While many people have ramped up enjoyment of their streaming services during the pandemic, Keyaan Vegdani has used the time without his typical activities to publish four books – including one inspired by a class he took at his high school.
I wanted to accomplish something meaningful during the time. I also wanted to help young children see how interesting and captivating subjects like history and politics can be. I thought that by explaining them with simple drawings and sentences, they could start to understand the subjects and gain a keen interest or passion in them.”
Keyaan, a Grade 12 student at Cariboo Hill Secondary, wrote, illustrated and took photos for: two books targeted at children about Canadian History, a book about his own journey with Crohn’s disease to support other kids, and a book about another of his passions developed while in school: electronics.
What inspired the creation of the book was that I noticed that a lot of people have an innate fear when it comes to working with electronics. Lots of people are afraid of getting shocked and obstacles like that. But, as long as you’re safe, it can be a lot of fun. I wanted to create a book that was sort of like a foot in the door to creating your own projects using this medium.”
His electronics book took a whole year to complete and is filled with photographs he took, descriptions, and instructions to guide the reader through a variety of projects ranging from beginner to advanced. He asked his teacher, Andrew Mosher, to edit the book and included him in the dedication, thanking him for “showing me the fun in creating electrical contraptions” and teaching “almost everything I know regarding this subject.”
Keyaan’s books are garnering attention, with his most recent about Crohn’s disease – where a percentage of each purchase is donated to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada – having been featured by CBC British Columbia.
Keyaan’s Books
Posted October 2021