The Maple Leaf Effect is an educative and empowering account of essential tools that newcomers to Canada must have in order to ensure their full and successful integration. Nalini also provides a captivating glimpse into her personal experiences as a newcomer. A must-read!’

Nalini Chariandy’s The Maple Leaf Effect is unequivocal: cultural adaptation is the key to living the Canadian dream. For an immigrant, this book provides valuable advice on how to ‘re-tool your cultural toolbox’ for Canada. Her sharp, personal observations about financial institutions and interracial interactions, and about their impact on a newcomer’s efforts to have a safe family life in the new country resonate with deeply held human ideals of an equitable and free-of-discrimination society.

Nalini nails it with The Maple Leaf Effect. She skilfully knits together her personal experience with humour and practical information for the newcomers. She walks the reader through the bumpy road of immigration, full of turmoil, hope and bitterness. Her remarkable book is bursting with critical information for immigrants. It also performs as a mirror for ‘Canadians’. She pinpoints the dark side of immigration from institutional discrimination to individual bigotry while maintaining hope that ‘We can do better. We can build a nation of equality’.

Anyone who works with or knows new immigrants realizes that so many of them were successful professionals or entrepreneurs in their own countries. We focus on how to assimilate into Canadian culture, but we often miss the opportunity to help them utilize their precious assets in their adaptation. This book addresses a blind spot in our immigration process. A very helpful, resourceful and easy read.

The Maple Leaf Effect is a book every immigrant should read. Nalini provides a great tool to help newcomers to Canada navigate the strange, unfamiliar and unpredictable new world that is Canada. Read it and then pass it on!

One immigrant’s impassioned recommendations for navigating the ups and downs of becoming Canadian. Whether it’s obtaining a mortgage, finding the right school for your child/children,

advice on interracial dating, or systemic racism, it’s all here. Nalini Chariandy writes from her personal experiences but sometimes she goes beyond retelling her stories to introducing exercises for the reader to come up with his/her own answers. Thought-provoking, relevant and thoroughly engaging. Highly recommended.

Nalini Chariandy has written such an informative and knowledgeable book that is so relevant to every one of us in Canada! She has true insights into all the issues and challenges that immigrants face. I wish that I had access to a book like this when I was a new immigrant.