Ace and the Misfits by Eddie Kawooya

Loosely based on author Eddie Kawooya’s own experience, this novel tells the story of a 15-year-old Ugandan refugee who seeks to find the success and friendships in Canada that he enjoyed before he and his mother had to flee their home country.

In his debut novel, Eddie Kawooya presents a fish-out-of-water story of immigration and the pains and joys of integration into a new and sometimes frightening environment.

Arriving in Canada, Ace finds himself living in a basement apartment, having to integrate into a new community where he is the “African.” Struggling with his grades and his self worth, he finds ignorance and bullying at school until he falls in with a crew of international misfits who understand what he’s going through.

With their support, Ace starts to regain the confidence he lost in the move and his subsequent troubles. He wants to show himself and his misfit friends that he has the tools to make it in his new life. This book tackles self esteem and how it can be easily lost when one feels alone.

At the core of this story is the isolation a child feels after his world is snatched from him, and the journey of self worth and self confidence he must undertake to rise above it.