Toronto Life’s top 10 memoirs of 2020

The last 12 months have been a doozy, with no shortage of personal loss, upheaval, reinvention and occasionally a bit of hope. We captured all that drama and more in dozens of intimate first-person stories from front-line workers, park dwellers and even an opera singer who brought some joy to her neighbours with a balcony concert. Here are our top memoirs from 2020.

No. 1: “I used to own a condo in Toronto. How I ​ended up living in Dufferin Grove Park”

“I rigged a shelter out of a plastic tablecloth and a beach umbrella” | By Antonietta Corrado | February 13

Read more

No. 2: “When the pandemic hit Toronto, I packed up my life and left in 14 hours”

“I grabbed the first things I saw and jammed them into my bag, hoping for a Mary Poppins miracle” | By McKay Carroll | April 3

Read more

No. 3: “My father died on Flight 752. Here’s what I want you to know”

“I’ll miss talking to my dad five times a day. I’ll miss hearing about his steps. I’ll miss him telling me how to live a humble life, how to be strong and kind at the same time” | By Rehana Dhirani | January 17

Read more

No. 4: “I was more nervous than when I sang for Will and Kate”: How soprano and CBC host Julie Nesrallah gave a concert from her fifth-floor balcony

“People came out on their terraces and stopped in the street to listen” | By Julie Nesrallah | March 19

Read more

No. 5: “I’ve slept in cardboard boxes, vans and trucks. Now I live with my three dogs in a 25-foot sailboat in Humber Bay”

“At the end of the day, I’m happy to come back home” | By Tate Hill | December 11

Read more

No. 6: “There’s no such thing as social distancing in here”: An inmate tells his story

“My mother is 61 and she’s showing signs of dementia. I want to get out so I can take care of her” | By Min Byung-Moon | April 3

Read more

No. 7: “I worked as a Loblaws cashier at the height of the pandemic. It didn’t go well”

“The company exceeded 2019’s quarterly revenue by more than $1 billion. Then Galen Weston declared the end of our $2 pay premium” | By Lucas Lee | July 10

Read more

No. 8: “I suspect all of our staff will get sick”: How an ICU nurse is preparing for the Covid-19 crisis

“I feel like one of those people nailing storm shutters to their windows before the hurricane comes ashore. I know it’s going to be devastating” | By Anonymous | March 19

Read more

No. 9: “We had no idea when we were getting off the ship”: What it was like to be quarantined on the Grand Princess cruise ship

“We were lucky that we had a balcony. We could stick our heads out and talk to our neighbours”​ | By Mike Zrobin | March 17

Read more

No. 10: “You have minutes, maybe seconds, to get it right, or they’ll die”: A doctor describes what it’s like in hospital emergency rooms during Covid-19

“The media talks a lot about ‘respiratory distress,’ but that’s a euphemism. These patients feel like they’re dying” | By Joseph Choi | April 8

Read more

Like what you’re reading?

Subscribe for just $39.99

Subscribe Now!