Transatlantic is extremely proud to celebrate the launch of Emily Urquhart’s BEYOND THE PALE. “Part memoir, part cultural critique, and part genetic travelogue, BEYOND THE PALE is a brave, intimate investigation into the secret histories that each of us carries in our genes and an inspiring and beautiful memoir about parenting a child with a disability – and building a better future for that child.” Urquhart has received phenomenal praise so far and we wanted to share some of that with you here. This is a must read this Spring!
Praise for Emily Urquhart’s BEYOND THE PALE (TV/Film rights available. World rights available ex, HarperCollins: World English, April 2015)
- Maclean’s – “The Most Anticipated Books of 2015”
- The Globe and Mail – “The 50 Most Anticipated Books of 2015”
- Toronto Star – “The 25 Books We Can’t Wait to Read”
- Maclean’s has a terrific feature
“A graceful, perceptive rendering of a misunderstood condition.” –Kirkus Reviews
“The book does a stellar job of raising awareness and dispelling myths. (People with albinism do not have pink eyes.) Beyond the Pale will undoubtedly seal Urquhart’s position as an eloquent spokesperson and passionate activist for this mysterious and misunderstood condition. She’s highly relatable both as a typical exhausted first-time mom and as the parent of a child with a genetic disorder, and she writes with an aching honesty.” –Toronto Star
“The way Urquhart struggles with these questions ultimately reflects her greatest quality as a writer. From the start she isn’t afraid to make the personal political, to delve into her particular experience while also acknowledging its limits and investigating what lies beyond them. Urquhart’s as interested in championing individuality as she is in embracing our shared humanity. But she never shies away from the fact that cherishing both can be a knotty, contradictory affair.” –The Globe & Mail
“Beyond the Pale is a brave, thoughtful, clear, and always graceful journey through the terrifying randomness of genetics and the unexpected ways genetic anomalies can mark not just children, but all the lives around them. Best of all, it ends with a surprise—one that will interest anyone thinking of having a family.” —Ian Brown, author of The Boy in the Moon
“Driven by a mother’s love and a scholar’s curiosity, Beyond the Pale is a warm and unflinching memoir about hope and the resilience of the human spirit. Rich with stories that both horrify and inspire, the result is a haunting and moving journey—one that says far less about genes than it does the power of people to overcome.” —Caroline Abraham, author of The Juggler’s Children: Journey into Family, Legend and the Genes that Bind Us
“Emily Urquhart has written a courageous and ambitious book. Beyond the Pale offers an intimate account about raising a daughter with albinism, a lucid portrait of related genetic, medical and social issues, and a disturbing reminder of the brutal violence that many people with albinism continue to face today.” —Lawrence Hill, author of The Book of Negroes
“Beyond the Pale is a powerful story about maternal love, the long reach of family and the ways—good and evil—we react to disability. And what a guide we have in Emily Urquhart—a wonderful writer who is generous, honest and not afraid to pose the hardest questions. This book took me by the hand on the first page and never let me go.” —Katherine Ashenburg, author of The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
“Beyond the Pale is an elegant, complex wonder. Urquhart carries a light into a world of shadows as she confronts ancient fears and violence on behalf of her child. In probing what makes us different from each other and what unites us—how we are forged by both our genes and our stories—she creates a legacy of belonging for her daughter and a beautiful contemporary fable for all of us.” —Maria Mutch, author of Know the Night: A Memoir of Survival in the Small Hours
“Beyond the Pale is a beautiful weaving of the threads of history and lore that combine to make a family, gathered with the fierce, exhaustive love that overtakes us when we become parents.” —Gill Deacon, author of There’s Lead in Your Lipstick: Toxins in Our Everyday Bodycare and How to Avoid Them