Take d Milk, Nah?
Awards
- Nominated, Governor General's Literary Award 2021
- Nominated, Jessie Richardson Critics’ Choice Innovation Award 2020
Description
Jiv is “Canadian. ” And “Indian. ” And “Hindu. ” And “West Indian. ” “Trinidadian,” too. Or maybe he’s just colonized. He’s not the “white boy” he was teased as within his immigrant household. Especially since his Nova Scotian neighbours seemed to think he was Black. Except for the Black people—they were pretty sure he wasn’t. He’s not an Arab, and allegedly not a Muslim—at least that’s what he started claiming after 9/11. Whatever he is, the public education system was able to offer him the chance to learn about his culture from a coffee table book on “Eastern Mythology. ” And then he had a religious epiphany while delivering a calf in Trinidad. By now, Jiv’s collected a lot of observations about trying to find your place in your world.
In this funny, fresh, and skeptical take on the identity play, Jivesh Parasram blends personal storytelling and ritual to offer the Hin-dos and Hin-don’ts within the intersections of all of his highly hyphenated cultures. This story asks the gut-punching questions: What divides us? Who is served by the constructs of cultural identity? And what are we willing to accept in the desire to belong? Then again—it doesn’t really matter, because we are all Jiv.
Reviews
“This engaging and powerful solo blends hilarious family-focused storytelling, incisive historical analysis of colonialism and imperialism and gut-punch first-hand accounts of everyday racism and marginalization in Canada. ”
- Jordan Bimm, NOW Magazine
“It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’re from, Take d Milk, Nah? Is a must-see experience. ”
- Alyssa Mahadeo, Toronto Caribbean
“Screamingly funny. ”
- Sam Mooney, Mooney on Theatre
“A thing of beauty. ”
- Lynn Slotkin, The Slotkin Letter
“I was impressed—nay, thrilled—by its boldness. ”
- Carly Maga, Toronto Star
“Hilariously entertaining and insightful. ”
- Cate McKim, Life With More Cowbell