Welcome to the NSCC Alumni Book Club
Connect through stories, ideas, and conversations — wherever you are.
Our Alumni Book Club is a free, online reading community open to all NSCC students, employees and alumni. Whether you’re a casual reader or a dedicated book lover, this is your space to share, learn and grow together.
The reading lists will feature a wide range of books by alumni and local authors. Thought-provoking books that spark meaningful dialogue. If you’d like to suggest NSCC alumni or local authors to be considered for the book club, email .
How it works
The Alumni Book Club is held entirely online using Microsoft Teams, making it easy to join from anywhere. Meetings take place every three to four months, giving participants time to read each selected book. Each virtual book club meeting is 45-60 minutes, which includes a guided discussion, lively conversations, and, when possible, an opportunity to hear from the author themselves.
Participation is free and open to NSCC students, alumni and employees.
Simply complete our quick registration form to become a book club member. We'll keep you informed about upcoming books, meeting dates, and special guest speakers.
You can register at any time and participate in the session of your choice.
Now reading
Our current book pick is The Summer Between Us by Award-winning African Nova Scotian writer Andre Fenton (Screen Arts ’15 & Social Services ’18). We invite you to read this empowering coming-of-age story and join in the conversation on Monday, February 23, 7-8 p.m. (AST), during our next virtual Book Club meeting. You’ll get to hear from Andre Fenton himself during the second half and ask all those burning questions about what was really going through the author’s mind.
You can grab your own paperback, eBook or audio copy at various locations, or borrow a copy from a local library, including any Novanet Library - which alumni can access as an exclusive perk.
Register for the upcoming Book Club meeting
The Summer Between Us
This novel tackles contemporary social issues such as class difference and colourism in the Black community in this vibrant coming-of-age story. The story follows eighteen-year-old Adrian Carter as he graduates from high school and confronts difficult decisions about his future, all while dealing with the stress and pressure he feels to please those closest to him. As Adrian navigates the emotional highs and lows of the summer between graduation and the post-secondary future, he negotiates the difficulties of forging a path in life against others’ expectations.
Despite his wish to follow his longtime girlfriend Mel on her cross-country trip with her band, Adrian is hesitant about spending too much time in the punk’s scenes majority-white spaces. Adrian struggles with these feelings and works to find common ground with his emotionally distant father. Meanwhile he starts to understand that his own passion is grounded in a desire to support a community he’s forged on his own.
Dealing with important themes (a desire for independence, identity, first love, familial tensions) from the nuanced perspective of a biracial teen, this story tackles key contemporary social issues.
About the author
NSCC alum Andre Fenton (Screen Arts ’15 & Social Services ’18) is an award-winning African Nova Scotian writer, performer, and arts educator who has represented Halifax at eight national spoken word festivals across Canada. He is the 2023 recipient of the Portia White Protege Award and a 2022 recipient of an Emerging Artist Recognition Award from Creative NS Awards.
Andre is the author of three young adult fiction novels, Worthy of Love; ANNAKA, which was the 2022 recipient of The Community & Place Award from Digitally Lit; and The Summer Between Us, which won Gold in The Coast’s 2022 Best Of Awards.
Andre has facilitated writing and performance workshops in over 100 classrooms across Nova Scotia. He is currently screenwriting the film adaptation of his novel, ANNAKA that is being produced by Fine Devils Films. Andre is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.