Roger Mooking thinks Canada Reads will be like 'Reading Rainbow Gladiator'

Roger Mookingis one of the panellists taking part in Canada Reads 2021. The chef, recording artist and TV hostwill be championingButter Honey Pig Breadby Francesca Ekwuyasi.

Canada Readswill take place March 8-11, 2021.

The debateswill be hosted byAli Hassanandwill be broadcast onCBC Radio One,CBC TV,CBC Gemand onCBC Books.

• Meet the Canada Reads 2021 contenders

Butter Honey Pig Breadis a novel about twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother, Kambirinachi. Kambirinachi believes she was a spirit who was supposed to die as a small child. By staying alive, she is cursing her family a fear that appears to come true when Kehinde experiences something that tears the family apart, and divides the twins for years. But when the three women connect years later, they must confront their past and find forgiveness.

"Butter Honey Pig Breadis Francesca Ekwuyasi's majestic debut novel. She will solidify her place in the pantheon of great Canadian writers off this book alone. It treads verses, continents, time,the bonds of family. It explores Nigerian culture, folklore. It takes place in Halifax, Montreal, London and various parts of Nigeria. There arerepetitive familial traumas... and it challenges the notion of kin,"Mooking said on theCanada Readsreveal on q."Everybody has challenges in their life and this one really frames it in a very interesting way."

After the 2021 contenders were revealed, Mooking spokewith Adrienne Pan on Edmonton's Radio Active.

Roger Mooking on discovering and championing Black writers

4 years ago

Duration 1:08

The chef, recording artist and TV host is defending Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi on Canada Reads 2021.

You've virtually met your fellow Canada Reads panellists. Can you tell us what that was like?

It was just so good. All these different people from different walks of life, different disciplines, different crafts. Everybody's passionate and everybody's focused on telling stories in their own way, through their work.

You've chosen to championButter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi. Can youdescribe the book for us?

It's a book that transports you to Nigeria, there's London, there's Halifax, there's Montreal. The whole theme this year is about transporting the reader, so it definitely fits that. But it's reallyabout a family that has experienced several traumas. Some of them are mental health related, some arespiritual and some are physical traumas of the worst kind. The book is about how they survive that and how theirrelationships are affected, and, eventually,repaired.

It's one of the best books I've read in my life, it's fantastic, really incredible.

I think that's somethingeverybody can relate to.It's one of the best books I've read in my life, it's fantastic, really incredible.

• Why Francesca EkwuyasiwroteButter Honey Pig Bread

Considering your food background, was there any food connection that drew you to this book?

The title obviously was something that made me go, 'Oh, what's this about? I want to check that out.' There's food heavily threaded throughout the book, although the themes of the book are not food-centric.

When I spoke to Francesca about it, she was like, 'I like to cook and scenes ended up being around the kitchen and with cooking.' It's just that simple. I think it's important that she andanywriter or creator writes what isnear and dear to them.

In your virtual meet-up with Francesca, did you learn anythingabout the bookthatmade you think about itin a different way?

There area lot of things that were tangentially unresolved in the book. Somecharacters are briefly coming and going.I would be like 'What happened to that character? Why did they just come and go?' And she said, 'They served their purpose. They just had a fleeting moment. Sometimes people in our lives are just fleeting moments like that.But you can revert back to your kin, your core, your family.' That isthe central focus of the novel. Getting that insight from her was really, really an honour.

• Read an excerpt from Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

What are you looking forward to the most about the Canada Reads experience?

It can be pretty intense. Everybody who is championinga book is really passionate. We havemusicians, athletes, broadcasters. We have comedians and actors very passionate people. And I'mvery passionate.

I'm excited to be around creative, passionate people and hashing it out.

I'm excited to be around creative, passionate people and hashing it out. Ithink it's going to be like a Reading Rainbow Gladiator.

Roger Mooking's comments have been edited for clarity and length.

TheCanada Reads2021 contenders

• Rosey Edeh championsThe Midnight Bargainby C.L. Polk
• Scott Helman championsTwo Trees Make a Forestby Jessica J. Lee
• Devery Jacobs championsJonny Appleseedby Joshua Whitehead
• Paul Sun-Hyung Lee championsHenchby Natalie Zina Walschots
• Roger Mooking championsButter Honey Pig Breadby Francesca Ekwuyasi