October 2015–Newsletter |

This month’s book:

Called “nothing short of a masterpiece” in Quill & Quire, Kim Echlin’s latest book is about the difficult path two women take to achieve their dreams. Katherine and Mahsa are from different worlds but there are things they share. Both of the women are products of mixed-race relationships and both are talented musicians. Katherine was born to a white mother and a Chinese father–a relationship that was taboo in 1940s Canada. Katherine’s early love of music is encouraged by her mother. Mahsa’s Afghan mother also engaged in a forbidden relationship, marrying a white American. While Mahsa’s childhood was happy, it is short-lived as her mother and father are murdered in an honour killing by relatives when she is 13. She practices piano secretly in memory of her father’s love of jazz.