This holiday season, we’ve put together a list of books that would make a great gift for the critical thinker on your shopping list. Each book on the list connects with a past episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient, and is written or edited by a guest from that episode.
To accompany our book picks, we’ve put together a playlist of our episodes that correspond with each book.
So, bring the scholar and their ideas to life by listening to the episode alongside reading their book.
This 17-episode playlist captures the essence of the podcast’s back catalogue, with episodes ranging from Season 1 to Season 7 on a range of topics that represent some of the most compelling issues of our times, from the climate crisis, to Gaza, to why the far-right is on the rise in the United States.
16 books for the critical thinker on your holiday gift list
Here’s the full book list, alongside links to the episodes that relate to its topic.
Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Loyalty by Cheryl Thompson, associate professor in performance at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University
RELATED EPISODES
What’s in a word? How to confront 150 years of racial stereotypes — We keep hearing stories about white and non-Black people – including academics — somehow thinking it’s ok to use the n-word. Cheryl Thompson joins us to discuss how North American society spent the last 150 years creating racist stereotypes and language, how they continue to persist today – and what we might do to help stop it. (February 2021)
Will Smith’s Oscar slap reveals fault lines as he defends Jada Pinkett Smith against Chris Rock — Cheryl Thompson reflects on how “the slap heard around the world” is part of a layered story of racism, sexism, power and performance. (November 2022)
About the Queen, the Crown’s crimes and how to talk about the unmourned — In the middle of the tremendous outpouring of love and grief for the Queen and the monarchy she represented, not everyone wants to take a moment of silence. And there are a lot of reasons why. With Prof. Veldon Coburn, editor of Capitalism and Dispossession: Corporate Canada at Home and Abroad (Fernwood). (September 2022)
When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance by Ellen Gabriel, with Sean Carleton, foreword by Pamela Palmater, afterword by Audra Simpson
RELATED EPISODE
Indigenous land defenders — Two Indigenous land defenders join us to explain why they work to protect land against invasive development and why their work is necessary for everyone’s survival. Ellen Gabriel, a human rights activist and artist well known for her role as a spokesperson during the 1990 Oka crisis, and Anne Spice, assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, discuss the importance and urgency of defending land. (March 2021)
In Your Face: Law, Justice, and Niqab-Wearing Women in Canada by Natasha Bakht, professor of law at the University of Ottawa
RELATED EPISODE
Niqab bans boost hate crimes against Muslims and legalize Islamophobia — Many people have an idealized vision of Canada as a gentle, kind and accepting society. But anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the steady rise since 9/11. According to a 2021 report, more Muslims have been killed in Canada in targeted attacks and hate crimes than in any other G7 country. (May 2022)
Refracted Economies: Diamond Mining and Social Reproduction in the North by Rebecca Jane Hall, associate professor, Department of Global Development Studies at Queeen’s University
RELATED EPISODE
Diamond mines are not a girl’s best friend — When you think diamonds, you probably think of romance, weddings and Valentine’s Day. It’s no accident we think this way: A century of marketing has pushed those ideas. But the marketing hides the fact that people living near the mines have experienced enormous social problems. This includes some of Canada’s highest rates of violence against women. (June 2022)
Capitalism and Dispossession: Corporate Canada at Home and Abroad edited by David P. Thomas and Veldon Coburn
Coburn, who is an assistant professor, Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies and Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, has been on the podcast a handful of times, including as a guest on our episodes about “pretendians”, unmarked graves found at residential schools, the Vatican’s repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, and as a guest host on our episode about Indigenous languages.
RELATED EPISODE
About the Queen, the Crown’s crimes and how to talk about the unmourned — In the middle of the tremendous outpouring of love and grief for the Queen and the monarchy she represented, not everyone wants to take a moment of silence. And there are a lot of reasons why. Also with Prof. Cheryl Thompson, author of Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Loyalty. (September 2022)
Decolonizing Journalism: A Guide to Reporting in Indigenous Communities by Duncan McCue, associate professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, and an award-winning CBC broadcaster and leading advocate for fostering the connection between journalism and Indigenous communities.
RELATED EPISODE
How to decolonize journalism — For decades, Canadian media have covered Indigenous communities with a heavy reliance on stereotypes – casting Indigenous Peoples as victims or warriors. This deep-seated bias in the news can have unsettling consequences for both how a community perceives itself as well as how others perceive them. (November 2022)
Why We Can′t Have Nice Things: Social Media’s Influence on Fashion, Ethics, and Property by Minh-Ha T. Pham, professor of media studies at Pratt University in Brooklyn, New York
RELATED EPISODE
Fast Fashion: Why garment workers’ lives are still in danger 10 years after Rana Plaza — We look back to the 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed 1,124 people and discuss how much — or how little — has changed for garment-worker conditions today. (April 2023)
Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming by Ava Chin, journalist and professor of creative nonfiction and journalism at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City
RELATED EPISODE
A 5th generation New Yorker traces her family history and finds the roots of anti-Asian violence — and Asian resistance — Author Ava Chin poetically and adeptly traces the roots of today’s high rates of anti-Asian violence back to 19th-century U.S. labour and immigration laws. (May 2023)
Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada edited by by Rodney Diverlus, Sandy Hudson and Syrus Marcus Ware. Ware, who was a guest on Don’t Call Me Resilient, is an artist, activist and assistant professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University.
RELATED EPISODE
A trans scholar and activist explains why trans rights are under attack
– In 2023, there were more than 400 active anti-trans bills across the U.S. What do things look like in Canada? Are we a safe haven or are we following those same trends? (June 2023)
Producers, Parasites, Patriots: Race and the New Right-Wing Politics of Precarity by Daniel Martinez HoSang and Joseph E. Lowndes. HoSang, who was a guest on Don’t Call Me Resilient, is an associate professor of ethnicity, race, and migration at Yale University.
RELATED EPISODE
Why are brown and Black people supporting the far right? — Why are racialized people upholding white supremacist ideologies that work against them? Daniel Martinez HoSang explains the rising popularity of the far right with people of colour — what he calls multicultural white supremacy. (October 2023)
Beauty in a Box: Detangling the Roots of Canada’s Black Beauty Culture by Cheryl Thompson, associate professor in Performance at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University
RELATED EPISODE
Detangling the roots and health risks of hair relaxers — In this reflective and personal episode, Cheryl Thompson untangles the complicated history of hair relaxers for Black women — and the health risks now linked to them. (October 2023)
Hungry Bengal: War, Famine and the End of Empire by Janam Mukherjee, an associate professor of history at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life by James Daschuk, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina.
RELATED EPISODES
Colonialists used starvation as a tool of oppression — Vinita speaks to two famine scholars about the use of starvation as a tool in the colonizer’s playbook through two historic examples — the decimation of Indigenous populations in the Plains, North America and the 1943 famine in Bengal, India. (March 2024)
From Blues to Beyoncé: A Century of Black Women’s Generational Sonic Rhetorics by Alexis McGee, an assistant professor of research in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at the University of British Columbia.
RELATED EPISODE
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ transmits joy, honours legends and challenges a segregated industry — Beyoncé’s country-inspired album, Cowboy Carter, caused a stir. The country music scene has long been white dominated, with a history of segregation that has erased its Black roots and gatekept it from Black artists. (April 2024)
Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada by Karrmen Crey, an assistant professor of Aboriginal communication and media studies in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University.
RELATED EPISODE
From stereotypes to sovereignty: How Indigenous media makers assert narrative control — Indigenous media in North America have rapidly expanded over the last 30 years with Indigenous media makers gaining greater control of their own narratives, including the ability to subvert colonial representations. (April 2024)
“Are You Calling Me a Racist?”: Why We Need to Stop Talking about Race and Start Making Real Antiracist Change by Sarita Srivastava, a professor of sociology and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at OCAD University in Toronto (and sister to host Vinita).
RELATED EPISODE
A different way to address student encampments — Student protests on campuses are calling attention to atrocities in Gaza and challenging university administrators to divest. What is the best way forward that avoids unnecessary violence? With Prof. Pratim Sengupta. (May 2024)
Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch by Andrea Freeman, a professor of law at Southwestern Law School focusing on intersections between food policy and health.
RELATED ARTICLE
Frybread: Comfort food or colonial byproduct?
The episode featuring Andrea Freeman will be published in 2025.
In the meantime, you can read a fascinating excerpt from her book on our website about the Frybread, which she says embodies the contradictions that have dictated Indigenous food and health in North America since colonization.
As we head into the New Year, you may also want to revisit last year’s Don’t Call Me Resilient music playlist — a collection of songs on the theme of resilience, reflection and revolution, inspired by the topics we cover, co-created by our production team and former podcast guests across seasons. These are songs that light us up, and help get us through tough moments.
We wish you a restful holiday and hope you get a moment to sit on your couch — or perhaps move about with your headphones on — while reading — or listening — to some inspiring and insightful words from these amazing scholars.
Felecia Phillips Ollie DD (h.c.) is the inspiring leader and founder of The Equality Network LLC (TEN). With a background in coaching, travel, and a career in news, Felecia brings a unique perspective to promoting diversity and inclusion. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English/Communications, she is passionate about creating a more inclusive future. From graduating from Mississippi Valley State University to leading initiatives like the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program, Felecia is dedicated to making a positive impact. Join her journey on our blog as she shares insights and leads the charge for equity through The Equality Network.
