Immigration

[close] A book club that celebrates all kinds of stories: Queer/LGGBTQIA+, BIPOC, Immigration, etc. We aim to bring passionate readers in Toronto together to discuss these inspiring stories. Note: Currently, we are ONLY accepting people from the Greater Toronto Area.

[close] This is a book group for students as well as parents, teachers, and those in the education field to read and think about an inspiring tale of four undocumented students and their difficult quest for the American Dream. Members of this group will be encouraged to think about the role of education in society, the effects of immigration policies, as well the value of friendship and mentorship. Spare Parts Overview: Author Joshua Davis tells this true story of four undocumented teenagers from an impoverished section of Phoenix, Arizona who build a ragtag robot nicknamed “Stinky” out of spare parts to compete in a national robotics championship against the likes of MIT among other prestigious, well-funded universities. This brave and unlikely team combats more than their competitors. They also fight the vehemence of anti-immigrant sentiment, laws designed to prevent their advancement in society and a pervasive fear of deportation. Even so, they deal with typical teenage issues of insecurity and fitting into high school culture. They find their way with the support of each other and the backing of two teachers, Fredi Lajvardi and Allan Cameron. The risks undertaken and the aftermath of the competition leave much room for discussion on current immigration and education issues.

[close] A place for Rushdie fanatics.

[close] Welcome! In 2016, discussions about the refugee crisis among a group of friends and acquaintances gave wings to the creation of Hearts and Homes for Refugees (www.heartsandhomesforrefugees.org). With an unprecedented number of refugee stories populating bookshelves these days, there are so many more opportunities to learn, to understand the crisis and come to know these stories of need and hope. We can all contribute to these discussions and perhaps in some small way, our dialogue will flow outside our group chats and into our circle of friends and communities. Who knows where these seeds will land grow? We would like to believe that the more informed we are, the more discussions we have, the greater chance of our becoming part of the solution to the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. In 2019, we read one book each month on the topic of refugees, and enjoyed talking about them here with you. We have added many more suggestions to our group "bookshelf" since then, and hope you will enjoy our recommendations.