Black History Month 2023: Reading Challenge

For Black History Month 2023, Fanshawe’s very own Anti-Racism and Inclusion Specialist, Troy Townsend, and the Library Learning Commons have teamed up to provide the Fanshawe community with unlimited access to a book of short stories that we feel authentically reflects the lived experiences of diverse women, while exploring themes of race, class, and migration as they collide in Scarborough, Ontario (source).

Cover of Shut Up You're Pretty by Tea Mutonji

Shut Up You’re Pretty

In Téa Mutonji’s disarming debut story collection, a woman contemplates her Congolese traditions during a family wedding, a teenage girl looks for happiness inside a pack of cigarettes, a mother reconnects with her daughter through their shared interest in fish, and a young woman decides to shave her head in the waiting room of an abortion clinic.

These punchy, sharply observed stories blur the lines between longing and choosing, exploring the narrator’s experience as an involuntary one. Tinged with pathos and humour, they interrogate the moments in which femininity, womanness, and identity are not only questioned but also imposed.

Synopsis from Arsenal Pulp Press

How Can I Access This Book?

Shut Up You’re Pretty by Téa Mutonji is an eBook accessible through our ProQuest eBook Central database.

The book can be read online in your browser or downloaded* to your device (computer or mobile).

*Please note that if you want to download the eBook, you must create a ProQuest account. If you need help creating an account in ProQuest, we have guides to walk you through the process.

A valid Fanshawe login is required to access.

This eBook meets WCAG-AA accessibility guidelines and is screen-reader friendly.

2023 Reading Challenge

When: February 3rd to 24th
Who is Eligible? Any current Fanshawe College student or staff/faculty member may participate
Deadline to Enter: Challenge closes on February 24th

Once you have finished reading Shut Up You’re Pretty, email llc@fanshawec.ca with your name, student/staff number, and a response to the following questions. Participants will be entered in a draw to win a prize.

  • Name:
  • Student/Staff number:
  • Favourite short story:
  • One thing you’ve learned while reading this book: