internet or social media and you maintained your life within your own small neighbourhoods. Interesting perspective that I think is worth reading. But it is certainly not an uplifting read.

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LibraryThing member LynnB

This is a powerful story of community. It is told through several perspectives and these multiple voices build a picture of what it is like to belong to a community. In this case, that community is multicultural and working-poor, The author does a great job of portraying the struggles of these

families, and the heartbreak parents often experience about being unable to provide their children with everything they need. It shows the great damage done by addiction. It shows how life can become an unbearable struggle and also how small acts of kindness can make a huge difference and can inspire hope.

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LibraryThing member gypsysmom

I held off writing my review of this book until the Canada Reads debates were over. I realized this book was the underdog and that Five Little Indians by Michelle Good was the favourite but I did think it was the book all of Canada should read. Yes, the residential school system was horrendous and

has impacted generations of First Nations people but poverty probably impacts even more people in Canada. This book is set in one suburb of one city but could probably be replicated in all the major cities in Canada. I just hope that the attention the book has received through Canada Reads will cause many people to pick it up and then think about its message.

There are many characters in this book but the main ones are Ms. Hina, an educator who is hired to run a literacy program in a school in Scarborough., Laura, a young girl whose mother abandons her to be raised by her racist, alcoholic father, Cory, Bing, a gay Filipino boy being raised by his mother in a housing project and Sylvie, Bing's friend who lives with her mother, disabled father and autistic brother in a shelter.All of the children spend time in Ms Hina's drop-in centre, often being fed by her because there is never enough food in their own homes. Ms Hina comes into conflict with her supervisor for feeding the children but she keeps on doing so. And she helps in other ways. Even former skinhead Cory is treated with kindness by Ms Hina and Cory really needs help because he has no idea how to parent. We see how the community comes together to support each other. This is especially so when Ms Hina finally has had enough from her supervisor and gets her union rep involved. The community backs Ms Hina to the max and soon the supervisor is history. Yes these individuals still have challenges but they also know where they can turn for help.

The beauty of Canada Reads is to bring attention to books that would have slipped through the cracks otherwise. I try to read lots of Canadian literature but I had not heard of this book before it made the Canada Reads list. So, thank goodness for CBC and Canada Reads.

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LibraryThing member MaggieFlo

Scarborough
This is an easy to read, extremely well written and moving story about a variety of low income people who work or live near the Rouge public school in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto.
The stories are told through the children and the adults, focusing on a few in each group.
We witness

the daily struggles of people who live in the shelter system, public housing or owners of mildly successful salons and restaurants within the catchment area. The voices are of those living on the margins. In particular, Sylvie and Bing are loved by strong mothers who overcome many obstacles (public transit, low pay and sexual harassment) to provide for their beloved kids. Hina, a new literacy program facilitator at the school cares deeply about her charges and breaks the rules to ensure that her students get something to eat. Her struggles with the program director is a great display of white privilege. Hina is a role model for the children and mothers .
The story is poignant, well told, optimistic and pulls no punches in revealing the underbelly of society’s homeless and poor.

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LibraryThing member mojomomma

Scarborough is a section or Toronto known for its diverse population and recent immigrants. Here we read about a teacher in a child care center and the families she serves through the course of just one year. Laura, the neglected child who dies in a fire along with her drunken father. Bing, the

gifted Philippino boy who can belt Whitney Houston songs at the spring talent show. Johnny, who at age 3 is still nonverbal and is diagnosed with autism and and his mother, who with almost no resources or support, finds a way to reach him to communicate. He wants crackers, not apples! The book will break your heart. And now that some of those kids are approaching 18-20, I wonder what's become of them?

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LibraryThing member Dorothy2012

Canada Reads Shortlist 2022
This book needs a trigger warning.
After Part 1 (chapter 8) I had to abandon it.
It is very powerful and, likely, a necessary read for our society.
It will be very interesting to hear what the designated Defender has to say during the debates.

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