Emily Urquhart, folklorist and author of critically-acclaimed essay collection, Ordinary Wonder Tales:

"Invisible Boy is an extraordinary coming of age story of being Black in a white world, living in the shadow of fundamentalist religion, surviving abuse, and deciphering the deep complexities of transracial adoption, all narrated in a singular and clear voice. Harrison Mooney captures his younger self exquisitely and it is clear he has been writing this book his entire life… I couldn't put this book down, and all I cared about was the boy at its centre and who he might become. Bravo to Harrison Mooney for writing this compelling, humorous, heartbreaking, and beautiful work."

Praise for Invisible Boy:

  • "Invisible Boy is told with a vibrancy unique to the author. Mooney’s generosity of spirit, his sense of humour and capacity to transcend the self creates a book that is as riveting as it is incendiary.”

    — The Tyee

  • "An affecting portrait of life inside the twin prisons of racism and unbending orthodoxy.”

    — Kirkus Reviews

  • "A stark and startling memoir, Mooney's vital story depicts the violence of transracial adoption in the all-too-frequent cases where white parents simply decline to engage with the realities facing their non-white children."

    — Booklist

  • "A harrowing account of a childhood spent wrestling with big questions while an adoptive family offers all the wrong answers. Invisible Boy cuts deep with just-in-time insights about faith, family, and coming of age in a deeply flawed world.”

    Sarah Berman, author of Don’t Call it a Cult

  • “I read Invisible Boy in maybe three sittings. The astounding memoir about the Black Vancouver author’s, uh, terrifying upbringing by adoptive white fundamentalist Christian parents, says more about Canada’s rarely discussed tendency toward self-preservation than any official government literature ever will.”

    Josh O’Kane, author of Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy

  • "This memoir is heart-wrenching, wry and beautiful."

    Zazie Todd, author of Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy

Chelene Knight, author of the award-winning novel, Junie:

"When Harrison Mooney writes, he weaves an honest narrative of the human experience, sharing vivid and captivating stories that encourage us to go inward, to grow. But it's not just his words that shine: it's his ability to build a warm and welcoming community in the real world. In a society where uncomfortable stories can often divide, Harrison lovingly invites us all into the room, and it is here where magic happens."

This is Vancolour

Podcaster and TV host Mo Amir chats with Harrison Mooney (author, "Invisible Boy") about the origin of the word "woke" and how it became a political pejorative.

CHCH News

What if your family didn't see you - or saw you as something else? That's the way Harrison Mooney grew up as part of white, evangelical family in British Columbia's Bible Belt. He chronicles his experience in 'Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self Discovery'.