The grandmother-granddaughter relationship is a powerful and enduring bond that is instrumental in shaping the lives of women everywhere.

In this unique collection of creative non-fiction, nineteen Canadian women of various cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds celebrate the memories of their grandmothers and pay tribute to the enormous role they have played in shaping their identities.

Through short stories, poems, journal entries, letters and more, grandmother - baba, nonna, yiayia, babcia - emerges as a symbol of strength, a stitcher of life.

A compelling and moving anthology, Our Grandmothers, Ourselves evokes with great passion the matriarch central to all of our lives. It is a book to be read again and again.

Dr. Gina Valle’s work in diversity is multi-faceted, as she delves into social issues of our day with compassion and dignity. Whether in the community, the school or the corporation, Gina looks for ways to ask critical questions of the society we live in. She is the curator of the photo exhibit Legacies, which examines feminisim and intergenerational relationships from twenty-four cultural perspectives, and the editor of the book Our Grandmothers Ourselves, which looks at family and aging from twenty different cultures. Her doctoral work in Teacher Education and Multicultural Studies is from OISEat the University of Toronto. Dr. Valle is the director and producer of the documentary The Last Rite which explores the way in which Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims prepare for death. Gina’s work encourages people to think outside the box – and challenge the status quo whenever possible. Teachers at their Best is her second book. | L’oeuvre de Dr. Gina Valle dans le domaine de la recherche et la réflexion sur la société multiculturelle est riche et diversifiée. Cette oeuvre porte un regard empreint de compassion et dignité sur les débats sociaux de notre temps. Que ce soit au sein des communautés elles-même, du milieu scolaire ou celui des affaires, les multiples plateformes d’expression que choisit Gina permettent de mieux définir et comprendre la société actuelle. Entre autres realisations, Gina est la commissaire de l’exposition de photographies Legacies: le regard porté par 24 cultures différentes sur le féminisme et les relations intergénérationnelles. Gina est aussi l’éditeur de Our Grandmothers Ourselves qui analyse les liens familiaux et le vieillissement chez une vingtaine de cultures différentes. Gina a realise sa thèse de doctorat en formation des maîtres et multiculturalisme au Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) de l’Université de Toronto. Dr. Valle est aussi réalisatrice et productrice du documentaire The Last Rite qui relate les rites de passage vers la mort chez les hindous, boudhistes et musulmans. L’oeuvre de Gina valorise la créativité par ses questionnements sur les fondements du vivre ensemble. Enseigants sous leur meilleur jour est son 2ème opus.

Gina Valle's profile page

Joy Kogawa, one of North America’s most celebrated writers, is the award-winning author of three novels, seven collections of poetry and two books for children. Obasan, which the New York Times called “a tour de force…brilliantly poetic in its sensibility,” continues to be taught across North America, and the opera based on her children’s book Naomi’s Road has toured in Canada and the United States. Kogawa has worked to educate Canadians about the history of Japanese Canadians and is a long-time activist in the areas of peace and reconciliation. In 2010, the Japanese government honoured her with the Order of the Rising Sun. Her latest book is Gently to Nagasaki.

Joy Kogawa's profile page