Recent Class Notes

Books and Beyond

  • Book cover for The Unravelling of Ou, featuring an illustrated sock puppet with button eyes.

    The Unravelling of Ou

    Hollay Ghadery, Artsci鈥04

    How does one unravel oneself from an imaginary friend, especially when that 鈥渇riend鈥 has been integral to your journey? That鈥檚 a question Hollay Ghadery, Artsci鈥04, asks in her debut novel, The Unravelling of Ou. The Iranian-Canadian writer鈥檚 novel is about the relationship between Minoo and her beloved sock puppet, Ecology Paul. As Minoo decides whether to break with the puppet over familial concerns, the book explores teenage pregnancy in Iran, exile to Canada, sexuality, and how a sock came to support Minoo emotionally. It鈥檚 an imaginative novel that examines trauma, cultural norms, and mental health. The author鈥檚 acclaimed memoir Fuse won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Award.  is available at Palimpsest Press.

  • Book cover for Without Prejudice, featuring a portrait of the author against a rainbow background.

    Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge

    Harvey Brownstone, Law鈥80

    Trailblazing lawyer Harvey Brownstone, Law鈥80, was Canada鈥檚 first openly gay judge. After 26 years on the bench, Justice Brownstone is now retired 鈥 and he鈥檚 not holding back. His new book, Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge, is an unflinching memoir that takes readers on a poignant and, at times, darkly funny journey behind the scenes of criminal and family courts. Mixing his professional story of judicial innovation with personal reflections on the many challenges he faced over the years, Justice Brownstone paints an autobiographical portrait of resilience. Watch for a Hollywood film adaptation starring David Arquette this fall.  is available at ECW Press.

  • Book cover for A Journey in Surgery, featuring a surgical scene and author portrait.

    A Journey in Surgery: The Memoir of a Canadian Surgeon

    Dennis Pitt, MD鈥72

    Charting one鈥檚 path through life is rarely simplistic 鈥 especially when it comes to careers. Dennis Pitt鈥檚 grandfather and parents were all involved in the Canadian Armed Forces, so that career path seemed inevitable. Yet after a few 鈥減ivotal events,鈥 Dr. PItt, MD鈥72, found himself applying for medical college. Once there, the field of choice was wide open, though the idea of becoming a surgeon had never been part of his plan. A Journey in Surgery: The Memoir of a Canadian Surgeon recounts Dr. Pitt鈥檚 career as a surgeon; it also serves as a commentary on the history of medicine as well as its future. Dr. Pitt sadly passed away in February, but his book remains as a record of his life and work.  is available at FriesenPress.

  • Book cover for Restorying Your Story, featuring abstract geometric shapes behind vertical bars.

    Restorying Your Story: Reclaiming Your Voice in the Face of Past Injustice

    Michael Gauthier, MEd鈥11, PhD鈥17

    Our stories matter, but sometimes it鈥檚 necessary to 鈥渞estory鈥 our lives 鈥 that is, look back at the past to map a new future. Michael Gauthier, MEd鈥11, PhD鈥17, knows well how this can be done. In Restorying Your Story: Reclaiming Your Voice in the Face of Past Injustice, he writes about his experience as a young Indigenous man, a 鈥淪urvivor of intergenerational trauma,鈥 who turned to addiction as a way of coping and was eventually incarcerated. He then worked to restory his life by breaking cycles of harm, working to change internal narratives.  is available at Medicine Wheel Publishing.

In Memoriam