The Right to Read

"The least they deserve is not charity but social justice." — Alfred Fitzpatrick, 1905

So sums up the quest of Nova Scotian Alfred Fitzpatrick, the man behind campaigns for the betterment of Canada's working class, and specifically the 1899 creation of the still-running literacy organization Frontier College. A tireless fighter for the rights of workers, immigrants, women, and Indigenous peoples, Fitzpatrick fiercely believed everyone in Canada — no matter their class or ability — has the right to dignity and the right to learn how to read.

Historian and author James Morrison situates Fitzpatrick in a time of burgeoning nation building and economic growth, where he crusaded for humane working conditions in railway, lumber, and mining camps, and held the government to account for its lack of support for adult and immigrant education.

Fitzpatrick's message that literacy is a basic human right is more relevant today than ever. This fascinating biography tells the story of a remarkable man who challenged all Canadians to bring literacy and education to those who do not have it — whoever and wherever they may be. Includes 30 black-and-white archival images.