September 28, 2023:

Donate

A Hero of Our Time

A Hero of Our Time

A Hero of Our Time

Osman Shah is a pitstop on his white colleague Olivia Robinson’s quest for corporate domination at AAP, an edutech startup determined to automate higher education. Osman, obsessed by Olivia’s ability to successfully disguise ambition and self-interest as collectivist diversity politics, is bent on exposing her. Aided by his colleague turned comrade-in-arms Nena, who loathes and tolerates him in equal measure, Osman delves into Olivia’s twisted past. But at every turn, he’s stymied by his unfailing gift for cruel observation, which he turns with most ferocity on himself, without ever noticing what it is that stops him from connecting to anyone in his past or present. As Osman loses his grip on his family, Nena, and everything he thought was essential to his identity, he confronts an enemy who may simply be too good at her job to be defeated.

A Hero of Our Time cracks the veneer of well-intentioned race conversations in the West, dismantles cheery narratives of progress through tech and “streamlined” education, and exposes the venomous self-congratulation and devouring lust for wealth, power, and property that lurks beneath.

About the author

Naben Ruthnum

Naben Ruthnum

Naben Ruthnum lives in Toronto, and is the author of the essay book Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race and the novel A Hero of Our Time. As Nathan Ripley, he is the author of two thrillers, Find You In the Dark and Your Life is Mine. His short fiction has won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Award. He also writes for film and television, and has film and television projects in development at Oddfellows Entertainment.

Browse Other Books

Donate today

Support Canadian literature

Help preserve and promote Canadian writers by contributing to Real Vancouver. Your donation helps us run our events and provide writers with resources, mentorship, and opportunities to grow their craft.