I Am Monday

“This book tells the story of a man gifted with intelligence, kindness and humility, who chose to use his medical skills to save the communities of Northern BC as the only pediatrician for decades.”
Ron Olsen

From a childhood in the Gold Coast, now Ghana, to a medical career in the Canadian North, pediatrician Kwadwo “Kojo” Asante’s memoir is a testament to resilience, compassion, and the pursuit of excellence. Through vivid storytelling, Kojo shares the challenges and triumphs of breaking barriers as a Black physician in the 1960's, and as an advocate for children affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, making this memoir essential for those who seek to understand the journeys of Canada’s most influential personalities.

"I attended one of Louis Armstrong’s two special evening concerts in Accra. It was indeed unforgettable, and the audience went wild. This was the first time I was able to remember the names of all the members in an orchestra. Their visit to Ghana lasted only two memorable days.
Two months later in summer 1956, and after sight-seeing in New York and Toronto, I would arrive in Vancouver, BC, Canada, to start university. Satchmo played me out of Ghana."

I Am Monday spans ninety years of Kojo’s early life from Ghana to 1960’s Glasgow, the Canadian North and beyond. When his migration back to the tropics paused, this tropical bird came to roost with his first wife and daughters in an unlikely but welcome place, Terrace, British Columbia.

Kojo dedicated his life to the children of the True, North, Strong and Free.

I Am Monday is a powerful and resonant narrative of identity, migration, and leadership, offering readers a rare glimpse into the life of a BIPOC trailblazer who redefined what it means to heal and to belong.