The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
caelysium's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Abandonment, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Classism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death, Child death, Islamophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual harassment, Addiction, and Car accident
bookthia's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A strong 4.5 review for this one. Told in multiple voices, the story of a community in east Scarborough, where poverty, addiction. racism and homelessness are rife. In real life too. These characters felt alive to me, real. I can easily imagine this being a true story.  There are good people and bad people and sometimes good people who are also bad people -- this book illuminates them all, including how good people are forced into bad choices. Using children as some voices allowed Hernandez to illustrate the loss of innocence in a powerful way. The character of Mina was a conduit for illustrating institutional racism so authentically. Brilliant. This book was in Canada Reads in 2022 and could easily have been the winner in any other year. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Homophobia, Child death, Addiction, and Domestic abuse
brerabbit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Addiction, and Islamophobia
jessahrens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I bawled
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Physical abuse
samplanett's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Classism, and Addiction
Minor: Hate crime and Self harm
wenwanzhao's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A lovely collection of moments from a year in the life of a group of lower-income children and the people around them. I laughed. I cried. And most importantly, I thought about what I was reading, a lot. I always try to find books set in the GTA, both out of a sort of narcissism and out of a desire to learn more about the stories that exist where I grew up. Scarborough is an excellent telling of how the lives of regular people keep going. I enjoyed the way people were connected to each other, and how they shared their perspectives. It all felt very authentic and genuine. Loved it.Â
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Cursing, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Bullying, Racism, and Child abuse
kjulie's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first half of this book is dedicated to introducing you to the characters in order to get a sense of the community, and to create the foundation necessary to fully experience the impacts of the second half.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Title: Scarborough
Author: Catherine Hernandez
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: May 22, 2017
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tender • Necessary • Authentic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Scarborough is a real-life, low-income and culturally diverse neighbourhood east of Toronto, that suffers from high rates of poverty, drugs, crime, and urban blight. Told from multiple perspectives Scarborough tells a fictionalized coming-of-age account of three young children, and the tight-knit community leaning on one another in an attempt to rise above aversity and discrimination.
💠T H O U G H T S
Of the five contenders for Canada Reads 2022, Scarborough was the last one I picked up. And I must say I was absolutely blown away by it. In fact, I was amazed by the quality of this year's Canada Reads shortlist in general, as well as the fascinating debates, which took place from March 28 - 31.
Back to the book, this is another heavy hitting Canada Reads finalist where the structure gave me a front row seat into the minds of each character, thus allowing me to understand the workings of the mind on both an individual and collective level. Told over the span of a year, it was a coming-of-age story but also a story of community, or coming together through the most difficult of circumstances.
Catherine Hernandez writes with such grace, and paints the scene so vividly there's no need to have an awareness of the area of Scarborough ahead of time. In fact, the conditions, the themes and the experiences she explores in this book are so real, and apply to so many different low-income communities across Canada, and the world. Systemic discrimination is so real, and we as a society often turn a blind eye.
Written primarily from a youth perspective, something I greatly appreciated, really opened my eyes to societal issues from the eyes of a child. How they are forced to grow up quickly or take on rolls no child should have to. And yet, I cannot talk about this book without mentioning Ms. Hina. She was a ray of light from start to finish, attempting to create a safe space for the kids and their families. Every impoverished community, need 1000 people like her, willing to risk their personal security to help those less fortunate.
Scarborough is filled with so much human ugliness, but there's also an undercurrent of love and connection. There were moments I felt so ashamed of humanity and in the next moment I'd be overcome with love for humanity. The array of emotion felt so human. There were tears and there was laughter. There was heartbreak and there was joy. Bing, brought so much light and joy to my time with this book. His evolution was absolutely beautiful to watch unfold.
It did not surprise me to learn Catherine Hernandez is a screenwriter, as this book read very much like a script. My only criticism would be that I wanted so much more of these characters, something the writing style didn't allow for.
I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for whatever Catherine Hernandez writes next, she's just brilliant! Please, do yourself a favourite and pick this book up. It is my hope that it can spark change and that there are a million other Ms. Hina's out there. I've since learned it has been adapted for TV, and I'd be interested in checking out.
Now that I've completed this year's shortlist, I hope to pick up some contenders from past years, and continue exploring the 2022 longlist selections as well.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• all Canadians
• readers who like realistic fiction
• social workers/case workers/policy makers... the list goes on and on
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'You will never be too much. You will never be too little, Bernard. You be you.' My heart fluttered hearing her says that."Â
Author: Catherine Hernandez
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: May 22, 2017
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tender • Necessary • Authentic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Scarborough is a real-life, low-income and culturally diverse neighbourhood east of Toronto, that suffers from high rates of poverty, drugs, crime, and urban blight. Told from multiple perspectives Scarborough tells a fictionalized coming-of-age account of three young children, and the tight-knit community leaning on one another in an attempt to rise above aversity and discrimination.
💠T H O U G H T S
Of the five contenders for Canada Reads 2022, Scarborough was the last one I picked up. And I must say I was absolutely blown away by it. In fact, I was amazed by the quality of this year's Canada Reads shortlist in general, as well as the fascinating debates, which took place from March 28 - 31.
Back to the book, this is another heavy hitting Canada Reads finalist where the structure gave me a front row seat into the minds of each character, thus allowing me to understand the workings of the mind on both an individual and collective level. Told over the span of a year, it was a coming-of-age story but also a story of community, or coming together through the most difficult of circumstances.
Catherine Hernandez writes with such grace, and paints the scene so vividly there's no need to have an awareness of the area of Scarborough ahead of time. In fact, the conditions, the themes and the experiences she explores in this book are so real, and apply to so many different low-income communities across Canada, and the world. Systemic discrimination is so real, and we as a society often turn a blind eye.
Written primarily from a youth perspective, something I greatly appreciated, really opened my eyes to societal issues from the eyes of a child. How they are forced to grow up quickly or take on rolls no child should have to. And yet, I cannot talk about this book without mentioning Ms. Hina. She was a ray of light from start to finish, attempting to create a safe space for the kids and their families. Every impoverished community, need 1000 people like her, willing to risk their personal security to help those less fortunate.
Scarborough is filled with so much human ugliness, but there's also an undercurrent of love and connection. There were moments I felt so ashamed of humanity and in the next moment I'd be overcome with love for humanity. The array of emotion felt so human. There were tears and there was laughter. There was heartbreak and there was joy. Bing, brought so much light and joy to my time with this book. His evolution was absolutely beautiful to watch unfold.
It did not surprise me to learn Catherine Hernandez is a screenwriter, as this book read very much like a script. My only criticism would be that I wanted so much more of these characters, something the writing style didn't allow for.
I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for whatever Catherine Hernandez writes next, she's just brilliant! Please, do yourself a favourite and pick this book up. It is my hope that it can spark change and that there are a million other Ms. Hina's out there. I've since learned it has been adapted for TV, and I'd be interested in checking out.
Now that I've completed this year's shortlist, I hope to pick up some contenders from past years, and continue exploring the 2022 longlist selections as well.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• all Canadians
• readers who like realistic fiction
• social workers/case workers/policy makers... the list goes on and on
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'You will never be too much. You will never be too little, Bernard. You be you.' My heart fluttered hearing her says that."Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Islamophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child death, Addiction, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Classism, Abandonment, Homophobia, Bullying, and Body shaming
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Death
police profilingramblereader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, and Body shaming
Moderate: Addiction, Violence, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Child death, Transphobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Death
audreylee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
People struggle to survive in Scarborough. Families try to hang on and provide for their families even as they fight their own demons. The every day microaggressions are described very well as is the hopelessness of people trying to do their best with little or no resources. Looking forward to seeing how this one does in CanadaReads.Â
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
Minor: Child death