Inspiring Stories of Courage and Achievement
by Lindsay Ruck i
llustrated by James Bentley
Nimbus Publishing, 2021
ISBN 978-1-7710-8917-3 (sc)
$19.95, 156 pp, ages 8 – 12
nimbus.ca
Lindsay Ruck, who originally hails from Nova Scotia, has written a work devoted to notable Black Atlantic Canadians. These range from Mathieu Da Costa, who arrived with French explorers in the early 1600s, to Lindell Smith, a city councilor elected a few years ago in Halifax while only in his mid-20s. The book is divided into six parts, starting with a brief history of Black people in the region, then continuing with separate sections on athletes, artists, movers and shakers (including Ruck’s grandfather who became a member of the Canadian Senate); and military heroes, and concluding with a chapter on pioneers in their fields. More than fifty individuals are profiled throughout, but the information on some characters is rather slight, and the work has a number of spelling errors (lead for led, for example) and date transpositions (the Sierra Leone relocation is said to have occurred the 1970s and the American Revolution in the 1870s). These editing errors are minor, but they detract from an otherwise well-done effort.
Classroom Connections: Elementary school teachers seeking resources for Black History month could make good use of this book even if they are not in the Atlantic region. Students could learn more about famous people like Viola Desmond and Portia White, perhaps flesh out some of the slimmer portraits presented here, or even create their own mini-biographies on other Canadians using a variety of sources. To that end, the book has a “further resources” section, a glossary of terms, an important date section, as well as a useful index.
Review by George Sheppard.
Editor’s Note: Also available in this series is Amazing Atlantic Canadian Women: Fascinating Stories of Excellence and Determination.