• Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin

Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin

by Sunny Dhillon

November 4, 2025 | ISBN 978-1-998408-32-0 | 142 Pages

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In 2018, Sunny Dhillon resigned as a journalist with the Globe and Mail. His blog post announcing his departure went unexpectedly viral. It was a decision that had been long brewing and Dhillon posted the piece with the hope that it would lead to “meaningful reflection on the lack of diversity in Canadian journalism and the problems therein.” But he was not optimistic.

In this sharply funny memoir, shaped as a series of letters to his daughter, Dhillon explains why he was not hopeful. From his earliest memories, his experience of being Canadian was shaped by race, and as a child he’d often found himself confused by what he should do when the fact he was “different” was raised. His first reaction was to hide – from his skin colour, from his native tongue and even from his name. Until he realized he didn’t feel the need to hide anymore, that he didn’t want to hide anymore. With warmth, honesty and lots of humour, Dhillon shares his journey so that his daughter will not have to struggle through the lessons he took too long to learn, so that she will know who she is and be proud.

“In Hide and Sikh, Dhillon offers a series of conversational life lessons shared from father to daughter; but it is also a deeply reflective memoir that grapples with experiences of racism and the courage required to confront it every day in every space. With humour and candour, Dhillon invites each of us to walk a mile in his skin – a necessary journey guaranteed to spark conversation in a polarizing time.” – Anuja Varghese, author of Chrysalis: Stories

Read an Excerpt from HIDE AND SIKH, the New Memoir from Sunny Dhillon (Open Book, 18/12/2025)
Sunny shares an excerpt with Open Book.

Events with Sunny Dhillon

    • Palma’s Picks: Living in your own skin and not hiding anymore (Jennifer Palma, Global News, 12-Apr-2026)
      Living in your own skin and not hiding from who you are can be freeing, it can also give you pause for thought. Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin, is authored by Sunny Dhillon, he speaks with Jennifer Palma.
    • The Letter You Keep Meaning to Write (Shane Hewitt, The Night Shift, 25-Feb-2026)
      "Letters to your kids about who they are before you have to leave them. You’ve probably thought about it. Maybe you started. Sunny Dhillon started writing his because a racist incident at a playground in Ottawa scared his daughter in kindergarten, and he knew exactly what she was about to carry."
    • Writer’s Block: Sunny Dhillon (Sunny Dhillon, All Lit Up, 18/11/2025)
      "You can’t force your way through a brick wall. You have to give your brain time to find another way."
    • NewsRadio Bookshelf: Sunny Dhillon (Hide and Sikh) (John Ackermann, NewsRadio Bookshelf, 2/11/2025)
      Sunny chats with John Ackermann about his new book.

  • Sunny Dhillon is a former news reporter whose viral essay “Journalism While Brown and When to Walk Away” highlighted the significant challenges that journalists of colour can face. Sunny worked as a print reporter for ten years. He has also appeared on television and radio and has spoken at conferences. He is passionate about racial justice and continues to write on that theme. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia. He and his young family now live in Ontario, where Sunny attends law school. This is his first book.