Urban housing crises are reshaping cities globally, with Toronto emerging as a central example of unaffordability and inequality. In Caught in the Eye of the Storm: Urban Revitalization in Toronto’s Lawrence Heights (2024), Jon Careless examines the transformation of Lawrence Heights, a public housing district, amidst one of Canada’s largest revitalization initiatives. The book offers a meticulously researched narrative of change, exploring the area's history, its racialized oppression, and the impact of redevelopment on its community. By weaving together historical context, social commentary, and advocacy for housing justice, Careless provides an essential resource for understanding Toronto's housing challenges and broader struggles for equity.

First, the book's strongest attributes are its organization and professionalism. Careless begins with a clear structure, outlining his approach and providing detailed timelines and historical backgrounds. For instance, the Preface includes an acronyms list, simplifying the navigation of organizations mentioned. Other highlights of its organization include a timeline of events describing the state of Lawrence Heights from its creation to our modern post-pandemic reality on page 20, visuals of apartments and housing rows from the neighbourhood architecture itself on pages 42 and 43, and a table showing the demographic changes and incline across the years in the suburban sector on page 61. These resources enhance accessibility and underscore the depth of Careless’ research. This book is well-organized and the result of years of academic work. Originally derived from his doctoral dissertation, Careless’ expertise is evident. His PhD in political science from York University solidifies his authority on urban policy, and the Bibliography and Index sections at the end of the book provide further credibility. This academic rigour ensures the book’s value as a scholarly and practical resource.

Additionally, Careless uses his platform to address the key systemic issues like settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and the racial stigmatization of neighbourhoods like Lawrence Heights and Regent Park throughout this work. The book delves into the ways these systems divide the middle class from poorer ethnic minorities, perpetuating inequalities through urban design, media narratives, and public policies. These are all major, pressing socio-economic issues that have plagued the sector since its creation, and Careless does not leave room for haste when describing their impact.
These recurring themes of capitalism and colonialism are threaded throughout the text, culminating in the Epilogue’s “Visions and Dreams” section. At the start of the section in four short but extremely hitting indented paragraphs, Careless presents an inspiring advocacy pitch for the future of Lawrence Heights.

“This community needs a new life; its residents are tired and want their just due and, in our society, everyone has the right to justice.” (Careless, 2024) [First of the four paragraphs]

His commitment to equity is clear, making this work a rallying cry for housing justice advocates and policymakers alike.

However, I must admit that despite its strengths, Caught in the Eye of the Storm was not personally engaging for me. As a Youth Member of Parliament in a national online program called Young Canadians’ Parliament, where we discuss on a weekly basis amongst each other on similar socio-economic issues and with famous changemakers and ministers of Canadian government and parliament, I approached this book eager to learn more. Plus, as I’ve mentioned previously, I want to be a lawyer and reading this type of material facilitates my mind to think on these complex subjects. However, its very dense and bureaucratic tone proved challenging, and at times a bit boring. I did not expect it to be an essay (or dissertation), and I was shocked when I first began reading it. My initial expectation was for a more digestible narrative in the form of a historical biography (or even a short case study), similarly to another book I have read here at Digitally Lit, Amy Bell’s Life Sentence, but I found myself unprepared for the complexity of its policy and deep, thorough political analysis. I also found at times that it was wordy, and that some sections could be condensed into much shorter chapters and subsections, since the themes that Careless delves into are already universal to the topic and Canada and don’t need further interpretation echoing in every few paragraphs.
For example, I found the word and definition of ‘Neoliberalism’ being repeated at least twice in each chapter, despite the fact that readers would have already understood its premise the first time of its mention in Chapter One. I would have much rather enjoyed reading more examples and historical evidence of the main issue at play in Lawrence Heights (urban revitalization), and that the definitions and elaboration remain solely in Chapter 3, where that theme is its primary focus, rather than being fed the same information repeatedly across the work. But this is just a minor comment on my behalf, and this could also be a result of it being transformed originally from a doctoral dissertation, in which those works are known to be structured as such, so I will not criticize it too harshly on that.
In all, this misalignment of expectations stemmed partly from my own oversight; however, it could have also been more expressly advertised in the work’s summary at the back (there was no mention of it being an essay). And it is for these reasons that I failed to recognize that this was more of an academic work than a straightforward recounting. While the book’s quality is undeniable, it’s not the type of work I’d choose for leisure reading (especially not during the holidays, haha!). That said, I’d consider revisiting it if my studies in economics deepen or if I need a robust resource for a research project.

In conclusion, Jon Careless’ Caught in the Eye of the Storm stands out as a meticulously researched and passionately argued examination of Toronto’s housing crisis. Its professional organization, focus on pressing social issues, and advocacy for equity make it an essential read for those engaged in urban policy and housing justice. However, its dense academic tone and repetition of themes at many points during the book’s run may not appeal to all audiences, including readers like myself who anticipated a more narrative-driven, digestible and concise approach.

Ultimately, I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars for its depth, relevance, and the author’s commitment to justice, even if it wasn’t my preferred style of reading.

Anyhow, happy holidays to you all!
Looking forward to 2025… :)

Book review-Secrets Of Sable Island by Marcia Pierce Harding
Happy Holidays everyone! Today I have another book review to share with you. My latest book Secrets Of Sable Islands by Marcia Pierce Harding was given to me for free for being a youth ambassador with Digitally Lit. A huge thank you to Nimbus Publishing for supplying the book!

The book follows our main character Caleb as he falls into the Atlantic Ocean after a boating accident, leaving him stranded on Sable Island for a while. When he befriends a little ghost girl, Marin, everything changes. The genre of this book is adventure.

Sable Island is a small, isolated sandbar located about 150 off the coast of Nova Scotia. It seems like a quaint little spot that would be great to live on. It is known for its shipwrecks and horses which I absolutely love! Horses are my favourite animal so this was a great addition to the book. I also loved all of the little pictures that were in the book!

In conclusion, I fell in love with this book and did not want it to end, I thought that the setting was vivid and exciting and the characters intrigued me! My favourite part was when Caleb and Marin meet for the first time!
I rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars

(P.S. this is a picture of my horse Stetson!)

Sugar Kids is a very special kind of book. It’s not the kind of book that I would usually go for, but this book was striking enough for me to pick it up. Both visually striking, and in the title. In choosing this book, I didn’t really pay a whole lot of attention to the synopsis, I knew it was about a girl living in Vancouver during the 90s, during a very prominent rave era. So I didn’t really know what to expect because this is about a time period that I didn’t grow up in, a city that I don’t live in, and a lifestyle that I’ve never experienced. Looking back, maybe I should have paid a bit more attention to what the book contained.

Let’s get into it. Because I have a lot of thoughts! Some context for the book is that our main character’s name is Baby, she’s a skater and an avid lover of Victorian gothic fiction, she’s also a former twin until her twin brother died when they were young. Her mom died as well, so now she’s living with her father who hates her. One day she meets Delilah, Delilah introduces her to drugs like ecstacy and rave parties, soon enough Baby falls in love with this new lifestyle she’s found.

Here’s what I do understand. This is a story of transformation. Showing someone like Baby at her lowest, going lower, and then eventually making her way up to the top. Grieving the loss of her mother, and by default the loss of her twin brother, she is at a very low point in her life. Then she finds Delilah, they go party and do drugs, and suddenly Baby is swept up in this new rave culture. As Baby goes through these lifestyle changes, there are multiple voices of reason in her life, like her friends and her guidance counsellor. But she doesn’t quite feel whole because her twin brother is gone. Let me explain this one, because it’s a lot more complex than you might think.

Baby’s twin brother Ravi died, but he didn’t quite die. With them being twins, Baby explains that she’s got a sort of split personality now. It’s like parts of Ravi have been absorbed within her, but he also comes to visit her in ghost form… It’s interesting how her relationship to Ravi was explored in this book, I didn’t really understand it. On the back of the book it says Baby is prone to hallucinations (only once she takes drugs, I believe), but it’s also said that Ravi isn’t really a hallucination because she’s absorbed him and they’ve both moulded into one person now. Very strange. Maybe I don’t understand because I’m not a twin and I’ve never hallucinated before.

Some things that I really didn’t like about this book was the sex scene between a minor and adult, and how lifestyle choices like these were portrayed. Although Baby eventually quits drugs, I didn’t feel that she was 100% a changed person. I also didn’t love how this book is not supposed to be a warning against this kind of lifestyle, but an homage to it. However, it doesn’t really promote rave culture or anything like that either, going off of all of Baby’s terrible experiences and multiple friends warning her against it.

Do I think that I’m the target audience for this book? In a way, yes, I do. As I mentioned, it’s a story of how a teen turned her life around. In the midst of questioning her identity and trying to put on an entirely new persona, to trying to erase a part of her that once meant the world to her, she slowly comes back to the things she once loved and valued. I think that’s a valuable lesson for anyone to learn. That being said, is this book 100% moral? No. A good majority of it was stuff that I didn’t enjoy reading about. I find that this book doesn’t exist for the purpose of entertainment, but to teach a lesson. So yeah, I think it’s safe to say that my favourite part of this story was the ending. The journey to get there was messy, but that’s what it’s supposed to be like.

I just finished a new book entitled Illness And The Art Of Creative Self-Expression by John Graham-Pole published by HARP and given to me for free for being a Our Stories Matter Youth Ambassador with Digitally Lit!

This book is a self-help book to encourage everyone to become an “artist”. As an adult, I do not use art nearly enough and I did a lot of the activities which helped me see the potential in myself!

I liked this book because I really broke the boundaries of I am an artist and I can do art! I really liked all of the personal stories that the author shared about patients and volunteers about the community of arts.

As Someone who has a physical disability I really connected with this book. I found all of what the author said was true especially the way to view art in the hospital? Most adult hospitals are very dark and dreary and I founding it interesting to look at how society views the arts in the healthcare system.

In conclusion, I think that this is a great book for everyone to read!
I rate it 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars

This book features fourteen of the Palestinian diaspora’s best voices in speculative fiction. From two girls trying to make their way to Jerusalem to men in Gaza swimming in the sea chasing freedom, this book covers many imaginative and heartfelt stories. Speculative fiction is a genre that invites a reconstruction of reality, and, in this book, each story is a portal into folklore and hopefulness for a better future.

Each person’s profile was unique in its own way and showcased different aspects of Palestinian culture. This book was well-written and put together well. I really liked the way it subtly touched on different aspects of Palestine’s history. The book also included many positive themes like resilience, trust, and optimism. I would warn that it also included some heavier themes as well. All the short stories were written by Palestinian authors which is great, but some of the stories did leave me a little confused content-wise since I expected all the stories to center Palestine heavily.

In one of the stories in the book, the protagonist’s grandmother was called Teta Hind. This made me stop reading for a moment and wonder if it was intentional given how recently this book was published. The name Hind reminded me of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl who rocked the whole world when she was horrifically shot at 355 times by the Israeli IOF after being trapped in a car with her family, killing them all. The solemn nature of this book made for a sad read but it’s definitely widened my appreciation for speculative fiction.

This read is perfect for those who want to learn about aspects of Palestine through fiction. I loved some stories a lot more than others, mostly because I’m more of a fan of realistic fiction rather than fantasy, but given I chose to read the book knowing this, it won’t affect my rating too much. Also, I imagine that the glossary at the end will help those unfamiliar with the Arabic language to understand some of the words used. I recommend this sombre yet enjoyable read.