Canada Reads 2009 Winner

The Book of Negroes Wins Annual Battle of the Books

Mar 11, 2009 Y F Chin

Canadian Author Laurence Hill scores another literary prize in his tale of slavery and freedom.

Laurence Hill's novel, The Book of Negroes has come out on top at the annual Canada Reads competition on CBC Radio. Hill told a tale of a young girl named Aminata Diallo and how she made her epic journey from slavery to freedom. He was inspired by a relatively unknown historical document actually called the Book of Negroes. Copies of the document can be found in the Nova Scotia Public Archives and the National Archives of Canada. There are also copies stored at the New York Public Library, the Rockefeller Library and the U.S. National Archives in Washington D.C.

Canada Reads 2009

Hill’s book won out against four others: Fruit by Brian Francis, The Outlander by Gil Adamson, Mercy Among the Children by David Adam Richards and The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant (La grosse femme d'à côté est enceinte) by Michel Tremblay

Each novel was championed by a different Canadian celebrity during the battle of the books. Al Jazeera journalist, Avi Lewis called The Book of Negroes, an unforgettable, riveting book with an original voice. During the week-long competition, each of the books was voted off one by one.

On the last day of competition, there were only two books left standing: The Book of Negroes vs. Fruit. And Lewis was up against writer/broadcaster Jen Sookfong Lee, who had passionately defended her book, Fruit, saying it touched on big life issues and gave a huge emotional payoff to readers.

Hill’s Celebrated Book

The Book of Negroes is a multiple award winner. Last year, it picked up the prestigious award, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (£10,000)as the overall best book. In 2007, Hill’s novel was awarded the Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize worth 15-thousand dollars. The accolades have helped put The Book of Negroes on best-sellers lists across the country. And the awards have also helped Hill's book launch in the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway.

CBC On-Line Book Club

As this year's winner of the literature competition, The Book of Negroes will be celebrated in a month-long online book club hosted by broadcaster Hannah Sung.HarperCollins Canada will donate copies of the novel to libraries across the country. The publisher of the winning book on Canada Reads also makes a significant donation to a national Canadian adult literacy organization. This year’s recipient is the National Indigenous Literacy Association, benefiting aboriginal communities.

The Book of Negroes by Laurence Hill. HarperCollins 2007.

ISBN-10: 1554681561

ISBN-13: 978-1554681563

Fruit by Brian Francis. ECW Press 2004.

ISBN-10: 1-55022-620-7

ISBN-13: 978-1550226201

The Outlander by Gil Adamson. House of Anansi 2008.

ISBN-10:0887848281

ISBN-13:978-0887848285

Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards. Anchor Canada 2001.

ISBN-10:0385259956

ISBN-13:978-0385259958

The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant (La grosse femme d'à côté est enceinte) by Michel Tremblay, translated by Sheila Fischman. Talon Books 1981.

ISBN-10: 0889221901

ISBN-13: 978-0889221901

The copyright of the article Canada Reads 2009 Winner in Canadian Fiction is owned by Y F Chin. Permission to republish Canada Reads 2009 Winner in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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