Sunday 23 May 2010

Immigrant Stories

Finished May 23
Piece by Piece: stories about fitting into Canada edited by Teresa Toten
This collection of tales by Canadian immigrants shows the different experiences they've had when coming to Canada. Some came as children, some as adults, but all experienced upheaval and difficulty adjusting to their new country. Some already knew English, but their accents and terminology didn't fit. Others had to learn a new language as well as adjust to a new culture.
The writers here have writing in common. All have become writers in Canada or expanded their careers after moving here. Their stories are articulate and well-written because of this and that makes them even more interesting to read. Whether they fled a land they could no longer live, came here for their own or their parent's job opportunities or came for love, they all had adjustments to make. Canada isn't always as welcoming as we think it is and I found it disappointing that most experienced some form of discrimination or racism. Our country still has work to do to live up to our reputation for openness and friendliness.
Hopefully this book will help guide us down that path.

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