Scarborough

By Catherine Hernandez

Book Overview

CANADA READS RUNNER-UP, 2022 NOW A MOTION PICTURE directed by Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson; screenplay by Catherine Hernandez Trillium Book Award and City of Toronto Book Award finalist; Edmund White Debut Fiction Award finalist; A Globe 100, National Post and Quill and Quire Best Book of the Year Scarborough is a low-income, culturally diverse neighbourhood east of Toronto, the fourth largest city in North America; like many inner-city communities, it suffers under the weight of poverty, drugs, crime, and urban blight. Scarborough the novel employs a multitude of voices to tell the story of a tight-knit neighbourhood under fire: among them, Victor, a black artist harassed by the police; Winsum, a West Indian restaurant owner struggling to keep it together; and Hina, a Muslim school worker who witnesses first-hand the impact of poverty on education. And then there are the three kids who work to rise above a system that consistently fails them: Bing, a gay Filipino boy who lives under the shadow of his father's mental illness; Sylvie, Bing's best friend, a Native girl whose family struggles to find a permanent home to live in; and Laura, whose history of neglect by her mother is destined to repeat itself with her father. Scarborough offers a raw yet empathetic glimpse into a troubled community that locates its dignity in unexpected places: a neighbourhood that refuses to be undone.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1551526778
• ISBN13: 9781551526775
• Release Date: May 2017
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The best, most compelling book in several years. A must-read.

A detailed and compassionate look at the often harsh lives of youth in the Scarborough community. Compelling, sensitive, brutally honest. In a format that makes it easy to read in small segments, which I found necessary in order to really connect with the characters. A must for service providers and parents; and community members.