Jagmeet Singh is a cyclist, lawyer, Burnaby South MP and leader of the federal New Democratic Party.
And he’s set to add “author” to that list, with the publication of a memoir, Love & Courage: My Story of Family, Resilience, and Overcoming the Unexpected, on April 23. Click here to find out where he is signing books this week.
The title comes from a viral moment during Singh’s campaign for NDP leader, in which Singh responded to a heckler by saying Canadians must respond to hate with “love and courage.”
"This book is the story of my family and my personal experiences growing up – sometimes difficult ones. I often felt alone, unworthy, ashamed,” Singh said in a release from publisher Simon and Schuster Canada. “I hope this book helps some people feel less alone and know that they deserve love and happiness, no matter what they've gone through.”
While Singh is hardly the first politician to release a book during an election year, the publisher claims Love & Courage is “not a political memoir.”
“In this personal and heartfelt memoir, readers are invited to walk with Jagmeet through childhood to adulthood as he learns powerful, moving and sometimes traumatic lessons about overcoming adversity and the impact of not belonging,” the release says.
“It's a story of family, love, and courage, and how strengthening the connection between us all is the way to build a better world.”
Singh was elected leader of the NDP in 2017, before winning a byelection in February 2019 to gain his first seat in Parliament. He was previously a member of provincial parliament in Ontario.