Each September, the Huron County Library celebrates Welcoming Week with our friends from the Huron County Immigrations Partnership.  Running from Sept. 13-22, Welcoming Week is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the people, places and values that make everyone feel welcome and give them a sense of belonging in their local community, no matter where they come from. Everyone is always welcome at the Huron County Library, and we are very pleased to host the following throughout the week:

• Meet Your Neighbour events that aim to create and cultivate social connections between community members and local organizations for the purpose of increasing community engagement for the benefit of all and our community as a whole.
• Colour and take home a Welcoming Week tote from any of our 12 branches.
• Pick up a “Newcomers welcome” button from any of our we branches
• The Huron County Museum is hosting a screening of the film Ru
• Check out one of a great number of books in our collection that celebrate newcomers to Canada! A staff-created list with even more with even more new and older favorites can be found on our online catalogue. 

Memoir: Crooked Teeth: A Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir by Danny Ramadan

This new memoir by award-winning Syrian-Canadian author, Danny Ramadan, is a powerful refutation of the oversimplified refugee narrative—a book that holds space for joy alongside sorrow, for nuance and complicated ambivalences. Written with fearless intimacy, Crooked Teeth is a singular achievement in which a master storyteller learns that his greatest story is his own.

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Fiction: The Afterpains by Anna Julia Stainsby

A heartbreaking portrait of two families trying to cope with grief, isolation, and living far from one’s homeland—told in the voices of two women and their children who find themselves connected in unexpected ways. Tender and compassionate, The Afterpains is a moving debut novel about motherhood, grief, identity, and belonging by a new Canadian author to watch.

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Historical Fiction: The Laundryman’s Boy by Edward Y.C. Lee

Fall 1913, St. Catharines, thirteen-year-old Hoi Wing Woo, the son of a scholar, is forced to give up his dream of an education when he is sent to work in a Chinese laundry in Canada.  Hoi Wing is immediately thrust into relentless, mind-numbing toil, washing clothes by hand for sixteen hours a day, six days a week. Without knowledge of English or western societal customs, he faces a daily onslaught of insults, taunts and physical violence from gangs of local bullies. The laundryman’s boy is a coming-of-age story that examines race, immigration, duty and friendship, The Laundryman’s Boy is an enduring and moving tale about early newcomers to Canada and their struggle to succeed against all odds.

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Romance: Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit

In this romcom debut by a new Canadian author, Naomi and Dev, two complete opposites agree to fake date in order to solve their cultural dilemmas and find the only force more powerful than a South Asian immigrant mother’s matchmaking schemes, might just be true love. Set in Kelowna, B.C., this spicy Desi fake dating romance is full of heart and perfect for fans of authors like Sonali Dev or Sara Desai.

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Young Adult Fiction: Ace and the Misfits by Eddie Kawooya

New to Canada, Ace is battling ignorance, bullying, and a new culture. Now he seeks to regain his confidence and show himself he has the tools to make it in his new life. In his debut novel, Eddie Kawooya presents a fish-out-of-water story of immigration and the pains and joys of integration into a new and sometimes frightening environment. Arriving in Canada, Ace finds himself living in a basement apartment, having to integrate into a new community where he is the “African.” Struggling with his grades and his self worth, he finds ignorance and bullying at school until he falls in with a crew of international misfits who understand what he’s going through.

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Young Adult Fiction: Today I Am: 10 Stories of Belonging edited by Jael Richardson

In this collection of short fiction, ten outstanding authors explore the theme of home – home as a place, a concept, as a way of thinking about the body – through prose, verse and graphic storytelling. These stories were compiled and edited by Jael Richardson, acclaimed author and Artistic Director of the Festival of Literary Diversity and bring together perspectives on belonging by BIPOC authors from across Canada.

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Juvenile Fiction: Call Me Al by Wali Shah and Eric Walters

Ali is an eighth-grade kid with a lot going on. Between the pressure from his immigrant parents to ace every class, his crush on Melissa, who lives in the rich area of town while he and his family live in a shabby apartment complex, and trying his best to fit in with his friends, he feels like he’s being pulled in too many different directions. But harder still, Ali is becoming increasingly aware of the racism around him. Comments from his friends about Pakistani food or his skin color are passed off as jokes, but he doesn’t find them funny. Ali must come to terms with his roiling feelings about his place in the world, as a Pakistani immigrant, a Muslim and a teenager with his whole life ahead of him. With help from his grandfather, an inspiring teacher and his friend, Ali leans on his words for strength. And eventually he finds his true voice.

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Juvenile Graphic Novel: The New Girl written and illustrated by Cassandra Callin

In her middle grade graphic novel debut, Romanian Canadian webtoon comic, Cassandra Callin has written a heartfelt story about adjusting to change and acceptance. Lia and her family are waiting to board a flight across the Atlantic, leaving behind family, friends, and Romania — the only home Lia has ever known. But Lia’s heartache is overshadowed by the discomfort of her first period. As if things weren’t difficult enough! Now Lia is thrust into a world where everything is new – her home, her language, and even her body. With so many changes happening at once, Lia struggles with schoolwork, has trouble communicating with classmates, and has no idea how to manage her unpleasant periods. Will she ever feel like herself again?

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Picture Book: I, Too, Am Here by Morgan Christie and Illustrated by Marley Berot

The street a young girl lives on is made up of families from all over the world. Her family shares with her their stories of journey and struggle. Her own story begins here in this country, but she is sometimes made to feel she does not belong. She listens to her family’s voices. They tell her she will soar, they tell her she is beautiful. She listens and she says I, too, am here. Beautifully illustrated, I, too, am here, is a multigenerational story of immigration, racism, and what it truly means to belong inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem, “I, Too.”

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