Transatlantic is beyond excited to share that INVISIBLE BOY: A MEMOIR OF SELF-DISCOVERY by Harrison Mooney has now been shortlisted for three literary prizes including the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, the BC & Yukon Book Prizes Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes and the Huburt Evans Non-Fiction Prize!

With the Emerging Writer Prize, Rakuten Kobo endeavours to raise the profiles of debut authors by recognizing exceptional books written by first-time Canadian authors in three categories: Literary Fiction, Non-Fiction, and one of three types of genre fiction: Romance, Speculative Fiction, or Mystery.

To see the shortlist, click here: https://www.kobo.com/media-hub/rakuten-kobo-emerging-writer-prize

The Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes is awarded to the author(s) and/or illustrators of an original work of published writing (poetry, fiction or nonfiction for adults or children, including graphic novels or picture books) that challenges or provokes the ideas and forces that shape what writing, art, and/or society can become.

The Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize is awarded to the author(s) of the best original work of literary non-fiction. Supported by the BC Teachers’ Federation.

To see the full list of finalists, click here: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/winners-finalists/

About the book:
A narrative that amplifies a voice rarely heard–that of the child at the centre of a transracial adoption–and a searing account of being raised by religious fundamentalists.

Harrison Mooney was born to a West African mother and adopted as an infant by a white evangelical family. Growing up as a Black child, Harry’s racial identity is mocked and derided, while at the same time he is made to participate in the fervour of his family’s revivalist church. Confused and crushed by fundamentalist dogma and consistently abused for his colour, Harry must transition from child to young adult while navigating and surviving zealotry, paranoia and prejudice.

After years of internalized anti-Blackness, Harry begins to redefine his terms and reconsider his history. His journey from white cult to Black consciousness culminates in a moving reunion with his biological mother, who waited twenty-five years for the chance to tell her son the truth: she wanted to keep him.

This powerful memoir considers the controversial practice of transracial adoption from the perspective of families that are torn apart and children who are stripped of their culture, all in order to fill evangelical communities’ demand for babies. Throughout this most timely tale of race, religion and displacement, Harrison Mooney’s wry, evocative prose renders his deeply personal tale of identity accessible and light, giving us a Black coming-of-age narrative set in a world with little love for Black children.

About the author:
Harrison Mooney is a writer and journalist. Born to a West African immigrant mother, he was adopted as an infant by a white family and raised in the Bible belt of British Columbia. He has worked for the Vancouver Sun for nearly a decade as a reporter, an editor and a columnist. His writing has also appeared in the National Post, the Guardian, Yahoo and Maclean’s. Harrison Mooney lives in East Vancouver with his family.

Harrison is represented by Samantha Haywood.

Congratulations Harrison!

Share: