First Schoolmaster in Random Sound: George Vardy of the Southwest Arm BIPOC and death looms at his

and death looms at his door

This book is not just about being Jewish in the shadow of today’s war

unencumbered lives

Hamilton Literary Award (Non-Fiction)

and does so in a fast-paced style that ensures the reader can’t look away

First Schoolmaster in Random Sound: George Vardy of the Southwest Arm BIPOC and death looms at hisPoor and friendless yet called to teach, George Vardy of Christchurch emigrates to Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, marrying at Grates Cove in 1841, at a time when schoolmasters work as jacks of all trades. In a world of mass illiteracy, where Anglican and Methodist clergy compete for souls, and pioneers flock to new frontiers, Vardy joins a migration to Random Sound, where he fights to feed his family, and struggles to open a day school at Heart's Ease