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.

Freethinker: The Life and Works of Éva Circé-Côté

Freethinker: The Life and Works of Éva Circé-Côté

'Éva Circé-Côté was a diehard Montrealer,” writes Andrée Lévesque in her account of a woman whose impact has been, for too long, underestimated. As it turns out, this Montrealer was also a skilled journalist, a prolific writer, a provocative columnist, a lifelong librarian and an independent thinker who occupied a prominent place in the city. Yet her name is barely remembered. And without Freethinker, references to Circé-Côté would be limited to a handful of historical documents from the early 1900s.

Reading my way through 2017

Reading my way through 2017

January 2017 was somewhat of a low point. Living in the wake of Donald Trump's election as the president of the United States had a chilling effect not just on me, but on everything and everyone around me. Reading the news became more depressing than before, and I was uninspired to write—my usual remedy to seasonal blues.

Book Review: Brother by David Chariandy

Book Review: Brother by David Chariandy

David Chariandy's second novel is set in Scarborough, Ontario in the '90s: a backdrop that turns out to be a brilliant soundtrack for the story of a teenage boy. Raised by a single mother who came from Trinidad, Michael grows up in a large residential complex called The Park. Brother is an impressive story about family, struggle, grief and violence.

L'amour aux temps du choléra de Gabriel Garcia Márquez

L'amour aux temps du choléra de Gabriel Garcia Márquez

Il était grand temps de s'attaquer à l'œuvre de Garcia Márquez, dont les échos résonnent dans tous les recoins de la littérature. L'auteur prolifique honoré du Prix Nobel de la littérature en 1982 a atteint le statut de légende. Et pourtant, L'amour aux temps du choléra était mon premier voyage dans son univers. Il faut prendre le titre au pied de la lettre : ce roman est résolument un grand et magnifique roman d'amour.

Book review: The Past by Tessa Hadley

Book review: The Past by Tessa Hadley

I struggled to find a good book to usher me along the dreary, grey weeks of November until I heard of the Past by Tessa Hadley. It was described to me as a skillfully written tale where very little happens, to the point where it might even be boring—but in a beautiful way. I started it right away, and it turned out that this excursion into the English countryside where grown-up family members get back together in their grandparent's home was the perfect antidote for this time of year.

Book Review: Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga

Book Review: Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga

Toronto Star journalist Tanya Talaga takes a dive into a crisis based in the northern community of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since the year 2000, seven Indigenous high school students have died in circumstances that are too similar to discount. Questions around the events leading to their deaths remain unanswered to this day. In every case, it was found that the police systematically failed to provide the families with due process and a sense of justice. In the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) final report in 2015, Seven Fallen Feathers is required reading.

Book Review: Barrelling Forward by Eva Crocker

Book Review: Barrelling Forward by Eva Crocker

The colourful cover of “Barrelling Forward” by Eva Crocker should catch your eye – a flag that should really prompt you to cracking the cover. Crocker lines up a series of short stories as fresh and raw as each other, where characters collide, run, struggle and continue to move ahead in the normal and sometimes mundane adventure called life. “Barrelling Forward” is a great read worth keeping close and reading slowly.

Les aventures incroyables, mais vraies, de Don Quichotte de la Manche

Les aventures incroyables, mais vraies, de Don Quichotte de la Manche

Il y a peu de personnages aussi connus et reconnus que l'Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche. Le classique de Miguel de Cervantes expose les contes, ou plutôt les péripéties, de ce prétendu chevalier et de son loyal écuyer dans l'Espagne médiévale. Satirique, pédant et drôle du début à la fin, Don Quichotte est l'un de ces classiques dont la lecture (ou la relecture) est un vrai plaisir.

Book review: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Book review: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

A spy novel with the pace of a thriller that takes place in Vietnam and the United States during the war : what's not to love? The 2016 Pulitzer prize winner is Viet Thanh Nguyen's debut novel and is packed with unexpected twists, superber writing and a welcome unique perspective. A sure pick for your summer reading list.

Book review: Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Book review: Swing Time by Zadie Smith

When Zadie Smith was promoting her fifth novel, Swing Time, in the fall of 2016, the way she talked about race, class and gender in interviews compelled me to put it on hold at the library. Her first novel to be narrated in the first person is a story about dancing, growing up in the working class communities of the East side of London, and facing the many facets of being an adult.