New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
First published in 1993, No Crystal Stair is an absorbing story of urban struggle in the 1940s. Raising her three daughters alone, Marion discovers she can only find gainful employment if she passes as white. Set in the Montreal working class neighbourhood of Little Burgundy against the backdrop of an exciting cosmopolitan jazz scene?home of Oscar Peterson, Oliver Jones, and Rockhead's Paradise?and the tense years of World War II, No Crystal Stair is both a tender story of friendship and community as well as an indictment of Canada's "soft" racism.
In 2005, No Crystal Stair was nominated for Canada Reads and was defended by Olympic fencer Sherraine MacKay. It has been out of print for the past several years and this re-edition is an opportunity to bring a pivotal work of fiction back to Canadian readers.
Contributor Notes
Dr. Dorothy W. Williams is an historian and consultant specializing in Black Canadian history. Her books include Blacks in Montreal, 1638-1986: An Urban Demography, written at the behest of the Quebec Human Rights Commission in 1989 during their study of racism in Montreal's housing market, and The Road to Now: A History of Blacks in Montreal (1997), the only chronological study of Blacks on the island of Montreal to this day. It was published in French as Les Noirs à Montreal, essai de demographic urbaine. She lives in Montreal.
Editorial Review
No Crystal Stair validated certain histories I already knew about Black Canadians in Montreal and taught me about new histories as well. It's exciting to recognize yourself in a work of literature, especially one that is set in the past. At a micro level, it helps to build a sense of belonging to the communities and cultures in which you exist. But at a macro level, it validates your sense of identity — in this case a Quebecer and a Canadian. When Mairuth came to Montreal on her book tour, I was fortunate enough to get to the Westmount Public Library in time for the reading and she signed my copy! It's nowhere to be found now, sadly, because I enthusiastically lent it to friends in way of spreading the word, not only about the book, but also to bring others to the story of a great Black Canadian woman in arts and culture.
?? Nantali Indongo, host, The Bridge, CBC
