Alumni Bookshelf

Fire Road: The Napalm Girl’s Journey through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace

Introduced at 2024 GBC Alumni Book Launch

In Fire Road, Kim Phuc shares her journey from that fateful day in 1972 to her ongoing mission to promote peace and healing. Through immense physical and emotional pain, her story is one of enduring horror and unexpected resilience, ultimately transforming her tragedy into unbreakable faith.

Known worldwide as "The Girl in the Picture”, Kim Phuc Phan Thi was immortalized in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph in 1972, showing her fleeing from a napalm attack in Vietnam. Despite enduring severe burns and years of therapy, Kim's resilience and spirit have remained strong. 

She founded The KIM Foundation International, supporting medical assistance for children affected by war and violence. Now residing near Toronto, Canada, Kim serves as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Culture of Peace and has received numerous honors for her humanitarian efforts. 

Rhythms of Change 

Recommended by Alumni Relations

In the early 2000s, a remarkable renewal of Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood began. Designed as a garden city" in the 1940s, the area gained a reputation over the decades as a "no go" zone. In 2005, Toronto's City Council approved a revitalization that would effectively turn Regent Park into one of the city's "go to" neighbourhoods.

Through captivating narrative that transcends urban planning, architecture, community development, and business, Rhythms of Change explores the revitalization journey through the eyes of Mitchell Cohen-a social activist, a musician, and the visionary CEO of The Daniels Corporation.

Rhythms of Change brings you into the heart of strategic decision-making. It explores possibility, is a testament to the resilience of local residents facing upheaval, and offers a roadmap for those eager for positive changes within their communities.

tangents

Authored by GBC Alum

Take a journey and ignite your passion for jewellery, photography and analogue media with my inaugural Zine, tangents. Broken down into five sections, tangents is filled with striking, narrative-driven imagery and stories, expressive of my jewelled-world perspective.

In search of an analogue but sustainable printing option, I turned to using a Risograph printer for tangents' production. A fascinating piece of 80's technology, the Risograph was originally invented to produce one and two-colour posters using rice bran oil ink and FSC-certified paper. Pushing the limits of this tech, the pages of tangents were passed through the printer up to three times to be coated in rich Pantone ink and vivid imagery that has a screen-print-like finish, an aesthetic that is impossible to achieve using traditional book-printing methods.

Encapsulating the tone of analogue media in our digital world, a short film, shot on Kodak 16mm Vision 3 film stock, was produced in partnership with Toronto-based jewellery designer, Sanaz Doost, accessible via a QR-coded link inside.

Cooking with the Wolfman

Authored by GBC Alum

While there were major variations from region to region and from season to season, in general, the traditional diets of Indigenous peoples of North America were remarkably healthy--high in protein and nutrients, low in salt, sugar and nearly without refined carbohydrates, featuring large and small game, waterfowl, eggs, fish and seafood, tubers, berries, tree roots, grasses, seeds and cultivated food crops.

As a classically trained chef of First Nations heritage, David Wolfman has a passion for bringing these traditional food sources together with European cooking techniques. In Cooking with the Wolfman, he and his wife, Marlene, share recipes gathered from David's career as a caterer, culinary professor and host of a popular cooking show, as well as a few family favourites, like an updated version of Marlene's great-grandmother's recipe for pemmican.

Covering everything from the origin of bannock to the finer points of filleting a fish, Cooking with the Wolfman is accessible to readers of every culinary skill level, with step-by-step instructions and charts covering the fundamentals of cooking, from knife handling techniques, choosing cuts of meat and making stocks and sauces to home smoking.

Life Blueprint

Authored by GBC Faculty

We all want an EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. Everything we do is in pursuit of it. But how do we achieve this?

Creating the life you want is like building your dream house. You need a set of customized blueprints that outlines all the required elements to build your unique house. Without them, the resulting space can fall short of expectation. The same can be said for building the life you want. We need a set of blueprints in order to create EXTRAORDINARY lives. Life Blueprint fills that need!

Life Blueprint provides a holistic plan for building the life of your dreams. It is a fusion of the strategic planning methods used by businesses blended with the best in self-help courses, books, workshops, and coaching. The step-by-step process guides you through a series of exercises that integrates all the critical aspects of life—vision, mission/purpose, impact, goals and values—and combines them into a proven action plan that drives achievement.

Building Your Dream: A Canadian Guide to Starting Your Own Business

Authored by GBC Faculty

Good, Building Your Dream brings a practical, hands-on approach to Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Good focuses on start-up versus managing a small business and walks the students through the fundamental 10-stage approach that is involved in starting a business. The students benefit from this ‘how to’, action-oriented approach. Students will understand what it takes to succeed in an entrepreneurial career from understanding the skills needed, to conducting a feasibility study; how to finance a new business, to completing a Business Plan by the end of the semester.

Finding Order in Disorder: A Bipolar Memoir 

Authored by GBC Alum

Ishaa Chopra battled bipolar disorder for over a decade. She has also been a victim of domestic abuse in her short-lived marriage. Finding Order in Disorder is a stunning memoir of her experiences. In lucid, simple prose the author addresses what it is like to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, how it affects interpersonal relationships and how societal norms influence our understanding of and responses to mental health issues. She also narrates how these traumatic and life-altering experiences have helped her gain insights into life and empowered her to the extent that along with being an early childhood educator, she is now an active campaigner for mental health. Brutally honest and often piercing in its observations, this is a memoir that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational.

The Practical Guide to Becoming Love

Authored by future GBC Alum

You can become Love. It's not woo-woo. It just takes practice.

You can practice Love just like anything else you'd want to get better at. If you wanted to blend concealer makeup better, you'd practice blending concealer. If you wanted a better serve in tennis, you'd practice hitting serves. And if you wanted to become the most Loving version of yourself, you'd practice patience, forgiveness, gratitude and compassion. It's hard work, but it’s worth it because becoming Love is the only way for you to stop suffering, feel joyful and help humanity live in peace.

The Alumni Way

Recommended by Alumni Relations

In this enlightening, original book, Dr. Maria Gallo reimagines graduates’ alumni status as a gateway to immense opportunities through professional and personal networks. To discover this alumni potential, Maria guides you through four key traits: reflection, curiosity, passion, and generosity towards your alumni potential.

With a sound academic foundation, combined with practical activities and checklists, The Alumni Way is the ultimate resource for inspiring savvy, growth-minded, active alumni citizens of the world.

Organizational Behaviour

Authored by GBC Faculty

Organizational Behaviour is truly a Canadian product. While it draws upon the strongest aspects of its American cousin, it expresses its own vision and voice. It provides the context for understanding organizational behaviour (OB) in the Canadian workplace and highlights the many Canadian contributions to the field. Subject matter reflects the broad multicultural flavour of Canada and also highlights the roles of women and visible minorities in the workplace. Examples reflect the broad range of organizations in Canada: large, small, public and private sector, unionized and non-unionized.

Don't Worry, Just Cook

Authored by GBC Alum

 “I tell you not to worry because I’ve done all the worrying for you!”

Bonnie Stern, beloved teacher and bestselling cookbook author, wants nothing more than for you to feel like she’s in the kitchen cooking beside you.

In her latest cookbook, Don’t Worry, Just Cook, written with her daughter Anna Rupert (who has, in fact, been in the kitchen cooking beside Bonnie her whole life!), Bonnie and Anna are here to help cooks of all experience foster comfort and connection through food.

With her trademark encouraging style and attention to detail, Bonnie writes recipes that are consistently delicious, widely appealing, and, as always, timeless. Like all of her cookbooks, Don’t Worry, Just Cook doesn’t simply give instructions to create a dish, it also shares stories, lessons, and kitchen wisdom that will build your cooking technique and confidence in the kitchen.

Dining in Paradise

Authored by GBC Alum

More than 150 recipes explore the intoxication of Bahamian foods, always a centrepiece of enjoyment for family and friends. Good background notes help readers discover the charm of this often under-rated cuisine which features conch, johnny cakes, cassava and mutton plus a host of other traditional Bahamian specialties.

"Bahamian cuisine is never bland. Our food consists of a variety of fresh tropical fruits, spices, chilies, lime and rum. Seafood is the staple diet and we believe that fresh is best!"

Shadow Life

Introduced at 2023 GBC Alumni Book Launch

The first book in a planned trilogy, Shadow Life introduces readers to Matthew Rice – a successful sixty-year-old Toronto politico who finds himself suddenly unmoored after serving jury duty on a devastating child murder case. Retreating to his cottage on an isolated island in Georgian Bay after being placed on medical leave, Matthew spends his evenings nursing scotch and old memories as he tries to evade the encroaching nightmares borne of the trial.

It is not long before Matthew’s trips down memory lane lead to Pandora’s box in the form of a missing birth certificate, and the thread of his life begins to unravel more spectacularly with the discovery of a long-buried family secret.

No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot

Introduced at 2024 GBC Alumni Book Launch

From one of Canada's most successful business leaders, the founder of the BlackNorth Initiative and the newest and first Black Dragon in the Dragon's Den comes a rags-to-riches story that also carries a profound message of hope and change.

Wes Hall spent his early childhood in a zinc-roofed shack, one of several children supported by his grandmother. That was paradise compared to the two years he lived with his verbally abusive and violent mother; at thirteen, his mother threw him out, and he had to live by his wits for the next three years. At sixteen, Wes came to Canada, sponsored by a father he'd only seen a few times as a child, and by the time he was eighteen, he was out of his father's house, once more on his own. Yet Wes Hall went on to become a major entrepreneur, business leader, philanthropist, and change-maker, working his way up from a humble position in a law firm mailroom by way of his intelligence, his curiosity, and his ability to see opportunities that other people don't.

My Name is Not Harry 

Recommended by Alumni Relations

"This is a series of books within a book. You begin on any page, and it will draw you in more and more deeply. It turns cliches on their heads. It challenges widely held assumptions. It sparks substantive conversations on Canadian values, ideals and our dynamic, rather than fixed, culture.

A rich and candid read from one of our country's most esteemed journalists. "

- Nurjehan Mawani, former chair of Immigration and Refugee Board, and His Highness the Aga Khan’s diplomatic representative in Afghanistan

Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future

Recommended by Alumni Relations

A step-by-step guide to reinventing you

Are you where you want to be professionally?

Whether you want to advance faster at your present company, change jobs, or make the jump to a new field entirely, the goal is clear: to build a career that thrives on your unique passions and talents. But to achieve this in today’s competitive job market, it’s almost certain that at some point you’ll need to reinvent yourself professionally. Consider this book your road map for the next phase of your career journey.

In Reinventing You, branding expert Dorie Clark provides a step-by-step guide to help you assess your unique strengths, develop a compelling personal brand, and ensure that others recognize the powerful contribution you can make.

Mixing personal stories with engaging interviews and examples from well-known personalities—Mark Zuckerberg, Al Gore, Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, and others—Reinventing You shows how to think big about your professional goals, take control of your career, build a reputation that opens doors for you, and finally live the life you want.

I Am My Brand: How to Build Your Brand Without Apology

Recommended by Alumni Relations

I Am My Brand provides achievable techniques and tools for women to build their personal brand. This is an essential step-by-step guide to building your brand, knowing your worth, and being unapologetic about it.

I Am My Brand is a toolkit for personal brand success. Featuring dynamic female brand builders from around the world, the book is a woven tapestry of personal brand advice with storytelling and support that offers a practical guide for female entrepreneurs, freelancers and executives. I Am My Brand explores the techniques used by different women across cultures to build their personal brand, as well as the challenges they faced and their paths to overcoming them. Focused on the skills needed to succeed, their stories – coupled with the author's expertise – will support readers on their own journey to brand success and self-empowerment in work and life.

The book is written in a down-to-earth style, with light entertainment and real-life anecdotes, providing insights into how to create, package and grow your personal brand. Written by one of the most influential female brand builders in the UK, I Am My Brand is a testament to the power of being a woman and illustrates what it takes to build a powerful female brand in today's male dominated business world.

The Possible Self

Recommended by Alumni Relations

Sometimes success isn’t enough—discover how to achieve lasting, whole-life fulfillment through a simple five-stage plan that corresponds with the five key parts of ourselves.
Learn from adult development expert and University of Toronto program leader at the Rotman School of Business, Maja Djikic. She explains, that in order to discover our purpose and achieve real, lasting change, we need to move beyond narrowly targeted ideas and strategies like changing our mindset or slightly altering our behavior, and instead go deeper and focus on our innate desires.

Goddie

Recommended by Alumni Relations

 “Yes, the morning breeze was a false friend. For one little girl named Goddie, the August breeze of 1945 would never feel the same again.”

In Robert Picart’s debut novel Goddie, we read the story of Goddie, a young girl born in the mid-1900s in the picturesque Blue Mountains of Jamaica. With the sudden loss of both parents, Goddie finds herself indentured to strangers in order to pay for school. Heartbroken, weary and alone, she forms a plan to escape to Great Britain as the Windrush movement escalates.

Will Goddie be able to escape the depths of betrayal for good and start over again? Will she succumb to despair? Or will she find the strength to find her place in a new and turbulent world?

How to Speak

Recommended by Alumni Relations

In the western world, or in any part of the world, extroverts are generally seen to be persuasive, interesting, brimming with ideas.  Introverts have wonderful qualities, yet most are resigned to being good listeners and supporting those who speak up.

“How to Speak to Anyone: Communication Tactics for The Quietly Ambitious Who Want to be Seen, Heard and Valued” is an extraordinary toolkit for the Introvert to step confidently into the spotlight. It is one of those books which encourages readers to absorb its information through interaction.

Written for quiet professionals, it is also valued by new graduates getting ready to make a mark in their chosen field. Early reviewers seem to be in agreement. One said,

“…I wished this book had been available in my earlier years. Your writing was so clear, to the point, and concise with techniques and examples for different situations. This will be my "go-to" reference whenever I am stuck.”  -Elsie C.

E Zee P Zee Business Tips 

Recommended by Alumni Relations

Judy Lee wrote E Zee P Zee Business Advice to make running a business easier by sharing real stories and practical lessons from other entrepreneurs. This book offers insights you won’t find in school, serving as a guide through the ups and downs of your business journey.

As a former Commercial Banker, Judy observed firsthand what successful business owners did right—and the mistakes others made. Now, she runs her own successful Optical business, applying and refining the same principles she shares in this book.

My Brand Compass: The 13Cs to Building Your Personal Brand

Recommended by Alumni Relations

Media entrepreneur, TedX speaker, and sought-after host, Dr. Terri-Karelle Reid, now adds author to her impressive roster of impact. My Brand Compass: The 13 Cs to Building Your Personal Brand is her first book, and her latest project to motivate and inspire. Drawing on authentic personal reflections from being one of Jamaica’s most-loved media personalities, and professional experience working with global brands and events, this book is the essential guide to unlocking your best self now.

In My Brand Compass, Terri-Karelle shares her proven 13-point blueprint that has helped people (including herself!) and brands deliver real influence, build purposeful communities, and demonstrate thought leadership. In this practical and inspiring book, you will learn:

• What is a personal brand and why it’s important
• How to identify and showcase your unique expertise
• How to gain clarity on your brand voice - message, market, and business model
• Why authenticity is the most effective marketing strategy
• The power of alignment and building community
• The business of brand you
• How to find and use your brand compass

Get ready to reap success from your expertise, unique ideas, powerful message, and authentic personality…brand you!

How to Change

Selected by GBC Alumni Community

Katy Milkman, renowned Wharton Professor and Choiceology podcast host, presents a groundbreaking guide to successful behavior change in her book "How to Change." With a foreword by psychologist Angela Duckworth, Milkman explores the proven path from your current state to your desired outcome. By addressing individual roadblocks and transforming challenges into sources of pleasure, Milkman's book offers science-based strategies for overcoming barriers like impulsivity and procrastination. Whether you're helping others or seeking personal transformation, "How to Change" provides a valuable blueprint for achieving lasting goals.

No Great Mischief

Selected by GBC Alumni Community

Alistair MacLeod musters all of the skill and grace that have won him an international following to give us No Great Mischief, the story of a fiercely loyal family and the tradition that drives it.

Generations after their forebears went into exile, the MacDonalds still face seemingly unmitigated hardships and cruelties of life. Alexander, orphaned as a child by a horrific tragedy, has nevertheless gained some success in the world. Even his older brother, Calum, a nearly destitute alcoholic living on Toronto's skid row, has been scarred by another tragedy. But, like all his clansman, Alexander is sustained by a family history that seems to run through his veins. And through these lovingly recounted stories-wildly comic or heartbreakingly tragic-we discover the hope against hope upon which every family must sometimes rely.

Rule of the Robots

Selected by GBC Alumni Community

If you have a smartphone, you have AI in your pocket. AI is impossible to avoid online. And it has already changed everything from how doctors diagnose disease to how you interact with friends or read the news. But in Rule of the Robots, Martin Ford argues that the true revolution is yet to come.

“Readers will come away with a good understanding of the technological fundamentals of AI and the debates concerning the likely impact of a maturing set of narrow AI technologies.”―Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed

Daughters of the Deer

Selected by GBC Alumni Community

In this haunting, groundbreaking, historical novel, Danielle Daniel imagines the lives of her ancestors in the Algonquin territories of the 1600s, a story inspired by her family link to a girl murdered near Trois-Rivières in the early days of French settlement.

This beautiful, powerful novel brings to life women who have literally fallen through the cracks of settler histories. Especially Jeanne, the first child born of the new marriage, neither white nor Weskarini, but caught between worlds. As she reaches adolescence, it becomes clear she is two-spirited. In her mother's culture, she would have been considered blessed, her nature a sign of special wisdom. But to the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful--a woman to be shunned, and worse.