Head Tale

I read Jagmeet Singh’s autobiography in pretty much a single sitting at our campsite this weekend and really enjoyed it.

Obviously I’m a fan of Singh but I think this book would be one that anyone who enjoys memoirs would enjoy and learn from, whether they liked the NDP or not.

* before it was released, there were excerpts talking about how Singh disclosed some sexual abuse at the hands of a martial arts instructor when he was a young boy.  It still sometimes surprises me that this can be talked about so openly in our society now compared to even a few years ago but I still thought this was a brave admission for a politician at his level.

* His family story is the story of how immigrant families often struggle, even with great advantages.  His dad was trained as a doctor but had to work menial jobs and it took a lot of persistence to obtain Canadian medical credentials.

* After that, his dad eventually spiralled into alcoholism and again, I’d heard a bit about how Singh had to support his family as a young man due to family troubles but didn’t realise the extent of it until reading this book – the dad kicked out of the house, the family filing for bankruptcy, his dad nearly drinking himself to death before rehab finally worked after multiple tries and he was even able to regain his medical license.

* There are lots of references to his love of books and libraries throughout the book which I’m pretty biased towards (and as a librarian, I also see how many other young people who don’t feel safe – because of their race or their socioeconomic status or their mental health issues – regularly talk about how the library is a place where they feel safe and accepted.)

* As I mentioned when I talked about the similarities I saw between Singh and Ryan Meili in terms of accomplished men with activist roots and unique personal stories being one of their common appeals, I also like that we’re finally getting leaders who are the same age as I am – and the book is sprinkled with references to pop culture, music and movies he grew up with – that made me feel like Singh and I came of age in a very similar way.

* Fun to read about his experiences in undergrad at Western given that I did my MLIS there.

* One of the reasons I think this book will appeal to anyone who likes memoirs is that it’s *not* heavy on politics like so many other political biographies (Justin Trudeau’s is on my list and I suspect it’ll probably be *way* less personal than this one) and in fact, skips over much of Singh’s political rise completely.  Instead, Singh lays out how he grew into the man he is today – his family, his faith, his frustration with how he was treated as a minority – and lets you make up your own mind about what that means in terms of his role as a high profile leader in our country.

The NDP has taken a lot of flak since Singh’s election – about fundraising and MPs leaving and disorganization – but I honestly believe that Singh is an amazing embodiment of what the *best* of Canada is and aspires to be and if the NDP folks can find a way to communicate that to the general population, the NDP could surprise a lot of people in this fall’s election!