Dany Laferri猫re. Tout ce qu鈥檕n ne te dira pas, Mongo, Montr茅al, M茅moire聽d鈥檈ncrier (鈥淐hronique鈥� Series), 2011.

Commented by Elissa Kayal, administrative assistant and McConnell Professor of Practice program coordinator (July 2020):

While walking on Saint-Denis Street, Dany Laferri猫re met Mongo, a 23-year-old Cameroonian immigrant who had just arrived in Montr茅al. In other words, a newborn. Tracing back his own arrival in Qu茅bec 40 years earlier, Dany Laferri猫re accompanies this man in his integration 鈥渋nto the great urban boiler鈥� of Montreal. This is followed by a conversation, a commentary, a guide, even a relay: Everything they won鈥檛 tell you, Mongo.

The arrival, this 鈥渋ntimate moment that reminds us of the beginnings of a romance,鈥� begins with jazz, beer, and dance. Quickly, through the eyes of a newborn, we discover a common sky, the one that overlooks both Haiti and Qu茅bec. Then come the seasons, the moods, and love. This same onlook, more mature, will also consider history: religion, demography, the Quiet Revolution, modernity. French, the language of the colonizer in the South, of the colonized in the North, more than a culture, is perhaps the reason for a universal condition. 鈥淎 sensitive zone, Mongo,鈥� warns the author in addressing these issues.

Dany Laferri猫re鈥檚 articulate presentation retains an impressive sensitivity and humility. Despite its depth, his work does not lack humour and lightness. You will even be entitled to a 鈥淪hort glossary for newcomers鈥� and a 鈥淪hort treatise on flirting in Qu茅bec.鈥� For Dany Laferri猫re addresses not only immigrants, but Qu茅becers as well. Love, that鈥檚 all we鈥檙e going to tell you.

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