Roxanne Dubois

Roxanne Dubois is a union activist, reader, and writer based in Toronto. Every Friday, she publishes an email newsletter called vendredi français which shares original writings and francophone content from all over the web.

Read and subscribe at http://www.vendredifrancais.ca or catch her on twitter at @roxannedubois.

Public education requires public funding | Roxanne Dubois

Public education requires public funding | Roxanne Dubois

From the archives: In 2012, students across the country organized a National Day of Action on February 1. In the lead-up to the day, I wrote a series of posts prompting students to get active in the fight for Education as a right for themselves and the generations of students coming after them. I am re-publishing these posts in the wake of Doug Ford's attack on students' unions in Ontario, the only organized and well-resourced force that has historically resisted tuition fee increases and funding cuts to post-secondary education.

Unsustainable student debt threatens future generations and the Canadian economy | Roxanne Dubois

Unsustainable student debt threatens future generations and the Canadian economy | Roxanne Dubois

From the archives: In 2012, students across the country organized a National Day of Action on February 1. In the lead-up to the day, I wrote a series of posts prompting students to get active in the fight for Education as a right for themselves and the generations of students coming after them. I am re-publishing these posts in the wake of Doug Ford's attack on students' unions in Ontario, the only organized and well-resourced force that has historically resisted tuition fee increases and funding cuts to post-secondary education.

Reducing tuition fees means giving youth a fair chance | Roxanne Dubois

Reducing tuition fees means giving youth a fair chance | Roxanne Dubois

From the archives: In 2012, students across the country organized a National Day of Action on February 1. In the lead-up to the day, I wrote a series of posts prompting students to get active in the fight for Education as a right for themselves and the generations of students coming after them. I am re-publishing these posts in the wake of Doug Ford's attack on students' unions in Ontario, the only organized and well-resourced force that has historically resisted tuition fee increases and funding cuts to post-secondary education.

Du Québec au Brésil, en passant par la France: une épopée féminine | Roxanne Dubois

'Le tout dernier roman d'Éric Dupont, La route du lilas, publié l'automne dernier, a la qualité d'être prometteur. Deux femmes, une Québécoise et une Brésilienne, se rencontrent à Paris juste avant les évènements de mai 1968. Elles se lient d'amour, découvrent ensemble la ville, la littérature, et certaines douleurs de la vie. Ce roman épique, qui tangue de la France au Brésil, et de Nashville à la Gaspésie, est un hommage aux personnages féminins grandioses, ainsi qu'à la fleur peu commune qu'est le lilas.'

Incertitude environnementale et arrogance humaine | Roxanne Dubois

'Alors que les intempéries ragent et que les catastrophes climatiques empirent, les humains s'entêtent avec leur arrogance tenace. Ils rient devant une nature déchaînée et imprévisible. Ils se baignent dans des eaux infestées de requins luminescents. En quête de sensations fortes, ils défient les règles et entrent dans une fosse aux lions. Ils se prélassent dans un spa-nature en pleine pluie torrentielle. Voilà le monde de Faunes.'

Critique de livre: La route du lilas d'Éric Dupont

Critique de livre: La route du lilas d'Éric Dupont

Le tout dernier livre d'Éric Dupont, publié l'automne dernier, a la qualité d'être prometteur. Deux femmes, une québécoise et une brésilienne, se rencontrent à Paris juste avant les évènements de mai 1968. Elles se lient d'amour, découvrent ensemble la ville, la littérature, et certaines douleurs de la vie. Dans ce roman épique qui tangue de la France au Brésil, et de Nashville à la Gaspésie, ce roman est un hommage aux personnages féminins grandioses, et à la fleur peu commune du lilas.

Year-ends and bookends

Year-ends and bookends

This year, my world was moved by current events and personal challenges. Books helped me steady my way, and so I continued reading. I have read new books, old books, classics in French and English. I have read fiction and non-fiction, in paper and electronic form. I was not particular about what I would read, so long as I kept reading. Here is a round-up of some of my favourites.

Book review: Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Book review: Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver published her latest novel in October of this year. Unsheltered was much awaited given that Kingsolver has a number of acclaimed novels under her belt, including The Lacuna and The Poinsonwood Bible. Unsheltered tells two parallel tales of families living in the same old house, in Vineland, New Jersey, about 100 years apart. The novel takes on fascinating historical elements, but overall falls below this reader's expectations.

Critique de livre: Adolphe de Benjamin Constant

Critique de livre: Adolphe de Benjamin Constant

Dans ce court roman rédigé à la hâte par Benjamin Constant, le lecteur découvre le personnage d'Adolphe, meurtrit et déchiré par le fardeau moral que lui impose sa relation amoureuse. Constant était un homme politique et littéraire du XIXe siècle, et la profondeur d'analyse sentimentale exposée dans ce roman en fait un classique incontournable.