“Her memories of trying to lead a happy and meaningful life in the wake of so much physical abuse, personal cruelty, demeaning racism, and infidelity are almost too painful to read, and that’s why they should be read. So few people who have suffered through the childhood she endured come out the other end able to tell their tale so vividly and eloquently and disturbingly.”
– John Allemang

“Races is a story of striving for achievement on the track at the highest levels of competition, but it is also a story of striving to maintain a sense of self and possibility in a climate of relentless racism and social injustice. The Jeromes met these challenges head on, with the willingness to respond with support and kindness. By sharing her story with such honesty and clarity, Valerie Jerome shines a light on how we can welcome the beauty and necessity of diversity and commonality.”
– Lorna Williams, Lil’wat, Chair, First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation

“Races is a must read for every Canadian: searing, and emotional in parts, it gives us a deeper look at the Black experience in Canada. It is a striking tribute to the courage, spirit, and tenacity of the Jerome family. Despite their immense talents and efforts, Valerie and Harry could not perform their way out of the bleak realities of living in Black skin in the 1950s and 60s. Yet, today, Valerie shines as brightly as she did on the track. The Jeromes shaped Canada’s sporting landscape and paved the way for me and many others to shine freely.”
– Perdita Felicien, Olympian, world champion, and author of My Mother’s Daughter

“As a Canadian of Japanese ethnicity and a grandfather of two Haida boys, I know that racism is not an expression of just a few individuals or groups, but that it is built into the nation since colonization. Valerie Jerome’s searing personal account of the devastating consequences of being Black in Canada on her family calls for all of us to examine our prejudices — often so deeply held that we are not even aware of them.”
– David Suzuki

“The book is not only a testament to how one family paved the way for other Black athletes to thrive in this country. It’s also a sobering corrective to myopically Canadian patriotic liberalism, an insular and self-serving world view that tends to brush aside unpleasant reminders of our not-so-progressive past.”
– Daniel Gawthrop

“As a Black woman who has vivid memories of growing up with racism in the USA, I was mesmerized by Valerie Jerome’s storytelling style of her family’s first-hand accounts of racism in Canada. I could hardly put the book down!”
– Dee Daniels, award-winning jazz vocalist

“A must-read filled with history and stories of the Jerome family that’ll intrigue and inspire even the mildest sports fan.”
– Shawna Butler