Bones of Belonging

A Story Collection

“A meditation on racism and belonging” – Toronto Life Magazine

Bones of Belonging is a non-fiction collection of sharp, funny and poignant essays sharing what it’s like to be a Brown woman working for change in a white world.

In a series of deft interlocking stories, Bones of Belonging shares experiences of searching for, and teaching about, belonging in our deeply divided world. A critically acclaimed racialized immigrant writer and recognized diversity and inclusion leader, Annahid writes with wisdom, honesty and a wry humour as she considers what it means to belong—to a country, in a marriage, in our own skin—and what the impact is when belonging is absent.

Like the bones of the human body, these stories and vignettes knit together a remarkable vision of what wholeness looks like as a racial outsider in a culture still dominated by whiteness.

Bones of Belonging is now available in Canada and will be available in the US in May 2023.

Books - Bones of Belonging cover with bones and vines

These stories are an essential roadmap toward our human interdependence and how we ultimately belong to each other. Through her wonderful writing, Annahid is making the difference we need in the world.

Loretta J. Ross, Feminist and Author of Calling in the Calling Out Culture

Dashtgard uses the power of story to address issues of equity, inclusion and belonging. Annahid’s personal, passionate, and intelligent exploration of the world that she has had to navigate provides a road map that helps us all to increase our awareness and commit to doing our part in order to make our respective communities a better place to live and work.

Mark Shapiro, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays

We need more women of colour to speak bravely about how to take our power back.  This book of stories is a roadmap for everything from healing our bodies to using our voices in the boardroom.  It will inspire all who read it to move into action.

Deepa Purushothaman, Leadership Consultant and Author of The First, the Few and the Only: How Women of Colour Can Redefine Power in Corporate America

If you are white like me, a book with the subtitle “Finding Wholeness in a White World”, written by a Person of Color, might suggest a guilt trip you don’t want to take. But that’s not what you’ll find here. Instead, you’ll find a mind- and heart-opening call to help build the Beloved Community, written in a way that evokes the better angels of our nature.

Parker J. Palmer, Educator, Author and Spiritual Elder

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Bones of Belonging Readers Guide by Annahid Dashtgard