Pourin' Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West

by Cheryl Foggo

The 30th anniversary edition of Cheryl Foggo's landmark work about growing up Black on the Canadian prairies

Cheryl Foggo came of age during the 1960s in Calgary, a time when a Black family walking down the street still drew stares from everyone they passed. She grew up in the warm embrace of a community of extended family and friends, with roots in the Black migration of 1910 across the western provinces. But as an adolescent, Cheryl struggled against the negative attitudes towards Blackness she and her family encountered. She struggled against the many ways she was made to feel an outsider in the only place she ever knew as home.

As Cheryl explores her ancestry, what comes to light gives her the confidence to claim her place in the Canadian west as a proud Black woman. In this beautiful, moving work, she celebrates the Black experience and Black resiliency on the prairies.

Genres: Canada, Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Coming Of Age, Biography

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare to find books set in the small Prairie city where I was born so I was delighted not only to discover this memoir but also to learn that the author grew up in my old neighbourhood, regularly visited my beloved childhood library branch and to learn that her cousin was an old classmate of mine.

My initial personal interest in the story widened as the story itself expanded to explore the history and experiences of Black Canadians in western Canada and as well as the history of the author's kin all the way back to Africa in the 1800s. A fascinating memoir/family history and one that I highly recommend to all Canadians.

I'm looking forward to watching Foggo's documentary on the African-Canadian cowboy John Ware, available on youtube: https://youtu.be/YsuUCtRGKAQ

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really neat account of the history surrounding her family and growing up in the Canadian West. It was interesting the discussions how there are constant questions about perceptions of race within the communities.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was an audiobook listen--a lovely narrative voice reading a fantastic story. The true story of Cheryl from childhood to adulthood growing up in Calgary, Alberta in the 1960s-1970s. It was only 3 hours of listening (short in the audiobook world). The author is a great storyteller. I could picture the people and the situations so clearly. I loved hearing about her family. The family gatherings in the summer, the food, the people. I loved reading about Cheryl's experiences in school and in life. How she came to realize her differences and her similarities with others. Her rejections (first white boyfriend who ghosted her, feeling different in white world) and her happiness (her time with her grandparents). I loved hearing about her family history--her grandparents (grandpa part white, grandma black) her great grandpa (stolen from the farm as a little boy), parents (mom working being discrimated against). I liked how she had footnotes --in later editions she changed her perspective about some things she said in earlier editions.

This book gave me more insight and a small glimpse into the life of a black person in a prodominantly white world. It was interesting to read about Cheryl's thoughts and experiences as she discovered who she was/is. It greatly saddened me to read about how she and her family were mistreated.

My only complaint is this book is too short. I was left wanting more. I loved the family stories and all the people. I enjoyed reading about Cheryl's life and her growth as a person. It gave me greater perspective. Highly recommend this book.

[Kier Scrivener · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Foggo's storytelling and the perspective of mid-century Black Canadian prairie life. It was particularly funny how some of the sentiments she was taught about Canada and The States were taught to me. When I found her story interesting and compelling thirty years later, I never felt as immersed. It didn't have as much emotion or narrative as I am use to. This could be a product of it thirty-two year old publication date. I enjoyed seeing the footnotes where she commented on aspects from 2020. But found it harder to piece all the things together into a narrative or treatise but maybe it's only meant as a snapshot or vignette.

I would definitely read more of Foggo and feel informed by her experience and will cite back to it.

3.5 ⭐

[Natalie Giglio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intimate glimpse into the family’s history within the larger context of black people entering Canada from the US. The stories shared showcase a struggle that I will never fully understand as a white reader. It’s a short read that provides historical context that should be understood by more.

[T. Clary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about my family history...of course I think it's good!! NO...GREAT!!!

[Sarah Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book. It's a memoir of Cheryl Foggo's experience growing up in the prairies of Canada in the 60's-70's. Her family was a large, thriving Black family in what was a very White time and place.
She was shielded from the racism until comparatively late in her life because her family was just all that- she just knew from the get-go that if people stared it was because they wanted to be part of it. This of course metaled away eventually, and of course she came to understand the racist attitudes she encountered.
Although in her own lifetime she experienced some degree of shelter from the hatred, Foggo did a wonderful job reaching back in time and pulling threads from her grandparents and great grandparents lives, all the way back to ancestors who were enslaved in Arkansas. So while she herself was quite shielded in some ways, she was aware of and had taken time to research the bones of the hatred and racism that Black people have always and continue to experience in North America.
The great joy of this book is really just in how Foggo allows the reader to enjoy vicariously all the love and support that bound her family together. It's quite remarkable, at least to someone who came from a different type of family.
This book offers a unique historical and personal perspective in a well-written voice, with lots of love, inspiration, and some heartbreak. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

[Mary Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short autobiography. The author's voice is entertaining, and she relates her experience discovering her identity as a Black Canadian in an honest and thoughtful way that makes her story just as relevant today as when the book was first published. I especially found the last part fascinating. It briefly traces her ancestry from Africa to 1800s America, through the civil war. It is a unique history and one that interestingly highlights issues of racial identity, that again, are very relevant today!

The length of this book, the various historical contexts it touches on, and its entertaining style would make it ideal for a student selecting a biography for a Canadian history class.

[Wminbc · Rating 5 out of 5]

An oral history of homesteaders to Canada's West...

I enjoyed her style and the story like feel to the book. Her youthful naivete was full of hope and joy, but as she grew and began to learn the real history of her family and of the "Blacks" in Canada her voice certainly shifted. I related to a lot of her stories of grandparents and great-grandparents as mine were settlers in New Finland Saskatchewan.

A definite must read for all Canadians to hear a voice that they might not have heard growing up.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

" Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically." - Madeleine L'Engle
Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing your story - it matters, matters cosmically.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canadians owe it to themselves to read this. It overflows with humanity, respect, and love.

[Lorrie Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much we don't know but we all have a story - we all have a history.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheryl Foggo writes in an endearing & interesting way. I really enjoyed her story & found it enlightening. A quick read.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of personal stories about the author and her family. A good introduction to black life in the Canadian Prarie in the 1960's

[Kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 hours

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the first black families that lived in Calgary. What a wonderful piece of our Calgary history.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book about a woman’s family and their life growing up Black in Calgary, Alberta. There are some fascinating stories and some history that I was not aware of. My only complaint was it was difficult to follow the timeline because the stories did not seem chronological. They jumped between the generations and were not always clear about which moment they were in. Other than that, it was very good.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short family history was really well done. Cheryl Foggo, who has spent most of her life in Calgary, talks about her black family history and her early years growing up as a Black child on the prairies. This is an important book, and I'm glad to see that it has been reissued. I think it should be required reading for prairie people.

It was a little confusing because there are a lot of family members named, but the history of the family is fascinating.

[Kab · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5