DANCEHALL REBEL // YA Novel by Stacey Robinson

My new book Dancehall Rebel is rooted in a love for music, while looking at how this love can intersect with contradictory values, beliefs, or religious practices—across cultures. I hope this story can serve as a source of reflection, awareness, and a catalyst for conversation. Denise’s family represents many parents, cousins, or community members of all backgrounds who are unsure of how to navigate unfamiliar lifestyles or technologies. This story can be a tool and example, for those who need to explore these changes across generations, as Denise approaches her new reality with respect for her family and the culture she was raised in, while nurturing her independent journey into adulthood. ~ Stacey Robinson

DANCEHALL REBEL

By Stacey Robinson

A teen shares her dad’s vibrant Caribbean musical legacy but is burdened by the homophobia that comes along with it. She needs to find a new path for the music and for herself.

Dancehall Rebel is a groundbreaking novel portraying a Caribbean Canadian teen challenging the ongoing legacy of homophobia in her  musical and cultural community. Dancehall music and culture is undergoing a large shift. This book is a smart and savvy tale of a teen finding the confidence and voice to be an agent of change in her musical culture—and with her family.

Denise is a Toronto teen who was raised on Jamaican dancehall music; her dad is a leading local DJ who has imbued her life with a love of music. Denise has aspirations to follow in her dad’s footsteps, but there’s a problem: Denise identifies as queer, and the music she loves  often reflects homophobia. Her mother and relatives are also not accepting. But when she moves to Ottawa for first year university school, encouraged by a sympathetic cousin, she finds a community of like-minded kids who love and cherish both music and diversity.

This lively true-to-life portrayal of teen lives and relationships puts a very contemporary spin on the cultural conflict often between more traditional families and their young family members.

Thank you to James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishing for the opportunity to share this book amongst their catalogue of socially conscious stories for children and teens.