Lawrence Hill reflects on literary criticism and twice winning Canada Reads

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In 2002, a radio show dedicated to the upliftment and promotion of Canadian literature was launched. Deemed a “literary survivor,” Canada Reads invites prominent artists, celebrities and Canadians to debate the books to determine which title will be crowned the book the whole country should read.

To celebrate 20 years of Canada Reads, we’re taking a look back at the show’s dramatic history to offer you interviews with former panelists and writers.

Canada Reads1: 37: 20Canada Reads 20th Anniversary Special

We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the great Canadian book debate! Host Ali Hassan looks back on some of the most dramatic and unexpected moments in the show’s history and speaks with former writers and panelists to find out what their Canada Reads experience means to them. 1:37:20

Lawrence Hill is the only author to have won Canada Reads twice. In 2009, her novel The Book of Negroes was crowned champion after being successfully defended by filmmaker Avi Lewis and Olympian Clara Hughes led her fourth novel, The Illegal, to victory in 2016.

The Book of Negroes, a portrayal of the brutal realities of the slave trade told through the life of a woman, has been adapted into a six-part miniseries, which can be aired on CBC Gem. L’Illlegal tells the story of the refugees who risk everything to start over in a country that does not want it.

Hill’s other books include the novels Some Great Thing, Any Known Blood and the memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice. He delivered the 2013 Massey Lectures, Blood: The Stuff of Life and his first children’s book, Beatrice and Croc Harry, is scheduled for release on January 11, 2022.

Ali Hassan spoke to Hill about his Canada Reads experience.

Do you remember what it was like to receive the call when The Book of Negroes was selected for Canada Reads?

It was exciting, really exciting. There are different literary prizes. I actually missed most of them in the early stages of the Book of Negroes. I think this is definitely one of the best because people have been talking about the selections, as well as the winner, for quite some time. While if you win a typical prize, the talk time is much shorter, and it doesn’t necessarily show up in people’s car radios, living rooms, and kitchens. So I was pretty excited because it seemed like a popular way to celebrate and talk about the books, including mine.

What memories do you keep of this show in 2009?

I remember Avi Lewis was an incredibly passionate advocate. I had no idea what was going to happen to the book. He had finally started to do well after about a year of silence, in terms of sales. It started to gain volume before Canada Reads. I thought maybe the other defenders would agree to throw him away to make sure he was out of the race sooner. I kind of expected this to happen, but luckily it didn’t. I remember having some really great discussions with Avi about what negative people might say about the book, so that we can prepare a strategy for him to counter these potentially negative arguments.

What was it like having your book reviewed on such a public platform?

Some authors say that I sometimes find it hard to believe that they never read their book reviews, but I feel I have a moral obligation to read what people have to say about my work, this what reviews say what a reviewer says including when it’s bad because i go out of my way to publish a book and i would like to see how the world reacts to my art and maybe learn one or two things of the responses that my work generates. And so, The Book of Negroes has gone through most of the reviews and not received much criticism.

I was also ready to take out the knives. In some Canada Reads people really stick out and say some pretty nasty things about books. But I listened to everything and felt good with it. I think having been a journalist myself and having read reviews of my books in the past, including reviews, I was emotionally prepared for the book to be slapped a bit.

This image posted by Entertainment One / BET shows Aunjanue Ellis, left, and Cuba Gooding Jr. in a scene from The Book of Negros. The six-part miniseries received 11 Canadian Screen Awards nominations in television and one in digital. (Joe Alblas / Entertainment One / BET / Associated press)

I guess it’s good that you’re ready for this in 2009 because in 2016 the elbows went out. Adam Copeland called The Illegal a Will Smith action flick, and he didn’t think so positively. What did you think of this kind of comments?

I actually love Will Smith and I don’t mind the action movies either, so I don’t mind too much. The Illegal is meant to be like an action movie, in the sense that you open the page and it should feel like the first leg of a marathon. Because the protagonist is an elite marathon runner in desperately difficult situations as an undocumented refugee, the whole book should feel like you’re running a fast-paced marathon. Throughout it’s action packed and I liked it. It’s meant to be a book with a heavy plot. Much worse things can be said about a book.

I feel like willpower, determination and perseverance are those dominant themes, from you as a human being to your characters in the book to Clara Hughes defending your book.

I have always admired Clara Hughes. I was a failed runner. I was hoping to be an Olympian. I was hoping to win the gold medal in the 5000 meters when I was a young boy. I ran and ran and ran and I never got to be a great runner. I didn’t have the body to go with the will. So my dreams ignited when I was 17 and I realized I was never going to be that elite runner that I tried so hard to be. I have always followed individual events on track, cycling and speed skating. Cardio events that involve individual strength and endurance have always been the ones that appeal to me the most. So I had followed Clara’s career with great pleasure. And it was so amazing to have a book that features an elite marathon runner represented by one of the greatest Canadian athletes of all time.

It was so amazing to have a book that features an elite marathon runner represented by one of the greatest Canadian athletes of all time.

I think one of the things in life and I tell young people about it is finding the thing you really love and being aware that your first dream might burn to ashes just like mine did . Often times, the happiest people are those who have failed at something, pivoted, and found something else to really focus on.

So it’s not true that you can do whatever you want if you try hard enough. Not everyone will win an Olympic gold in the 5,000-meter medal, and not everyone will win Canada Reads or become an astronaut. But it’s true that life is so much more interesting if you go after the things you love.

What do you think of the concept of the show?

I like the concept because it brings conversations about books over several weeks to kitchens, car radios, bedrooms and living rooms. In my experience, looking at what happened to other people who were nominated but didn’t win, a number of people still do very well after being shortlisted and discussed on Canada Reads. This raises the profile of books, including those that don’t win.

I stood in line at bookstores where people in front of me said to the seller, “I want to buy all of the Canada Reads nominated books this year. I am in favor of it because I have the impression that it popularizes literature and makes ordinary people talk about books.

As a famous author, as someone who writes continually, what do you hope will happen in, say, Canada’s next 20 reads?

I would like it to continue to be popularized. I would love to see the conversations coming out of Canada Reads screened and involve high school students. These are often readers who, if they get excited in their teens, will continue to read with great passion throughout their lives.

I hope Canada Reads finds ways to continue celebrating Black, Indigenous and Writers of Color, as we still have a long way to go before parity and equality are restored in Canadian society.

I’m not sure exactly how that would translate into action, but I also think very strongly that black and native writers and writers of color are still vastly under-represented in the world of literature. It is very difficult for us to make inroads internationally, and winning and participating in competitions like Canada Reads helps us not only in Canada, but also around the world; it attracts attention and sales, which is a very difficult thing to do. I hope Canada Reads finds ways to continue celebrating Black, Indigenous and Writers of Color, as we still have a long way to go before parity and equality are restored in Canadian society and these inequalities are also evident in the publishing world.

Lawrence Hill’s comments have been edited for length and clarity.

For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians, from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community, check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

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