Book Club
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Diversity and Inclusion Book Club
You are invited to join our Book Club - brought to you by the Diversity and Inclusion Office, Materiel Group, National Defence. We know that knowledge is power and books have the ability to expand our awareness. Let’s read and discuss together some important themes around diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging.
Including a Book Club into our organization has many benefits and everyone is welcome to join. A Book Club is a small but impactful way to continue courageous conversations and encourage more members in our organization to lean in and learn, un-learn and take action together.
Our Book Club is our commitment to continue to make time and space for important conversations. A Book Club creates an intentional space and time to discuss topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace
The Benefits to Joining the Book Club
- A Book Club builds our organization as a learning organization in which people continuously grow and develop.
- This fun activity is an easy and inspiring way to share information and develop colleagues at work. In a book club, our members collectively learn new concepts and new ways of doing activities that they can apply in their workplace.
- Developing a consistent set of book club discussion questions enables members to apply the concepts on the job. The same three questions will be used for all our Book Club discussions.
- It builds camaraderie, comfort, and teamwork in the group of team members who attend. It is a team-building activity that works in tandem with more formal activities.
- When members of an organization learn the same concepts, by reading the same book, they share the same language and have heard the same ideas. It makes the application and adoption of the ideas and concepts more easily and seamlessly into the workplace.
The Details
Together we will read 6 books a year and explore the following questions:
- What challenged you in the book?
- What did you enjoy about the book?
- And, how do you relate what you read to our organization?
The Book Club discussion will take place in an online discussion format during a scheduled L1 Diversity and Inclusion Working Group Meeting. Smaller break out rooms will be created to have meaningful conversations. The Book Club also gives our members the opportunity to step up and practice leadership roles such as leading a group discussion and sharing their thoughts on the discussion questions.
Everyone is welcome to join The Book Club. L1 Working Group members can invite their team members to participate.
If you have any questions or have a book idea to suggest please connect with us at:
DiversityandInclusion-Diversiteetinclusion@forces.gc.ca
We look forward to including you in our Book Club! Inclusions means everyone, always.
RSVP
Fill out this form to join our book club and we'll send you the meeting invite!
Schedule
| Meeting Date | Book | About the book | Discussion Questions |
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| September 14th, 2023
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The High Five Habit: Take Control of Your Life With One Simple Habit by Mel Robbins | "Using her signature science-backed wisdom, deeply personal stories, and the real-life results that The High 5 Habit is creating in people's lives around the world (and you'll meet a lot of them throughout this book), Mel will teach you how to make believing in yourself a habit so that you operate with the confidence that your goals and dreams demand.
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| October 5th, 2023
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Frequently Asked White Questions by Ajay Parasram and Alex Khasnabish | "Are you a white person with questions about how race affects different situations, but you feel awkward, shy, or afraid to ask the people of colour in your life? Are you a racialized person who is tired of answering the same questions over and over? This book is for you: a basic guide for people learning about racial privilege. In Frequently Asked White Questions, Alex Khasnabish and Ajay Parasram answer ten of the most common questions asked of them by people seeking to understand how race structures our every day." |
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| December 7th, 2023
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Beyond Pronouns: The Essential Guide for Parents of Trans Children by Tammy Plunkett and Mitchell Plunkett | "If your child or teen recently told you they are transgender, non-binary or genderfluid, you're bound to have questions. You may wonder how best to support your child's transition and doubt whether you are making the right decisions.
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| February 1st, 2024
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Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Achievement by Lindsay Ruck; illustrated by James Bentley | "Among these amazing Black Atlantic Canadians are people who saved lives, set sports records (Delmore William "Buddy" Daye), achieved international superstardom (Measha Brueggergosman), made change in their own neighbourhoods (Quentrel Provo), overcame injustice (Viola Desmond), and enacted many other inspiring deeds of courage and perseverance. With dozens of profiles on both historical and contemporary Black people from Atlantic Canada, Lindsay Ruck celebrates the accomplishments of some of our region's amazing Black heroes." |
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Past Reads
| Meeting Date | Book | About the book | Discussion Questions |
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| June 15th, 2023
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Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer | "Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return." |
Bonus Questions: 10 Braiding Sweetgrass Book Club Questions |