Il est temps
que je te dise
by David Chariandy
L'auteur adresse une lettre à sa fille adolescente, dix ans après avoir été victime d'un acte de racisme ordinaire en sa présence, à Vancouver. Il y traite des questions d'identité et de race. Il lui relate ses origines afroasiatiques et évoque les humiliations subies dans un Canada pourtant réputé plus tolérant que les Etats-Unis.
Published: 2020
Originally written in French
Number of pages: 112
Recommended FSL Programs and Grades
Grade 10 (Core, Immersion)
Grade 11 (Extended, Immersion)
Grade 12 (Extended, Immersion)
Race/Ethnic/Geographic Information
Author: David Chariandy is a Canadian writer. His parents immigrated to Canada from Trinidad in the 1960s. He was born in Scarborough, Ontario. His father is from South Asian descent, whereas his mother is African. They were both working class immigrants.
Characters: The novel is a letter to his daughter, so the identities include Indian, Black, and mixed race (Indian and Black).
Setting: Vancouver
Notes from a teacher-reader
This book talks about the intersectional identity struggles experienced by biracial individuals as well as immigrant children and their families. It also contains real experiences of discrimination. There are many articles and interviews with Chariandy that can be used to support the teaching of this novel.
Feel free to contact the teacher-reader, Farah Alli-Shaw, at farah.alli-shaw@yrdsb.ca if you have questions about this novel.