Overview

I AM NOT A GHOST tells the story of a Chinese railway worker who comes to Canada to work on the Great Canadian Pacific Railway. He, like all the others, came in search of a better life but would have died if not for the benevolence of Amelia Douglas, wife of the former governor of British Columbia. A fictional but historically accurate story with an important message, I AM NOT A GHOST describes the racism and hardship that these newcomers to Canada faced and should be required reading for anyone who wants to learn about this troubling period in Canada's history.

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9781778242816

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Reviews

This is a beautiful, beautiful publication with a rich narrative and rich pictorial images that illuminate a period in Canadian and Chinese history. The story (collaboratively written by David Bouchard and Zhong Yang Huang) is told in the voice of an elderly Chinese grandfather recounting (to his granddaughter) his countrymen's legacy as builders of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Perhaps an unknown piece of history is the fact that the Indigenous people helped Chinese newcomers to survive life-threatening conditions. This picture book is a testimony to the roots that are part of our identity and culture and the essential need to pass stories on to future generations. I Am Not a Ghost is a historical account of racism, a tribute to the courage and tenacity of Chinese immigrants from 100 years ago, a story of forgiveness and a story of never forgetting. Such stories help readers to understand the past and support us in moving forward to combat obstacles that we encounter. As far as picture books go, this is a work of art in words and illustrations. - Dr. Larry Swartz, Educational Consultant This tells the story of one of the 17,000 Chinese workers who put their lives in danger in building the railroad in the 1880s and the racism and poverty they were forced to suffer. It's also a story of the kindness and empathy of Amelia Douglas, wife of the former governor of B.C. - The Globe and Mail Non-fiction books that teach history, especially those used in schools, tend to be verbose and comprehensive, skimming over many topics, using dense text, and leaving no memorable impression. I Am Not a Ghost is not such a text. By focusing on the immigrant experience of one Chinese Canadian in the 1880s, Victoria's David Bouchard with Regina's Zhong-Yang Huang effectively place young readers into the treacherous life of working on the railway as a Chinese immigrant in the 1880s. The toil, the racism, and the unfairness of conditions and treatments all speak to oppression and perseverance in that oppression. The story of this man is heartbreaking and very real, as is the true story of the building of the railway and Mrs. Douglas with her compassionate nature. With the seriousness of the story and the realism of a historical narrative, the art of Sean Huang adds to the story, taking us from frozen landscapes of workers in canvas tents or collapsed in snowbanks, to the opulence of a fine lady's Victorian home, to the busyness of countless workers on the railway. Combining both a heaviness and lightness to his brushstrokes and the classic palette of old masters, Sean Huang takes us into the past of David Bouchard and Zhong-Yang Huang's story, and tells a history where a man is disregarded because of his heritage and taken for dead because he might not have mattered enough to be helped - Helen Kubiw, CanLit for Little Canadians

Author Information

David Bouchard, Order of Canada, is an award-winning author, storyteller, and public speaker, who has written more than 70 books. He has championed the cause of reading and writing, and shares his pride as a member of the Métis community through his stories. David resides in Victoria, BC. Sean Huang sees art as a means of expression to channel his mood and thoughts into the physical world. He has exhibited widely across Canada and China, and his paintings are found in many private and corporate collections. His first book was Astonishing Legacy: Shoe-Fantasiai>. Sean lives in Regina, Saskatchewan. Zhong-Yang was born 1949 in Guangzhou, China. He was raised in an artistic family; at the age of four, he was encouraged to learn Chinese painting and was taught calligraphy techniques. During the Cultural Revolution, at the age of 15, he was sent to the fields to be re-educated through immersion in rural peasant life, where he remained for 10 years. In 1977 he applied and was accepted into the master of fine arts program at Guangzhou Academy Fine Arts, graduating in 1981. He was an instructor there from 1981 to 1984, when he traveled to Canada to pursue a second master of fine art from University of Regina, graduating in 1988. From 2013 to 2016, Yang returned to China to teach at the University of Guangzhou as a professor, before returning to Regina to live and work. He painted the official portrait of Governor General Ramon John Hnatyshyn (1994), the official portrait of Premier Roy Romanow for the Saskatchewan Government (1995) and major mural paintings for both the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the Royal Alberta Museum (1993-97). The MacKenzie Art Gallery featured a solo exhibition, The Shadow of Mao, by Yang in 2011.His contributions to the visual arts have been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2005). In addition to I Am Not A Ghost, Zhong-Yang Huang shared many Chinese stories with his good friend David Bouchard, and they collaborated on the following books, with all art by Zhong-Yang. The Dragon of Heaven, and the ""Chinese Legends"" series, which consists of The Great Race, The Dragon New Year, The Mermaid's Muse, and Buddha in the Garden.

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