Life's Undercard

Book excerpt: Life's Undercard is a gritty and entertaining memoir that chronicles the life experience of a young biracial boy named Michael, growing up in 1940s and 50s Montreal. Born to an Irish prostitute and a Jamaican stevedore, sent to a French Catholic orphanage, and later adopted by a Cherokee woman from Nova Scotia, Michael struggles in a world divided by race, class, and language and finds solace in unlikely places: boxing gyms and pool halls. Michael takes readers on a riveting journey, navigating the subcultures of Montreal; White and Black, French and English, lawful and criminal, all the while revealing his resilience, street-smarts, and natural charm. In the face of discrimination, poverty, and personal challenges, Michael arrives with the reader at an awareness of his place in society. Life's Undercard offers a unique perspective on the complexities of race relations, socioeconomic disparity, and the struggle for identity in mid-20th century Canada. With themes that resonate across generations and cultures, this memoir is an engaging tribute to a child's will to endure.