Lawrence Hill facts for kids

For other uses, see Lawrence Hill (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Lawrence Hill
Hill in 2009
Born	(1957-01-24) January 24, 1957 (age 68) Newmarket, Ontario
Occupation	Novelist, non-fiction writer
Nationality	Canadian, American
Alma mater	Universite Laval (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA)
Period	1990s–present
Notable works	Black Berry, Sweet Juice, The Book of Negroes

Lawrence Hill (born January 24, 1957) is a Canadian writer. He writes novels, essays, and memoirs. He is famous for his 2007 novel The Book of Negroes. This book was inspired by the Black Loyalists. These were people who gained freedom and moved to Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War.

Hill also wrote a memoir in 2001 called Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada. His novel The Book of Negroes was made into a TV mini-series in 2015. In 2013, he gave the Massey Lectures. These talks were based on his non-fiction book Blood: The Stuff of Life. He has written ten books, including both fiction and non-fiction. Many of his books have been translated into other languages.

Lawrence Hill was born in Newmarket, Ontario. His parents were American and moved to Toronto from Washington, D.C. in 1953. His father was Black, and his mother was White. In 2016, Hill was the head judge for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

About Lawrence Hill's Family and School

Lawrence Hill was born in 1957. He was the second son of Daniel G. and Donna Mae (Bender) Hill. His parents were an interracial couple from America. They married in 1953 and moved to Toronto. His father was studying sociology at the University of Toronto.

His Parents' Important Work

Lawrence's father, Daniel G. Hill, was a sociologist and activist. He became the first director of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. He also served as the Ombudsman of Ontario. He wrote an important book about Black history in Canada. It was called The Freedom Seekers: Blacks in Early Canada.

Lawrence's mother, Donna Mae Bender, came from Oak Park, Illinois. She graduated from Oberlin College. She met his father in Washington, D.C. There, she worked for a US Senator and became a civil rights activist. In Toronto, Donna Hill worked for human rights. She helped pass anti-discrimination laws in Ontario. She also wrote about Black Canadian history. Her book was A Black Man's Toronto, 1914-1980: The Reminiscences of Harry Gairey.

Daniel and Donna Hill helped start The Ontario Black History Society. Lawrence grew up with his brother Dan and sister Karen in Don Mills. Dan became a singer and writer. His sister, Karen Hill (1958-2014), was also a writer.

His Grandparents and Education

Lawrence Hill's grandfather and great-grandfather were university-educated ministers. They belonged to the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This was the first independent Black church in the United States.

After attending the University of Toronto Schools, Hill studied economics. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Laval University in Quebec City. He then moved to the United States. He earned a Master of Arts degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Lawrence Hill now lives with his second wife, Miranda Hill. They live in Hamilton, Ontario, and in Woody Point, Newfoundland. He has four daughters and one son. He has also lived and worked in Baltimore, Maryland, Spain, and France.

Lawrence Hill's Career Journey

While studying for his Master's degree, Hill taught fiction writing. After finishing his studies, he returned to Canada. He has taught creative writing in many adult education programs. These include the University of British Columbia and the Humber School for Writers.

Hill has also been a judge for many literary awards. He often speaks at conferences, festivals, and schools. He has given talks across Canada, the United States, and many other countries.

He is a Senior Fellow at Massey College at the University of Toronto. Since September 2016, Hill has also been connected with the University of Guelph.

Becoming a Writer

Lawrence Hill's first dream was to be an Olympic runner. But he couldn't achieve that goal. He started writing when he was a teenager. He finished his first story at age 14. After getting his degree in economics, Hill worked as a newspaper reporter for four years. He wrote for The Globe and Mail and The Winnipeg Free Press.

He became the head of the newspaper's office in Ottawa. He covered Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada, and many other topics. In 1986, Hill left his job and moved to Spain. He wanted to write fiction full-time.

Writing About Identity and History

His parents' work in human rights and Black history greatly influenced Hill's writing. He often writes about identity and belonging. Hill created an exhibit about his father for the Ontario Archives. It was called The Freedom Seeker: The Life and Times of Daniel G. Hill.

Hill has written several non-fiction books. These include Trials and Triumphs: The Story of African-Canadians (1993). He also wrote Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada (2001). Another book is Blood: The Stuff of Life (2013).

His fiction books include Some Great Thing (1992) and Any Known Blood (1997). His novel The Book of Negroes (2007) became very popular. His book The Illegal (2015) also won many awards.

Success of The Book of Negroes

The Book of Negroes has been published in at least ten countries. It won several awards. These include the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. It also won CBC Radio's Canada Reads and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Many communities and universities have chosen this novel for group reading programs.

The Book of Negroes was made into a six-part television miniseries. Hill helped write the script with director Clement Virgo. Famous actors like Aunjanue Ellis and Cuba Gooding, Jr. starred in it. The series was filmed in South Africa, Nova Scotia, and Ontario in 2014. It first aired in Canada on CBC Television in January 2015.

In the United States, The Book of Negroes was first released as Someone Knows My Name. But the American publisher re-released it with the original title in 2015. This was to match the TV mini-series.

Other Writings and Activities

Hill's short stories have appeared in magazines like Descant and Exile. They have also been in newspapers like The Toronto Star. The Walrus magazine published his essay "Is Africa's Pain Black America's Burden".

From 2011 to 2013, Hill was a writer in residence for the Toronto District School Board. He visited about twenty schools. He talked to students about writing.

In 2013, Hill was chosen as a CBC Massey Lecturer. He gave talks in five Canadian cities. These talks were based on his book Blood: The Stuff of Life. The book explores the meaning of blood in our lives. In 2015, Blood: The Stuff of Life won the Hamilton Literary Award for Non Fiction.

He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.

His novel, The Illegal, was published in 2015. This novel was also chosen for a film adaptation. The Illegal won the 2016 Canada Reads competition. This made Hill the first writer to win the competition twice.

Books in Other Languages

Some of Lawrence Hill's books have been translated into French. These were published in Montreal, Quebec.

Aminata (from The Book of Negroes), translated by Carole Noel, 2011.
Un grand destin (from Some Great Thing), translated by Robert Paquin, 2012.
Le sang: essence de la vie (from Blood: The Stuff of Life), translated by Carole Noel, 2014.

Aminata became a bestseller in Quebec. It also won Le combat des livres on Radio-Canada. The Book of Negroes has also been translated into Dutch, Norwegian, German, and Hebrew.

Helping Others: Lawrence Hill's Activism

Lawrence Hill cares deeply about helping women and girls in Africa. He has volunteered in Niger, Cameroon, and Mali since 1979. His first published story was about his experience volunteering in Niger. In 2010, he started the Aminata Fund. This fund supports programs for women and girls in Africa. In 2014, he volunteered again in Swaziland.

In 2007, Hill worked with Joshua Key. Key was a former US Army private who left the Iraq War. Hill helped Key write his memoir, The Deserter's Tale. This book has been translated into many languages.

Hill has been on the advisory council of Book Clubs for Inmates since 2010. He is also a member of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society. He is an active member of the Writers' Union of Canada.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Lawrence Hill has received many awards for his writing and his work in the community.

Academic Awards

Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), The University of Western Ontario, 2017
Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), McMaster University, 2016
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), Dalhousie University, 2014
Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), Waterloo University, 2011
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2010
Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), University of Toronto, 2010

Literary Awards

Winner, Hamilton Literary Award, Blood: The Stuff of Life, 2015
Winner, Radio-Canada Le combat des livres, Aminata, 2013
Winner, CBC Radio's Canada Reads, The Book of Negroes, 2009
Winner, Commonwealth Writers' Prize, The Book of Negroes, 2008
Winner, The Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, The Book of Negroes, 2008
Winner, National Magazine Award (Essay) Is Africa's Pain Black America's Burden?, 2006

Community Awards

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012
Freedom to Read Award from the Writers' Union of Canada, 2012
Canadian Civil Liberties Association Award of Excellence, 2012
Inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, 2015

Lawrence Hill's Books and Films

Fiction Books

Some Great Thing (1992)
Any Known Blood (1997)
The Book of Negroes (2007) (also published as Someone Knows My Name)
The Illegal (2015)
Beatrice and Croc Harry (2022)

Non-Fiction Books

Trials and Triumphs: The Story of African-Canadians (1993)
Women of Vision: The Story of the Canadian Negro Women's Association (1996)
Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada (2001)
The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq, with Joshua Key (2007)
Dear Sir, I Intend to Burn Your Book: An Anatomy of a Book Burning (2013)
Blood: The Stuff of Life (2013)

Television and Film Work

The Book of Negroes: a six-part television miniseries (co-written with director Clement Virgo), 2015
Seeking Salvation: A History of the Black Church in Canada, a documentary film, 2004 (won a 2005 American Wilbur Award)

Images for kids

Hill in 2009