Franke James
The spark for Franke James' newest book, "Freeing Teresa," was lit ten years ago. In 2013. Franke and her husband, Billiam James, helped her younger sister get out of a Toronto nursing home, regain her decision-making rights, and then helped Teresa get a public apology from the Ontario Minister of Health.
Earlier that same year, Franke had published Banned on the Hill, which led to her winning the BC Civil Liberties Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2014. Her related poster campaign, “Do Not Talk About Climate Change,” appeared in three Canadian cities and Washington, DC. In 2015, Franke was awarded PEN Canada’s Ken Filkow Prize for “tenacity in uncovering an abuse of power and commitment to fostering a national conversation in the face of censorship.”
Franke James is a Canadian activist, artist, and the author of four books on disability rights, climate change, free expression, and ethics. For Franke, the diverse issues in "Freeing Teresa," "Banned on the Hill," "Bothered by My Green Conscience," and "Dear Office-Politics" are all connected by the need to speak up and take action.
Franke lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and her sister, Teresa.
Earlier that same year, Franke had published Banned on the Hill, which led to her winning the BC Civil Liberties Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2014. Her related poster campaign, “Do Not Talk About Climate Change,” appeared in three Canadian cities and Washington, DC. In 2015, Franke was awarded PEN Canada’s Ken Filkow Prize for “tenacity in uncovering an abuse of power and commitment to fostering a national conversation in the face of censorship.”
Franke James is a Canadian activist, artist, and the author of four books on disability rights, climate change, free expression, and ethics. For Franke, the diverse issues in "Freeing Teresa," "Banned on the Hill," "Bothered by My Green Conscience," and "Dear Office-Politics" are all connected by the need to speak up and take action.
Franke lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and her sister, Teresa.
Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me
Memoir
A true story about sisters, disability, and standing up to family. It’s a searing account of how paternalistic attitudes ripped one family apart. But it’s also about resilience and finding the courage to protect the ones you love. Franke James, an environmental activist, objected when she heard her siblings’ plan to put her sister, Teresa Heartchild, into a nursing home. She asked, “What about Teresa’s human rights?” But she was told that Teresa, who was born with Down syndrome, had been declared incapable. She had lost her right to decide. Then, the other siblings, who were acting as Teresa's “guardians,” put Teresa into a long-term care institution. But Franke did not give up. Using her skills as an activist, she put a team together to help Teresa get discharged. That’s when all hell broke loose. And the two sisters had to stand together—against their siblings, the medical system, and the police—to defend Teresa’s right to be free. Teresa is just one of thousands. The old institutions have closed, but today, there’s a steady conveyor belt putting people with disabilities into institutions like nursing homes. This deeply personal story shines a light on a pressing civil rights issue for all people with disabilities—the right to decide where you live. |
Banned on the Hill: A True Story about Dirty Oil and Government Censorship
Graphic Non-fiction Memoir
What would you do if you discovered your own government blacklisted you for speaking up on climate change and the tar sands? In Banned on the Hill, artist and author Franke James tells how she first discovered she was being censored by the Canadian ‘Harper’ government — and how she fought back. It’s an inspiring story that shows how creativity, crowd-funding and investigative digging can work together to shine a bright light on a government that is more interested in message control than a citizen’s democratic right to free expression. Through eight visual essays, James traces her personal journey as an active citizen discovering the power of speaking out. Interviewed in the Guardian UK newspaper, James said she hoped the book would serve as a how-to guide to other activists hoping to take on the Harper administration, especially with humour. “It’s like a judo flip, meaning you can flip someone much bigger than you.” Through entertaining, powerful and humorous real-life storytelling, James shows us how to speak the hard truths — and get heard. She shows us why actions speak louder than words and how each of us can make a difference in our front yards, our city, our country and our world. |
Bothered By My Green Conscience
Graphic Non-fiction Memoir
"I just picked up Bothered by my Green Conscience by Franke James and read it cover to cover in one 20-minute sitting. It is a funny, moving, and inspiring read, even though it deals with a topic that usually depresses the hell out of me: climate change. This might be just the ticket for those of us who have read so much about the science, the dire predictions, and the politics of climate change that we just can't stomach anymore. Time for a little hope and humour on this issue. - Michelle Lalonde, Montreal Gazette "With her delightfully quirky style, Franke James has been chronicling her personal journey in going green through a series of illustrated online essays for some time now, and her latest book, Bothered By My Green Conscience, finally brings five essays together in one edition. In nurturing her green conscience, James artfully demonstrates that the process can be far from perfect, but her colourfully illustrated enthusiasm and verve is an infectious page-turner." - Kimberley D. Mok, Treehugger "Franke's visual essays have been spreading virally over the past few years on major blog sites like Kottke and Treehugger. Now they are gathered together in a book, Bothered by My Green Conscience, and I think it gives us a very good reason to still value having a bound and printed object we can share without peering into a screen. Franke's essays are illustrated guides to her process of changing internally and externally. The essays must be seen to be appreciated. Combining text, illustration and collage, they express the messiness of creativity and the beauty of action. This really is a book to give to your friends and family." - Martin Edic, Renaissance Magazine. You've changed all your light bulbs and switched to cloth bags at the grocery store. |
Dear Office-Politics: the game everyone plays
Nonfiction Business Ethics Advice
Dear Office-Politics is the award-winning role-playing game that teaches you how to play (and laugh at) office politics. The game was invented by author and site founder, Franke James. "James's splashy sense of humor and style catapults this book from the field of humdrum HR exercises to an entertaining discussion of the pantheon of office types." ForeWord Reviews Dear Office-Politics lets YOU be an Office Politics Adviser and offer your best, sage advice. And then it turns the tables, and puts you into the role of Advice-seeker! How does the advice measure up? Well, the Advice-seeker each round is the ultimate judge, but you can also peek at the back of the book to see how the real Office-Politics Advisers answered. Each ethical dilemma is based on an actual letter that was submitted to OfficePolitics.com since it was founded in 2002. |