Can You Hear Me Now?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 SHAUGHNESSY COHEN PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING

“I can hear you, C3. I found myself tearing up in parts and chuckling in others—I heard your passionate voice, felt your determination and smiled at your undeniable wit, all reverberating throughout the pages of this book. Yours is an important journey. Thank you for telling it. You are as inspiring as you are authentic.” —Jody Wilson-Raybould, Canadian MP, and author of From Where I Stand

“Celina’s memoir is the perfect mix of coming-of-age story, radical authenticity and #BlackGirlMagic. Never has a former Canadian politician stripped down and shown up in such an honest way. If you can’t hear Celina by the time you’ve finished this book you need to get your hearing checked.” —Tracy Moore, host of Cityline

“Though you can learn from lost voices, you can learn more from those who have found their voices. Celina found hers.” —Tanya Tagaq, Polaris Prize-winning singer and artist, and author of Split Tooth

“Can You Hear Me Now took me on a roller coaster of emotions that pale in comparison to all the tragedies and triumphs that Celina has endured. As a Black mother, a Black woman in Canadian society, I have never resonated with a story more. Like Celina, I have often been the chocolate chip in the cookie, but you do not need to be of a certain race or gender to hear Celina loud and clear—which she absolutely deserves at long last.” —Tanya Hayles, founder of Black Moms Connection and anti-Black racism consultant

“Celina tells her story with the kind of whole-hearted and bare-faced honesty you don’t see in the ‘typical’ autobiography. Which makes sense, because for Celina there’s no such thing as ‘typical.’ And that’s what makes her book so refreshing, and delightfully fun and inspiring. Facing her failures (and her critics), Celina takes ownership of her journey—from self-made successful entrepreneur to social justice trailblazer.” —Kirstine Stewart, author of Our Turn, and Head of Shaping the Future of Media at the World Economic Forum

“Fierce, unapologetic energy . . . resonates throughout [Caesar-Chavannes’s] book. Whether she’s reflecting on her childhood as a Caribbean immigrant growing up in a cold, foreign country, or as a Black woman in government, Caesar-Chavannes refuses to back down from addressing difficult issues or calling out problematic people. Even more so, she understands the importance of aligning purpose with accountability and action.” —The Tyee

“Inspiring.” —The Peterborough Examiner