Saïd M'Dahoma shares how food in Dandelion evokes "home" — Watch the Canada Reads Finale here
The debates took place March 17-20 on CBC TV, CBC Radio, CBC Listen, CBC Gem and CBC Books
The great Canadian book debate is back for its 24th season! The final round of Canada Reads kicked off March 20, 2025 at 10:05 a.m ET.
Watch the Finale above or find other ways and times to tune in here.
On the final day of the Canada Reads debates, panellists were asked which book had the most compelling exploration of home.
For Saïd M'Dahoma, Dandelion was the clear answer. The novel follows the journey of Lily, a new mother, as she ventures to Southeast Asia to find out what happened to her mother who left in her childhood.
"Throughout the book, I think people are trying, Lily especially, to know what is home," said M'Dahoma.
He pointed out that Lily, while born and raised in Canada, still feels like "people treat her like it's not her home, like she's not supposed to be here."
M'Dahoma, as the son of Comorian immigrants and an immigrant to Canada himself, related to Lily's experience of sometimes feeling like an outsider in the place she was born.
"I was born and raised in Paris," said M'Dahoma. "How [much] more French can I be?"
M'Dahoma argued that Dandelion shows that home does not only refer to one specific location. In the novel, Lily learns that home is a mix of Southeast Asia, where her parents are from, Canada, where she was born, and Ukraine, which is her husband's background.
"They created their own home, they created their own bubble and I think that's what everybody wants to do."
One way to bring home where you live is food.- Saïd M'Dahoma
As a pastry chef who stays connected to his roots through the dishes of his childhood, M'Dahoma noted that the depiction of food in Dandelion also expresses the feeling of home.
"One way to bring home where you live is food," he said. "That's why it's mentioned so many times throughout the book, because that's the way that people have to connect with where they're from."
Shayla Stonechild, the other Canada Reads contender who made it to the finale, shared how the book she championed, A Two-Spirit Journey, is an important lesson in the power of vulnerability.
In A Two-Spirit Journey, Ma-Nee Chacaby, an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian who grew up in a remote northern Ontario community, tells the story of how she overcame abuse and alcohol addiction to become a counsellor and lead Thunder Bay's first gay pride parade.
Stonechild commended Chacaby's bravery for sharing these harrowing experiences — and her continued positive outlook on life despite the challenges she faced.
"In today's society, vulnerability is often seen as a weakness, I think that's what Ma-Nee has, that's her strength," said Stonechild. "For me, reading it, I was like, 'Oh, wow, I do have the power to share both the dark and the light because that's a part of the human experience.'"
"I don't think we should discredit or hide away or feel ashamed or feel guilty for the traumas that have happened to us because a part of healing is transmuting that darkness and bringing it into the light."
Stonechild said she was inspired by how Chacaby transformed her pain into healing and was excited by the idea that A Two-Spirit Journey is sparking many interesting conversations as people around the country read it.
"Hopefully they're talking about healing and the solutions just as much as they're talking about the trauma."
The 2025 contenders are:
- Olympic gold medallist Maggie Mac Neil champions Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey
- Podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild champions A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer
- Heartland actor Michelle Morgan champions Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper
- Thriller writer Linwood Barclay champions Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston
- Pastry chef Saïd M'Dahoma champions Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew
Catch up on the 2025 Canada Reads debates:
WATCH: The Finale, Day Three, Day Two, Day One
LISTEN: The Finale, Day Three, Day Two, Day One
The Canada Reads 2025 books touch on difficult topics, which may come up in the debates.
Topics covered may include abuse, alcoholism, racism and more. You can access support and services at the link below.
