Writer, historian and poet Afua Cooper tells the astonishing story of Marie-Joseph Angélique, a slave woman convicted of starting a fire that destroyed a large part of Montréal in April 1734 and condemned to die a brutal death. In a powerful retelling of Angélique’s story -- now supported by archival illustrations -- Cooper builds on 15 years of research to shed new light on a rebellious Portuguese-born black woman who refused to accept her indentured servitude. At the same time, Cooper completely demolishes the myth of a benign, slave-free Canada, revealing a damning 200-year-old record of legally and culturally endorsed slavery.

About the Author

AFUA COOPER holds a Ph.D. in African Canadian history, with specialties in slavery and abolition. She is the co-author of ‘We’re Rooted Here and They Can’t Pull Us Up’: Essays in African Canadian Women’s History, which won the prestigious Joseph Brant Award for History. She is also one of Canada’s most versatile poets and has published five volumes of poetry, including the acclaimed Copper Woman. Dr. Cooper has taught history at the University of Toronto.