Canadians are adept at whitewashing our racist history, whether it’s the Chinese head tax, the Komagata Maru incident, the internment of Japanese Canadians in WWII, or, of course, residential schools. Afua Cooper shines some light on the history of slavery in Canada, telling the story of Marie-Josèphe-Angélique, a Portuguese-born black slave living in Montreal. Cooper recounts Angélique’s story in the broader context of European and American slavery, and the social structure of 18th century Quebec.

It’s not an easy book to read—Angélique was hanged for an arson she may not have committed—but not just because of the subject matter. Cooper’s prose is full of passive voice and has a numbing cadence, surprising for a published poet. But it’s an important subject that makes what’s sometimes a slog worth the effort.

A great read of a part of Canada's past that is little known. You can tell that the author did extensive research and yet she let's her voice as a professor/poet shine through.

With regards to Canada and slavery all I was ever taught about was the Underground Railroad. I never knew about this!!! Slavery in Canada is almost like a dirty little secret.