Best of
Canada

2011

Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies, and Aid


Samantha Nutt - 2011
    Combining original research with her personal story, it is a deeply thoughtful meditation on war as it is being waged around the world against millions of civilians -- primarily women and children. Samantha's boundless energy, dedication, and compassion shine through on every page as she lays out real, lasting solutions to these problems and shows how to move beyond outdated notions of charity towards a more progressive, inclusive, and respectful world view.

Family Furnishings: Selected Stories, 1995-2014


Alice Munro - 2011
    Subtly honed with her hallmark precision, grace, and compassion, these stories illuminate the quotidian yet extraordinary particularity in the lives of men and women, parents and children, friends and lovers as they discover sex, fall in love, part, quarrel, suffer defeat, set off into the unknown, or find a way to be in the world.Peopled with characters as real to us as we are to ourselves, Munro’s stories encompass the fullness of human experience—from the wild exhilaration of first love, in “Passion,” to the lengths a once-straying husband will go to make his wife happy as her memory fades, in “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.” Other stories suggest the punishing consequences of leaving home (“Runaway”) or leaving a marriage (“The Children Stay”). The part romantic love plays in one’s existence is explored in “Too Much Happiness,” based on the life of the noted nineteenth-century mathematician, Sophia Kovalevsky. And in stories that Munro has described as “closer to the truth than usual”—“Dear Life,” “Working for a Living,” and “Home” among them—we glimpse the author’s own life.As the Nobel Prize presentation speech says in part: “Reading one of Alice Munro’s texts is like watching a cat walk across a laid dinner table. A brief short story can often cover decades, summarizing a life, as she moves deftly between different periods. No wonder Alice Munro is often able to say more in thirty pages than an ordinary novelist is capable of in three hundred. She is a virtuoso of the elliptical and the master of the contemporary short story.”

A Stranger at Home


Christy Jordan-Fenton - 2011
    It’s been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers. Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, “Not my girl.” Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider. And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can’t even stomach the food her mother prepares. However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family’s way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people—and to herself. Highlighted by archival photos and striking artwork, this first-person account of a young girl’s struggle to find her place will inspire young readers to ask what it means to belong.

Requiem


Frances Itani - 2011
    He and his son, Greg, are left to deal with the shock. But Greg has returned to his studies on the East Coast, and Bin finds himself alone and pulled into memories he has avoided for much of his life. In 1942, after Pearl Harbor, his Japanese Canadian family was displaced from the West Coast. Now, he sets out to drive across the country: to complete the last works needed for an upcoming exhibition; to revisit the places that have shaped him; to find his biological father, who has been lost to him. It has been years since his father made a fateful decision that almost destroyed the family. Now, Bin must ask himself whether he really wants to find him. With the persuasive voice of his wife in his head, and the echo of their great love in his heart, he embarks on an unforgettable journey that encompasses art and music, love and hope.A story of great loss, a story of redemption, a story of abiding love, Requiem is a beautifully written and evocative novel about a family torn apart by the past and a man’s present search for solace.

Junkie


Robert P. French - 2011
    Once a rising-star detective, he has one friend left from his old life. When he finds him dead, his former colleagues rule it a suicide. Cal is determined to prove them wrong and sets himself on a chilling path he never could have imagined.If you like heroes who struggle with their demons, gritty urban police detectives, and clues you won’t see coming, get Robert P. French’s compelling debut novel and follow Cal’s wild ride from the drug infested streets through the worlds of drug gangs, big business and the super-rich to its stunning conclusion. Junkie will keep you guessing to the very last page.

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story


David Alexander Robertson - 2011
    Abandoned as a young child, Betsy was soon adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changed. Betsy was taken away to a residential school. There she was forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalled the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls — words that gave her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive.

And the Birds Rained Down


Jocelyne Saucier - 2011
    One is a young photographer documenting a a series of catastrophic forest fires that swept Northern Ontario early in the century; she’s on the trail of the recently deceased Ted Boychuck, a survivor of the blaze. And then the elderly aunt of the one of the pot growers appears, fleeing one of the psychiatric institutions that have been her home since she was sixteen. She joins the men in the woods and begins a new life as Marie-Desneige. With the photographer’s help, they find Ted’s series of paintings about the fire, and begin to decipher the dead man’s history.A haunting meditation on aging and self-determination, And the Birds Rained Down, originally published in French as Il pleuvait des oiseaux, was the winner of the Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, the first Canadian title to win this honour. It was winner of the Prix des lecteurs Radio-Canada, the Prix des collégiens du Québec, the Prix Ringuet 2012 and a finalist for the Grand Prix de la ville de Montréal.

Pierre Berton's War of 1812


Pierre Berton - 2011
    The Invasion of Canada is a remarkable account of the war's first year and the events that led up to it; Pierre Berton transforms history into an engrossing narrative that reads like a fast-paced novel. Drawing on personal memoirs and diaries as well as official dispatches, the author has been able to get inside the characters of the men who fought the war - the common soldiers as well as the generals, the bureaucrats and the profiteers, the traitors and the loyalists. The Canada-U.S. border was in flames as the War of 1812 continued. York's parliament buildings were on fire, Niagara-on-the-Lake burned to the ground and Buffalo lay in ashes. Even the American capital of Washington, far to the south, was put to the torch. The War of 1812 had become one of the nineteenth century's bloodiest struggles.Flames Across the Border is a compelling evocation of war at its most primeval - the muddy fields, the frozen forests and the ominous waters where men fought and died. Pierre Berton skilfully captures the courage, determination and terror of the universal soldier, giving new dimension and fresh perspective to this early conflict between the two emerging nations of North America.

Winter's Captive


June V. Bourgo - 2011
    Little does she know that she is about to be kidnapped.After Georgia escapes into the vast area of British Columbia only known as the Last Frontier, she is forced to make decisions to endure the cold, harsh winter. The unrelenting conditions test not only the strength of her character, but also her will to live.But can she make the right choices to ensure her survival... and that of her unborn child?

Following the Last Wild Wolves


Ian McAllister - 2011
    This updated textual edition follows what has happened to the wolves since 2007, as they hunt, kill, fish for salmon in fall, haul seals out on rocks in winter, and give birth to their young in the base of thousand-year-old cedar trees in spring. This edition presents discusses the latest scientific research indicating that these wolves are a distinct species, and explains how human and government encroachment in the form of hunting and industry development continues to impact BC wolves.Author Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild was named by Time Magazine as “Leader of the 21st Century” for his conservation efforts, and has been instrumental in speaking out against the government’s proposed wolf cull through the recent Save BC Wolves Campaign. Following the Last Wild Wolves also contains a sixteen-page photographic insert that includes spectacular new photos of the wolves in their natural habitat. This textual edition of the bestselling photo book is updated with the author's recent observations of the wolves of British Columbia’s raincoast.

The Patrol: Seven Days In The Life Of A Canadian Soldier In Afghanistan


Ryan Flavelle - 2011
    . . . Those who like war are aptly named warriors. Some, like me, are fated never to be warriors, as we are more afraid of war than fascinated by it. But I have the consolation that I have walked with warriors and know what kind of men and women they are. I will never be a warrior, but I have known war.” (The Patrol)In 2008, Ryan Flavelle, a reservist in the Canadian Army and a student at the University of Calgary, volunteered to serve in Afghanistan. For seven months, twenty-four-year-old Flavelle, a signaller attached to the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, endured the extreme heat, the long hours and the occasional absurdity of life as a Canadian soldier in this new war so far from home. Flavelle spent much of his time at a Canadian Forward Operating Base (FOB), living among his fellow soldiers and occasionally going outside the wire. For one seven-day period, Flavelle went into Taliban country, always walking in the footsteps of the man ahead of him, meeting Afghans and watching behind every mud wall for a sign of an enemy combatant.The Patrol is a gritty, boots-on-the-ground memoir of a soldier’s experience in the Canadian Forces in the twenty-first century. In the tradition of Farley Mowat’s The Regiment and James Jones’ The Thin Red Line, this book isn’t merely about the guns and the glory—it is about why we fight, why men and women choose such a dangerous and demanding job and what their lives are like when they find themselves back in our ordinary world.

The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier & the Yukon Gold Rush


Howard Blum - 2011
    The Wild West has been tamed and its fierce, independent and often violent larger-than-life figures--gun-toting wanderers, trappers, prospectors, Indian fighters, cowboys, and lawmen--are now victims of their own success. But then gold is discovered in Alaska and the adjacent Canadian Klondike and a new frontier suddenly looms: an immense unexplored territory filled with frozen waterways, dark spruce forests, and towering mountains capped by glistening layers of snow and ice.In a true-life tale that rivets from the first page, we meet Charlie Siringo, a top-hand sharp-shooting cowboy who becomes one of the Pinkerton Detective Agency's shrewdest; George Carmack, a California-born American Marine who's adopted by an Indian tribe, raises a family with a Taglish squaw, and makes the discovery that starts off the Yukon Gold Rush; and Jefferson "Soapy" Smith, a sly and inventive conman who rules a vast criminal empire. As we follow this trio's lives, we're led inexorably into a perplexing mystery: a fortune in gold bars has somehow been stolen from the fortress-like Treadwell Mine in Juneau, Alaska. Charlie Siringo discovers that to run the thieves to ground, he must embark on a rugged cross-territory odyssey that will lead him across frigid waters and through a frozen wilderness to face down "Soapy" Smith and his gang of 300 cutthroats. Hanging in the balance: George Carmack's fortune in gold.At once a compelling true-life mystery and an unforgettable portrait of a time in America's history, The Floor of Heaven is also an exhilarating tribute to the courage and undaunted spirit of the men and women who helped shape America.

Sasquatch at Home: Traditional Protocols & Modern Storytelling


Eden Robinson - 2011
    Robinson's disarming honesty and wry irony shine through her depictions of her and her mother's trip to Graceland, the potlatch where she and here sister received their Indian names, how her parents first met in Bella Bella (Waglisla, British Columbia), a look at b'gwus, the Sasquatch. Readers of memoir, Canadian literature, Aboriginal history and culture, and fans of Robinson's delightful, poignant, sometimes quirky tales will love The Sasquatch at Home.

Alden Nowlan Selected Poems


Alden Nowlan - 2011
    Now featuring an introduction by Susan MusgraveAlden Nowlan, one of Canada's finest and most influential poets, died in 1983. He leaves a rich legacy of poetry that is accessible yet profound, and that speaks to people's lives with wry observation and keen insight. Alden Nowlan Selected Poems is for Nowlan fans and new readers alike. The poems included in this volume reflect the recurring themes that illuminate Nowlan's work, and it is truly the best of his poetry. Above all, this volume is a tribute to a poet who deserves to be treasured for all time.

Dancing on the Inside


Glen C. Strathy - 2011
    But on her first day of ballet class, she suffers a panic attack and makes a horrifying discovery. She's terrified of dancing in front of the other kids, and as for actually performing for an audience? Forget it. Yet Jenny refuses to give up her dream. With determination and a little ingenuity, she finds ways to observe ballet classes without actually participating. She trains in the safety of her room, while hiding the truth from her parents. Then Jenny meets her exact opposite: Ara Reyes, an outgoing, spontaneous, and accident-prone girl who loves dancing but has always been overlooked.The girls' friendship blossoms as they help each other uncover their real talents. Ara's dancing takes a leap forward and Jenny discovers she has an amazing gift for choreography. With the support of the school's newest teacher, Jenny's original ballet might just make it on stage ... but will she?Charming and inspiring, "Dancing on the Inside" shows how pursuing our passions can often lead to wonderful and unexpected results.

Finton Moon


Gerard Collins - 2011
    A gentle soul growing up in the rough town of Darwin, Newfoundland, he lives with his strict Catholic mother and grandmother, lawless father and three older brothers. While his grandmother has him 'right ready for the seminary,' Finton's interest lies in books, nature and solitude. He is secretly in love with the unattainable Mary Connelly, while eschewing the attention of the equally misfit Alicia Dredge, who adores him from afar. In Finton's life, there are monsters everywhere, including Bridie Battenhatch, the crone next door who harbours secrets about the Moon family she will share in exchange for the boy's company, while all his heroes come from books and TV.But Finton's parents quickly discover that he is extraordinary, for he has been born with the ability to heal with his hands. As he grows older, his miraculous talent becomes more apparent and useful, even as it isolates him further from those around him. While Finton Moon wants nothing more than to belong, he lives in a world that sees him as other, and his greatest fear is that he will be trapped forever with these people who both misunderstand and abuse him.

Family Furnishings


Alice Munro - 2011
    Subtly honed with her hallmark precision, grace, and compassion, these stories illuminate the quotidian yet extraordinary particularity in the lives of men and women, parents and children, friends and lovers as they discover sex, fall in love, part, quarrel, suffer defeat, set off into the unknown, or find a way to be in the world.Peopled with characters as real to us as we are to ourselves, Munro’s stories encompass the fullness of human experience—from the wild exhilaration of first love, in “Passion,” to the lengths a once-straying husband will go to make his wife happy as her memory fades, in “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.” Other stories suggest the punishing consequences of leaving home (“Runaway”) or leaving a marriage (“The Children Stay”). The part romantic love plays in one’s existence is explored in “Too Much Happiness,” based on the life of the noted nineteenth-century mathematician, Sophia Kovalevsky. And in stories that Munro has described as “closer to the truth than usual”—“Dear Life,” “Working for a Living,” and “Home” among them—we glimpse the author’s own life.As the Nobel Prize presentation speech says in part: “Reading one of Alice Munro’s texts is like watching a cat walk across a laid dinner table. A brief short story can often cover decades, summarizing a life, as she moves deftly between different periods. No wonder Alice Munro is often able to say more in thirty pages than an ordinary novelist is capable of in three hundred. She is a virtuoso of the elliptical and the master of the contemporary short story.”

Lying Under the Apple Tree


Alice Munro - 2011
    A masterclass in the genre, from an author who deservedly lays claim to being one of the major fiction writers of our time.

Tommy Douglas


Vincent Lam - 2011
    He is best known as the “Father of Medicare.” Born in 1904, Douglas was a championship boxer and a Baptist minister who later exchanged his pulpit for a political platform. A powerful orator and tireless activist, he sat first as a federal MP and then served for 17 years as premier of Saskatchewan, where he introduced the universal health-insurance system that would eventually be adopted across Canada. As leader of the national NDP, he was a staunch advocate of programs such as the Canada Pension Plan and was often the conscience of Parliament on matters of civil liberties. In the process, he made democratic socialism a part of mainstream Canadian political life. Giller Prize–winning author Vincent Lam, an emergency physician who works on the front lines of the health-care system, brings a novelist's eye to the life of one of Canada's greats.

Mattie Mitchell: Newfoundland's Greatest Frontiersman


Gary Collins - 2011
    For the very few who experience it comes a sense of belonging; of being a fragile part of the mysterious whole; of profound peace; of wanting never to leave,” says Gary Collins in describing the inspiration that overtook him when he penned the final pages in this, the biography of Mattie Mitchell, a hunter, trapper, and guide of Mi’kmaq descent whose daring feats became known worldwide, but which history books somehow forgot.In researching the life and times of Mattie Mitchell, critically acclaimed author Gary Collins (author of the award-winning What Colour is the Ocean?) gleaned much insight on his subject from the diary and other personal papers of Marie Sparkes, granddaughter to the remarkable Mi’kmaq woodsman. Now, for the first time, Mattie Mitchell's legendary deeds are revealed in full, comprehensive detail.In 1998, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognized Mattie Mitchell’s contribution to the growth and prosperity of the province by opening its Mattie Mitchell Prospectors Resource Room. In 2001, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized Mattie Mitchell as a person of national historic significance. In 2005, a plaque in Mattie Mitchell’s honour was placed in Gros Morne National Park.

Origami Dove


Susan Musgrave - 2011
    The quiet, lapidary elegies of “Obituary of Light” are set against the furious mischief of “Random Acts of Poetry,” where the lines move with the inventive energy of a natural storyteller, while “Heroines” wrests a harsh and haunting poetry from the language of the street.  Her alertness to the absurdity in even the most heartbreaking personal crises leavens the sorrow that speaks through so many of the poems. Sadness and levity interweave. The wilderness and the penitentiary reflect one another. There’s an underlying tenderness, though, whether she is writing about family, the dispossessed, her life on Haida Gwaii, or the vagaries of love. This is Susan Musgrave in full control of her powers, writing poetry that cuts right to the bone.

The Divinity Gene: Stories


Matthew J. Trafford - 2011
    Trafford (not from the flap) Q: In The Divinity Gene, we seem to be at the crossroads of science and spirituality. Where would you say you fit as a writer, genre-wise? A: Both science and spirituality attempt to explain the unknown, and imagination is crucial to both – and imagination is also the driving engine behind fiction and stories. As a writer, I want my stories to reach as many people as possible – anyone who wants to read them and share in my imaginary worlds is most welcome. So genre doesn’t really concern me – it’s a classification that happens after the writing is done and published; as such, it’s mostly the domain of readers, booksellers and critics. I don’t think it’s my place to say what genre the collection fits into, and I would hope it doesn’t fit into just one.I recently gave a reading of “Gutted” – a story about the dissection of a mermaid – and afterwards someone came up to me and said, “You’ll probably hate this, but I was thinking that story would be a great world to launch a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.” I don’t hate that at all. I would love for The Divinity Gene to be embraced by the science fiction, fantasy and role-playing crowd. I would love it if scientists read it. And I’m not going to lie: I’d like it if the high-minded literary set appreciated it as well. I want to find readers who love the book – that’s my only goal – and confining the book to one genre seems antithetical to that. Its whole point, as much as it has one, is to experiment with form and genre – almost like a science experiment, in a way. Q: Why did you opt for supernatural elements in your writing to represent the real world and current issues? A: Insofar as it was a choice at all – which it wasn’t completely, I just write what I write – it’s because we’re dealing with fiction here. It’s the realm of the imagination, and anyone who picks up a book of fiction knows what they’re reading isn’t real. In that context, I’ve never been one for mimetic realism or naturalism – I read, to a certain extent, to escape the real world. Since we’re dealing with an imaginary world in any short story, why not make up something outlandish and original, give reign to supernatural things we don’t get to experience in our daily lives?I should also say that a lot of the supernatural elements come from very old stories and myths. Because of that, they have a certain symbolic resonance built in, and readers connect with that, are already familiar with it to some extent. Stories of vampires and werewolves and other creatures have been around for thousands of years and are still hugely popular – curiosity about the supernatural is inherent to the human experience, the human imagination. It’s part of asking, “What would it be like if things were different?” I think that’s the basic question of all fiction.Grounding supernatural elements in realistic situations also allows us to see more about our lives – lets us see the cracks in the “real world” where magic and wonder and awe and the inexplicable can seep in. That’s what I’m interested in writing about.Recently I wondered if this penchant for supernatural elements was something I had picked up at some point during my training – perhaps I was being too influenced by what I like to read? – and also wondered whether it was a phase or something integral to my writing self. I then remembered two stories I wrote during my undergrad, before I started seriously studying writing at all. One was about a tiny boy named Little Bobby whose father found him inside a walnut, and the other was about a teenaged necrophiliac vampire hunter in Rivière du Loup (it was for this story I received my first rejection letter, by the way). So clearly this tendency towards the bizarre and supernatural is just something that’s always been with me and is just part of being the writer I am. I’m not going to fight it or try to explain it away to anybody. Q: In your story “The Divinity Gene,” we’re in the year 2029 and it’s written as a Wikipedia entry. Technology is currently moving so quickly and new developments are fast becoming irrelevant, i.e., who’s to say Wikipedia will still be around in 2029? What made you choose a contemporary technological reference for your futuristic work? A: Of course no one can say for sure, but I’m willing to make you a $5 bet that it will be. What’s interesting to me is not the name or lifespan of the online encyclopedia, but the fact that such a thing exists at all – even when we develop new technologies, we often fail to really think outside the box or innovate - we tend to drag older analogue models into the future with us. One could argue that with all the information (good and bad) that the internet offers, we don’t need an online encyclopedia per se. Yet Wikipedia is hugely popular – probably because the smarties there figured out how to take the traditional encyclopedia form (something people were familiar with) and use internet technology (hyperlinks) to innovate on it, allowing for instant cross-referencing in a way the paper encyclopedias never really could.On a story level, the challenge was that I wanted to get across a lot of information in a fairly short amount of time; to boot, I was talking about hundreds of Jesus clones with a world-wide presence and trying to explain their genesis, characteristics, challenges and futures – a bit of a tall order for a single section of a short story! It came to me pretty quickly that one of the most efficient ways of doing that would be an encyclopedia entry. And it seemed like an online encyclopedia would make the most sense in a tale about the future. Plus, even though Wikipedia is used worldwide, I hadn’t seen any fiction written using its format yet, which surprised me and was something I wanted to try. In the e-book version of The Divinity Gene, we designed it so that many of the hyperlinks in the story actually work – which was another fun innovation.I did change the name from Wikipedia to Poplopedia, thinking that a) Wikipedia might not be around in 18 years, and b) that a number of online encyclopedias would spring up and be in competition with each other (though to my knowledge this hasn’t really happened). Q: In terms of the origins of your stories, do you develop your characters first or the concept? And how does one influence the other? A: Almost always the concept first. Most of my stories start for me with a concept, and then I need to figure out the voice or the structure – which are very linked. Sometimes a story is told through a character’s voice, but even in those cases I would say that really it’s the concept that comes through first for me. Who the person speaking is, and what they feel, and certainly what they look like, all come way after what is actually happening in the story and how it’s being told, for me.The way some writers talk about their characters often leaves me perplexed, sometimes envious, sometimes amazed. Writers will talk about “going for walks” with their characters, or talking to them, or having their characters “insist” on doing things the writer never intended – that hasn’t been my experience. One of the hardest things for me is giving characters names, which I often change at the last minute with the ‘find and replace’ function in my word processor – I know writers who find the idea of this abhorrent and somehow cruel or uncaring. The Divinity Gene may have one or two too many Daniels in it – something I only noticed after it was finished. I guess for me the characters are so inside the story that I don’t let them bleed out into my real life.And yet characters are the lifeblood of any story – they are the people, after all, and that’s what readers, who are also people, really care about. So character work becomes a huge part of my editing process, making sure they are three dimensional and believable, making sure the reader has access to (or at least clues to) how each of them is feeling and why they are behaving the way they are, what their relationships are to each other. Hopefully I’ve been successful at that. Q: You’re also working on a novel. What has the difference been in the writing process? And what is your new novel about? A: The process is similar in many ways – not nearly so different as I was expecting. One thing that’s really surprising is that, at least for me, there’s not really more story to a novel, even though it’s so much longer – you just show more of it in a novel. Novels are big and galumphing and sprawling and plot-driven and they rush along, and by necessity are somewhat less language-conscious than short stories. But I’m not going to sacrifice the quality of my prose just because it’s a longer work. In a novel I can write a whole chapter – with scenes and all kinds of detail – about something that would be a single sentence in a short story – or something implied in the subtext of a sentence in a short story. And it’s very much still in progress – I’m learning as I go, reading lots of novels for a change and putting all my short story ideas on a shelf for another time.My novel is going to be called The Tworphins. My standard answer is, “It’s about twins.” But I guess I can tell you a little bit more about it here: it’s about orphaned twins – as in, one of the twins has died. More specifically, a group of orphaned twins. More specifically, a cultish group of orphaned twins that claims access to psychic contact with their deceased siblings and tries to recruit a newly bereaved man… well, now I’m giving too much away. Q: Are you an optimist? Do you have a positive outlook for the future? A: Yes and yes. Oh yes. I have a great outlook for the future. Writing is an inherently hopeful act; optimism is wired right into it. So is reading. Without a positive outlook, there’s no point in either activity. But I do think in order to move forward in a positive way, we need to be honest about how bad things really are, and how evil each of us can be, and where we’re headed if we don’t change things. It’s only through facing this that we’re going to get anywhere good.I think the future will probably hold some pretty challenging moments, but I have great faith in the human spirit of ingenuity, and the ability of people to be selfless and generous in our most dire moments.

Believing Cedric


Mark Lavorato - 2011
    He seems to be physically flashing back to pivotal moments from his past. It begins when his third-grade teacher notices a startling awareness in an otherwise unremarkable boy. Next, Cedric inhabits his fourteen-year-old body. He continues to travel through the life he's already lived, issuing warnings and searching for answers. But why should anyone believe him?Cedric's journeys through time bring him face to face with forgotten memories, heartbreaking loss, the possibilities of love, and the agony of a life of regret. Cedric incenses and inspires the people around him, and changes the landscapes of their lives.

Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors


Richard Holmes - 2011
    From battlefield to barrack-room, this book is stuffed to the brim with anecdotes and stories of soldiers from the army of Charles II, through Empire and two World Wars to modern times.The British soldier forms a core component of British history. In this scholarly but gossipy book, Richard Holmes presents a rich social history of the man (and now more frequently woman) who have been at the heart of his writing for decades.Technological, political and social changes have all made their mark on the development of warfare, but have the attitudes of the soldier shifted as much we might think?For Holmes, the soldier is part of a unique tribe – and the qualities of loyalty and heroism have continued to grow amongst these men. And while today the army constitutes the smallest proportion of the population since the first decade of its existence (regular soldiers make up just 0.087%), the social organisation of the men has hardly changed; the major combat arms, infantry, cavalry and artillery, have retained much of the forms that men who fought at Blenheim, Waterloo and the Somme would readily grasp.Regiments remain an enduring feature of the army and Lieutenant Colonels have lost nothing of their importance in military hierarchy; the death of Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe in Afghanistan in 2009 shows just how high the risks are that these men continue to face.Filled to the brim with stories from all over the world and spanning across history, this magisterial book conveys how soldiers from as far back as the seventeenth century and soldiers today are united by their common experiences.Richard Holmes died suddenly, soon after completing this book. It is his last word on the British soldier – about which he knew and wrote so much.

Midnight Sweatlodge


Waubgeshig Rice - 2011
    Each person seeks wisdom and insight to overcome their pain and hardship. Through their stories we get glimpses into their lives that are both tearful and true. Capturing the raw emotion and unique challenges of modern Indigenous life, this book offers an unflinchingly realistic and genuine look at the struggles First Nations people face.

Patriot Hearts: Inside the Olympics That Changed a Country


John Furlong - 2011
    Make us better," an imperative that has defined Furlong's life ever since. A passionate athlete with a track record of community service, he was roped into acting as spokesperson for Vancouver's incipient Olympic bid movement back in 1996, and then spent the next fourteen years living and breathing the Olympics. Furlong and his organizing team, including some 25,000 volunteers, orchestrated a remarkable Winter Games. Patriot Hearts is the story of how they did it.Early on Furlong realized the Olympics weren't about highways and buildings and tourism, they were about people: the athletes, and everyday Canadians who wanted to see their country shine on the world stage. He defined a vision for the games that would capture the hearts and minds of Canadians, and held to it with unwavering determination. Working with Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason, Furlong recounts the lead-up to the Games and describes how he handled seemingly insurmountable setbacks

Dinner Chez Moi: The Fine Art of Feeding Friends


Laura Calder - 2011
    Laura’s passion for cooking and writing about food shows in her elegant cookbooks, and Dinner Chez Moi is no exception. A menu-based, seasonal cookbook offering multiple options and mix-and-match menus gives cooks as many ideas for meals as there are days in the year. Dinner parties, Laura says, are not stuffy and difficult ordeals; rather, as she puts it, “in my world, -dinner party’ just means eating with others. It can be as simple as an omelette or a baked potato, but if I’m not stuck eating it alone, that’s party enough for me!” Dinner Chez Moi is a book for anyone who wants to cook for people they love. Menus deliver delicious food, thoughtful advice and amusing real-life stories, with a light touch.

National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of Canada


National Geographic Society - 2011
    In the same manner that the best-selling National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States covers America's crown jewels, this book will be a handy, practical, and extensively illustrated guide to help visitors plan and execute their trips to all the Canadian national parks. It also offers short excursions to 40 plus National Historical Sites and the four National Marine Conservation Areas. Written by authors who know Canada's national parks, this volume includes seasonal facts on these stunning and vital wilderness areas as well as guidance for getting there, when to go, how to visit, practical information on where to stay, and detailed descriptions of specific places within each park. Stunning photographs and custom, one-of-a-kind maps prepared by National Geographic cartographers enhance the entries. Just in time for the Parks Canada milestone anniversary, this guide will inspire visitors to celebrate the treasures of Canada, from the pristine shorelines of British Columbia's Pacific Rim to Newfoundland's Gros Morne and from the Arctic landscape of Aulavik to the prairies of Grasslands.

Trouble in the Camera Club: A Photographic Narrative of Toronto's Punk History 1976-1980


Don Pyle - 2011
    In 1977, before he entered on to the punk scene himself, Don Pyle bought a 35 mm camera and began photographing some of the earliest gigs of Toronto punk acts and other visiting punk artists. His trial-and-error education in photography resulted in this collection of images that document the early history of punk rock in Toronto and its influence on the local music scene, from the point of view of an awestruck fan. Influential punk musicians such as the Ramones, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, and The Clash, as well as Toronto bands such as The Viletones, Teenage Head, and The Curse, are captured at their creative prime, on the forefront of a musical revolution. The original scratched, water-marked negatives have been completely restored and together with authentic ephemera reveal a significant yet underrepresented period in Toronto’s musical cultural development.

Wearing the Green Beret: A Canadian with the Royal Marine Commandos


Jake Olafsen - 2011
    He left everything behind at home in Canada on the basis of a spur-of-the-moment decision. The Royal Marines have the toughest and longest basic training of any infantry unit in the world. For Olafson, this meant eight months of wet and cold in England and Wales. It was hell, but he came out with the four Commando qualities that the corps look for: courage, determination, unselfishness, cheerfulness in the face of adversity.Olafsen went on to serve for four years as a Commando in the Royal Marines, an elite military unit based in the United Kingdom. He went to Afghanistan twice: in 2006, he went to confront the Taliban in Helmand Province for six months, and in 2007, he was sent to do it all over again. His story is filled with good experiences, like the sense of accomplishment, patriotism, and camaraderie, and the opportunity to travel the world. But all good things come at a price. The sacrifices he made for the Corps are significant; he has killed the enemy and he has buried his friends. And in telling his story, Olafsen hopes that he can make sense of it all. This is an honest, gutsy story about the mud and the blood, the triumphs and the tragedies.

The Anatomy of Clay


Gillian Sze - 2011
    At times reflective, instructional, playful, or strange, the first section, Quotidianus, offers observational poems, which recount intimate and ordinary moments often missed, overlooked, or forgotten. Sze tugs at the fabric of habit and amidst the urban mundane finds her subjects in a woman waiting for the bus, a neighbour who talks to his plants, a girl smoking after a storm. The following section, Extimacy, takes a lyrical and confessional turn, veering inwards, dealing reflexively with the materiality of inner life: the self as ingredients, the self as experiment, the self as animal and artist. The Anatomy of Clay finds exceptions in the most prosaic conditions and the ineffable distinctions between people, selves, objects, and histories.

Nobody Cries at Bingo


Dawn Dumont - 2011
    Beyond the stereotypes and cliche's of Rez dogs, drinking, and bingos, the story of a girl who loved to read and her family begins to unfold.

Destiny's Past


Patricia C. Lee - 2011
    So when a not-so-dead guy who claims he's from the past lands on her autopsy table, she considers calling the men in white coats to escort him to a padded room. But Jarek’s old-world ways and hot gaze trick her heart into falling for him—a mistake she swore she’d never make again.When Jarek, Prince of Leisos, discovers someone he trusts has been slowly poisoning him, he travels to the future in search of a cure. Driven by vengeance, he enlists the help of an impudent scientist to return him to his time.As they try to find a solution, Kelly struggles with her feelings for Jarek while dodging the police and a visitor from her past.Caught between his growing desire for Kelly and the need to expose his would-be assassin before they strike again, Jarek must decide between forfeiting his ticket home or losing the only woman he’s ever loved

Cheechako


Dana Stabenow - 2011
    Men, women and children, American-born and immigrant, some of the so-called "stampeders" were killers, some were thieves, some were victims. A short story.

Adventures with Knives


Bob Foulkes - 2011
    Semi-retired, restless, and bored, Bob was ready for his next great adventure: 1,000 hours of intensive training in the art of classic French cooking. Bob, the oldest student in the class by a long shot, faces the many rigorous challenges of culinary training with grace, humility, and good humour.

The Long March Home


Zoë S. Roy - 2011
    Shortly after anti-western sentiment sends her home in a hurry she discovers she is pregnant by him. Attempts by her, and later their daughter, to contact him fail. Her daughter, Meihua, goes to China to look for her father and ends up marrying a Chinese man and teaching art. The Cultural Revolution sees her sent to prison as a American spy suspect and anti-revolutionary, and her husband confined to a gulag. Their children, still at home, are raised by the family's illiterate servant, Yao. Yao's crude manner and resourcefulness partly shield Yezi, Meihua's daughter, and the novel's main character, from family tragedy, poverty and political discrimination, negotiating their survival during the revolution that she barely understands. Only after her mother released, does Yezi hear about her foreign grandmother, Agnes, who lives in Boston and has lost contact with the family since Yezi's birth. Curious about her American ancestry, Yezi now a teenager, joins Agnes in the U.S. Reading her grandmother's diaries helps Yezi get to know her grandmother as a young Canadian missionary and her life in China with the man who is her grandfather, and who her mother longed to find.

Remembering Forever: A Journey of Darkness and Light


Eva Olsson - 2011
    

For Your Tomorrow: The Way of an Unlikely Soldier


Melanie Murray - 2011
    What compels a young, affluent Canadian to put on a uniform and risk his life for the controversial mission in Afghanistan? And how does his family cope with his loss when he is killed there? Jeff Francis was a thirty-year-old doctoral candidate and student of Buddhism when he decided that joining the armed forces was the best way to make a difference in the world. In elegant, spare prose that captures both the hardness of war and the nuances of a grieving family, Melanie Murray - Captain Francis's aunt - uses the lens of his life and death to give Canada's war in Afghanistan the perceptive, literary treatment its soldiers, families and citizens deserve.

Smoked Meat


Rowena Macdonald - 2011
    Through the lives of its inhabitants, "Smoked Meat" paints a portrait of a vibrant melting pot that is buzzing with sexual braggadocio and illicit opportunities. When he falls in love with a man in a sauna, a student devastates his waitress girlfriend. Meanwhile, a life-model upsets the delicate equilibrium between two artists, and a teenage shop assistant does what she can to lose her virginity to her boss. Rowena Macdonald takes us into the lives of people living on the dilapidated margins of Montreal. The city's seedy mores are slowly corrupting their innocence, turning them, like Montreal's signature dish, from green to smoked meat.

This Crazy Time: Living Our Environmental Challenge


Tzeporah Berman - 2011
    This unique book--part manifesto from a leader, part humorous activist memoir from a soccer mom--offers a wryly honest, behind-the-scenes, ultimately uplifting look at the state of the planet. For almost 20 years, Tzeporah Berman has been one of our most influential environmentalists. A founder of ForestEthics and PowerUp Canada, she was instrumental in shaping the tactics and concerns of the modern environmental movement. In her early 20s she faced nearly one thousand criminal charges and 6 years in prison for her role organizing blockades in Canada's rainforest. She later transformed her tactics and sat down with CEOs and political leaders to reshape their policies and practices. In her new role at Greenpeace International she is fighting the problem of our time: climate change. This Crazy Time is an impassioned plea for a better world.

Honour & Privilege


Kimberly Gould - 2011
    From within, she sparks new ideas, ones that will literally enlighten her world.Can she balance the sacrifices that come with her new privilege? Will she marry a partner that will bring her honor as well as love?**Reading these books in order is not necessary, however it is recommended.**

The Chinese in Toronto from 1878: From Outside to Inside the Circle


Arlene Chan - 2011
    No longer requiring the services of the Chinese labourers, a hostile British Columbia sent them eastward in search of employment and a more welcoming place.In 1894 Toronto's Chinese population numbered fifty. Today, no less than seven Chinatowns serve what has become the second-largest visible minority in the city, with a population of half a million. In these pages, you will find their stories told through historical accounts, archival and present-day photographs, newspaper clippings, and narratives from old-timers and newcomers. With achievements spanning all walks of life, the Chinese in Toronto are no longer looking in from outside society's circle. Their lives are a vibrant part of the diverse mosaic that makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

Imaginary Line: Life on an Unfinished Border


Jacques Poitras - 2011
    From that inauspicious start, the Maine-New Brunswick border, the first boundary to be drawn between the two nations, has served as a microcosm for Canada-U.S. relations.For centuries, friends, lovers, schemers and smugglers have reached across the line. Now, post-9/11, mounting political paranoia has led to a sharp divide, disrupting the lives and welfare of nearby residents. An elderly Canadian couple's driveway touches the border, leading to a Kafkaesque overreaction by Homeland Security. The Tea Party political movement advocates complete border shutdown. Once friendly neighbors have become increasingly isolated from each other.In this timely exploration, Jacques Poitras travels the length of the border, from Madawaska and Aroostook counties through Passamaquoddy Bay to a tiny island still in dispute to uncover the arbitrarily drawn line that shouldn't be there, almost wasn't there, and can be difficult to find even when it is there. The stakes are high as New Brunswick and Maine re-imagine their relationship for the 21st century and communities strive to stay together despite the best efforts of parochial politicians, protectionists, and overzealous border officials.

Other Face of God, The: When the Stranger Calls Us Home


Mary Jo Leddy - 2011
    Mary Jo Leddy lives with refugees at Romero House, a temporary shelter like no other. She invites us to see them with the eyes of Christ and begin to know our true selves."There is an African saying that it takes a village to raise a child," writes Leddy. "At Romero House we say that it takes a neighborhood to welcome a refugee. And it takes a refugee to make a neighborhood." Justice Has a Human Face will inspire you and give you a greater understanding of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.

Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul


David Adams Richards - 2011
    Hector Penniac had been planning to go to university, perhaps to study medicine. Roger Savage, a loner who has had to make his own way since his youth, comes under suspicion of killing Hector over a union card and a morning’s work. Even if he can’t quite put it into words, Roger immediately sees the ways in which Hector’s death will be viewed as symbolic, as more than an isolated tragedy—and that he is caught in a chain of events that will become more explosive with each passing day.  The aging chief of Hector’s band, Amos Paul, tries to reduce the tensions raised by the investigation into Hector’s death and its connection to a host of other simmering issues, from territorial lines to fishing rights. His approach leads him into conflict with Isaac Snow, a younger and more dynamic man whom many in the band would prefer to lead them—especially when the case attracts press attention in the form of an ambitious journalist named Max Doran, the first of many outsiders to bring his own agenda and motives onto the Micmac reserve. Joel Ginnish, Isaac’s volatile and sometimes violent friend, decides to bring justice to Roger Savage when the authorities refuse to, blockading the reserve in order to do so. And though perhaps no one really means for it to happen, soon a single incident grows ineluctably into a crisis that engulfs a whole society, a whole province and in some ways a whole country.  Twenty years later, RCMP officer Markus Paul—Chief Amos Paul’s grandson, who was fifteen years old when Hector was killed—tries to piece together the clues surrounding Hector Penniac’s death. The decades have passed, and much about the case has been twisted beyond recognition by the many ways that different people have sought to exploit it. But, haunted by the past, Markus still struggles towards a truth that will snap “those chains that had once seemed impossible to break.” (290) This is a novel that begins with an instant from today’s headlines, and digs down into the marrow to explore the oldest themes we know: murder and betrayal, race and history, the brutal and chaotic forces that guide the groups we are drawn into. Nothing is one-sided in David Adams Richards’ world—even the most scheming characters have moments of grace, while the most benevolent are shown to have selfish motives, or the need to show off their goodness. All are depicted with an almost Biblical gravity, framed by an understated genius of storytelling that makes this novel at once both an utterly gripping mystery, and a vitally important document of Canada’s broken past and divided present.

Natural Order


Brian Francis - 2011
    It was cut glass and silver. Something a movie star might wear. Is this what my boy thought of me? I wondered as he fastened it around my neck. He called me Elizabeth Taylor and I laughed and laughed. I wore that necklace throughout the rest of the day. In spite of its garishness, I was surprised by how I felt: glamourous, special. I was out of my element amidst my kitchen cupboards and self-hemmed curtains. I almost believed in a version of myself that had long since faded away.--From Natural Order by Brian FrancisJoyce Sparks has lived the whole of her 86 years in the small community of Balsden, Ontario. “There isn’t anything on earth you can’t find in your own backyard,” her mother used to say, and Joyce has structured her life accordingly. Today, she occupies a bed in what she knows will be her final home, a shared room at Chestnut Park Nursing Home where she contemplates the bland streetscape through her window and tries not to be too gruff with the nurses. This is not at all how Joyce expected her life to turn out. As a girl, she’d allowed herself to imagine a future of adventure in the arms of her friend Freddy Pender, whose chin bore a Kirk Douglas cleft and who danced the cha-cha divinely. Though troubled by the whispered assertions of her sister and friends that he was “fruity,” Joyce adored Freddy for all that was un-Balsden in his flamboyant ways.  When Freddy led the homecoming parade down the main street , his expertly twirled baton and outrageous white suit gleaming in the sun, Joyce fell head over heels in unrequited love.Years later, after Freddy had left Balsden for an acting career in New York, Joyce married Charlie, a kind and reserved man who could hardly be less like Freddy. They married with little fanfare and she bore one son, John. Though she did love Charlie, Joyce often caught herself thinking about Freddy, buying Hollywood gossip magazines in hopes of catching a glimpse of his face. Meanwhile, she was growing increasingly alarmed about John’s preference for dolls and kitchen sets. She concealed the mounting signs that John was not a “normal” boy, even buying him a coveted doll if he promised to keep it a secret from Charlie.News of Freddy finally arrived, and it was horrifying: he had killed himself, throwing himself into the sea from a cruise ship. “A mother always knows when something isn’t right with her son,” was Mrs. Pender’s steely utterance when Joyce paid her respects, cryptically alleging that Freddy’s homosexuality had led to his destruction. That night, Joyce threatened to take away John’s doll if he did not join the softball team. Convinced she had to protect John from himself, she set her small family on a narrow path bounded by secrecy and shame, which ultimately led to unimaginable loss.Today, as her life ebbs away at Chestnut Park, Joyce ponders the terrible choices she made as a mother and wife and doubts that she can be forgiven, or that she deserves to be. Then a young nursing home volunteer named Timothy appears, so much like her long lost John. Might there be some grace ahead in Joyce’s life after all?Voiced by an unforgettable and heartbreakingly flawed narrator, Natural Order is a masterpiece of empathy, a wry and tender depiction of the end-of-life remembrances and reconciliations that one might undertake when there is nothing more to lose, and no time to waste.

Hockey Hall of Fame Treasures


Steve Cameron - 2011
    Aside from honoring those whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the development of the game, the Hockey Hall of Fame exists to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and promote all the objects and images that are significant to the story of ice hockey throughout the world.The objects in the Hockey Hall of Fame tell hockey's story and capture hockey's personality. Icons, like Wayne Gretzky's tucked-in jersey, Jacques Plante's mask or Bobby Hull's curved stick blade, are recognized the world over. The Hockey Hall of Fame allows the past and present to collide in a melange of mementos, paraphernalia, photos and videos of hockey's best, brightest and most intriguing moments.And it is the same in Hockey Hall of Fame Treasures. This lavishly illustrated book is absolutely packed with beautiful color photography, displaying the most interesting, unique, famous and rare artifacts from the Hockey Hall of Fame's collection. Woven through this presentation of artifacts are the words of Adrienne Clarkson, Dave Bidini, James Duthie and Don Gillmor, who share with readers their profoundly personal connection to the game.Showcasing hundreds of individual items, Hockey Hall of Fame Treasures is the next best thing to being at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Righting Canada's Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Internment in the Second World War


Pamela Hickman - 2011
    At the time when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Japanese Canadians numbered well over 20,000. From the first arrivals in the late nineteenth century, they had taken up work in many parts of BC, established communities, and become part of the Canadian society even though they faced racism and prejudice in many forms. With war came wartime hysteria. Japanese Canadian residents of BC were rounded up, their homes and property seized, and forced to move to internment camps with inadequate housing, water, and food. Men and older boys went to road camps while some families ended up on farms where they were essentially slave labour. Eventually, after years of pressure, the Canadian government admitted that the internment was wrong and apologized for it. This book uses a wide range of historical photographs, documents, and images of museum artefacts to tell the story of the internment. The impact of these events is underscored by first-person narrative from five Japanese Canadians who were themselves youths at the time their families were forced to move to the camps.

Tenderman


Tim Bowling - 2011
    And I've spent most of my life uncomfortable in both places."With these opening words, accomplished poet Tim Bowling outlines the central tension that acts as a vital force in his newest book, Tenderman--the dichotomy between the sensitive poetic observer and the tough, working-class subject. Bowling returns again to the shores of his BC hometown that exert such a strong hold on his imagination, but through his focus on the tenderman figure, he also demonstrates wry self-awareness in doing so. The tenderman (a crewman on a salmon packing boat), who represents a fiercely independent everyman, acts as unintentional muse to the collection; its poems are often delivered through dialogues between poet and fisherman, reminiscences of their shared childhoods, or narratives delivered by the tenderman himself.As always, Bowling's verse is stunning in its haunting portrayal of West Coast imagery, depicting both natural beauty ("the Spanish silhouette/ crouched in warm salt dark") and the grim realities of fishing ("The kicks and slaps of a hold of dying fish--/ hands in an auditorium") with effortless grace.

Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest


Caitlyn Vernon - 2011
    Environmental activist Caitlyn Vernon guides young readers through a forest of information, sharing her personal stories, her knowledge and her concern for this beautiful place. Full of breathtaking photographs and suggestions for ways to preserve this unique ecosystem, Nowhere Else on Earth is a timely and inspiring reminder that we need to stand up for our wild places before they are gone.Visit http: //www.greatbearrainforest.ca to find teacher and student resources, view the online photo gallery, or read a sample chapter from the book. To access the free teacher's guide for Nowhere Else on Earth, click here: http: //orcabook.com/nowhereelseonearth/guide....

That Forgetful Shore


Trudy J. Morgan-Cole - 2011
    But for two girls growing up in a tiny Newfoundland outport at the dawn of the twentieth century, having the same dreams and ambitions doesn't mean life will hand you the same opportunities. A teacher's certificate offers Kit the chance to explore the wider world, while Triffie is left behind, living the life she never wanted with the man she swore she'd never marry. The letters she and Kit exchange are her lifeline -- until a long-buried secret threatens to destroy their friendship. That Forgetful Shore is a story of friendship, love, faith and betrayal.

Shot at Dawn: World War I, Allan McBride, France, 1917


John Wilson - 2011
    The reality of trench warfare is a shock to Allan McBride. Like many other young soldiers, he enthusiastically signed up for the chance to join the war effort and be a part of the fighting. But after months in the ravaged battlefields, watching men, including his friend Ken, get blown up by German shelling, something in Allan snaps and he leaves his unit, believing he is "walking home to Canada" to get help for his friend. After nearly a week of wandering aimlessly, Allan is taken in by a band of real deserters - men who have abandoned their units and live on the edge of survival in the woods of northern France. Once Allan realizes what he's done, he is paralyzed by the reality of his circumstance: if he stays with these men, it's possible they will be found and have to face the consequences; and if he returns to his unit, he will be charged with desertion - a charge punishable by death. In this outstanding new title in the I Am Canada series, acclaimed author John Wilson explores life in the horrific trenches of WWI and the effect of battle on a shell-shocked soldier.

Canada All Year


Per-Henrik Gürth - 2011
    Each month gets its own colourful spread highlighting a different Canadian festival, seasonal event or activity. The trip begins in January with a visit to Ottawa's Rideau Canal and ends in December with a dogsled ride in Nunavut. Along the way, the group partakes in such Canadian delights as the Quebec Winter Carnival, the Canadian Tulip Festival and the Calgary Stampede. Yee haw! Artist Per-Henrik Gürth presents early-learning concepts using all-Canadian images and an adorable animal cast of characters. Encompassing all major regions of Canada, each book is an eye-pleasing coast-to-coast journey. The bold, bright art and simple text give pre-readers an introduction to the alphabet, numbers and colour — and to their beautiful country.

Just a Larger Family: Letters of Marie Williamson from the Canadian Home Front,1940-1944


Mary F. Williamson - 2011
    Marie wrote over 150 letters to the boys' mother, Margaret Sharp, imagining that she could make Margaret feel she was still with her children. She shepherded the boys through education decisions and illnesses, eased them into a strange new life, and rejoiced when they embraced unfamiliar winter sports. The letters brim with detail about family holidays, the financial implications of an extended family, their involvement in their church, and the games and activities that kept them occupied. Marie's letters reflect the lives and concerns of a particular family in Toronto, but they also reveal a portrait of what was then Canada's second-largest city during wartime.The introduction is by Mary F. Williamson, Marie's daughter, and Tom Sharp, Margaret's youngest son. The book features a foreword by Jonathan Vance that puts the letters in historical context.

The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau, the Gang of Eight, and the Fight for Canada: The History of Canada


Ron Graham - 2011
    It was the culmination of more than five decades of constitutional wrangling, and has been called the most important conference since the Fathers of Confederation got together in Quebec City in 1864. Faced with the threat of Quebec independence, the ambitions of Western Canada, and the provinces’ demands for more power, Trudeau was embattled. But he was fiercely determined to make Canadians fully independent and to entrench a Charter of Rights and Freedoms.What happened that day still reverberates. It severed the last important link to Canada’s colonial past. It guaranteed individual liberty and minority rights in the future. It weakened the grip of the elites and gave ownership of the constitution to Canadians. But it came at a price.Quebec alone refused to sign the final deal. René Lévesque, its separatist premier, claimed he had been betrayed by his allies in the Gang of Eight. The legend of the "Night of the Long Knives"took hold, precipitating a series of events that came close to destroying the country.Thirty years later, author Ron Graham delivers a gripping account of the fractious debates and secret negotiations. He uses newly uncovered documents and the candid recollections of many of the key participants to create a vivid record of that momentous twenty-four hours. Authoritative and engaging, The Last Act is a remarkable combination of scholarly research and historical narrative.

King: William Lyon Mackenzie King-A Life Guided by the Hand of Destiny


Allan Levine - 2011
    From 1919 to 1948 he occasionally lorded over the Liberal Party, also serving as prime minister for much of that time.Mackenzie King was a brilliant tactician, was passionately committed to Canadian unity, and was a protector of the underdog, introducing such cornerstones of Canada's social safety net as unemployment insurance, family allowances and old-age pensions. At the same time, he was insecure, craved flattery, became upset at minor criticism, and was prone to fantasy -- especially about the Tory conspiracy against him. King loosened the Imperial connection with Britain and was wary of American military and economic power. Yet he loved all things British and acted like a praised schoolboy when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill or U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt treated him as an equal. King comes at a time when the Canadian people have resoundingly rebuffed the Liberal party under Michael Ignatieff; while the party's future remains uncertain, this definitive biography sheds light on its history under its greatest leader.This first major biography of Mackenzie King in 30 years mines the pages of his remarkable diary. At 30,000 pages, King is one of the most significant and revealing political documents in Canada's history and a guide to the deep and often moving inner conflicts that haunted Mackenzie King. With animated prose and a subtle wit, Allan Levine draws a multidimensional portrait of this most compelling of politicians.

Buffet World


Donato Mancini - 2011
    Exploring the relationships between industrial food production, eating, culture and the politics of language, Mancini organises his controlled palette of words and images around metaphors of consumption and the formal device of the list. The numbers and statistics that fill the book stand as a critique of the grotesquely inhumane scales of capitalist production today - in-kind retort to the brutality of economic-fundamentalist abstractions that increasingly determine policy and regulate inner lives. Incisive humour permeates Buffet World. The poems capture Mancini's diamond wit, as well as his dissatisfaction with the conditions of a world built on so many systemic cruelties. Buffet World underlines our inescapable complicity as (constantly) both victims and victimisers in a system that should leave us choked with rage, but more often dazzles us with a surreal spectacle of false hope. The images in Buffet World are colourful and almost garish. The words are, in true Mancini fashion, brilliantly manipulated. Equally concerned with the violence done to our planet, our bodies and imaginations, these poems perform a deep critique, but remain accessible and fun to read.

August Gale: A Father and Daughter's Journey into the Storm


Barbara Walsh - 2011
    The surf raged along the New York and New Jersey shores as the gale whirled toward Newfoundland. Waves as tall as three-story houses swamped ships; monster combers broke masts in two and swept every man on deck into the raging sea. Scores of fishermen disappeared when the "divil" descended on that August evening, and one Newfoundland village would never be the same. Forty-two children in a community of three hundred lost their fathers.In August Gale, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Barbara Walsh takes readers on two heartrending odysseys: one into a deadly Newfoundland hurricane and the lives of schooner fishermen who relied on God and the wind to carry them home; the other, into a squall stirred by a man with many secrets: a grandfather who remained a mystery until long after his death.

Contesting White Supremacy: School Segregation, Anti-Racism, and the Making of Chinese Canadians


Timothy J. Stanley - 2011
    Their resistance was unexpected and runs against the grain of mainstream accounts of Asian exclusion, which tend to ignore the agency of the excluded. In Contesting White Supremacy, Timothy Stanley combines Chinese sources and perspectives with an innovative theory of racism and anti-racism to explain the strike and construct an alternative reading of racism in British Columbia. His work demonstrates that education was an arena in which white supremacy confronted Chinese nationalist schooling and where parents and students contested racism by constructing a new category – Chinese Canadian – to define their identity.

Democratizing the Constitution: Reforming Responsible Government


Peter Aucoin - 2011
    This principle, by which the executive must be accountable to the people's elected representatives, was fought for and won over 160 years ago, but we now see that achievement slipping away. Our constitution and its unwritten conventions no longer provide effective constraints on a prime minister's power. The result: a dysfunctional system, in which the Canadian constitution has degenerated into whatever the prime minister decides it is, and a Parliament that is effectively controlled by the prime minister, instead of the other way around.This timely book examines recent history and ongoing controversies as it makes the case for restoring power to where it belongs — with the people's elected representatives in Parliament.This book has been designed to meet the needs of courses on Canadian politics, as it gives special attention to explaining the institutions and concepts involved, as well as the fascinating history that has led to present day conflicts over our constitutional state of affairs. Its offering of proposals to address the problems it outlines will also make it a must-read for political observers and interested citizens across the country.

The Odious Child: and Other Stories


Carolyn Black - 2011
    With a refreshingly clear voice and dark, offbeat sense of humour, Black tempers her incisive examination of contemporary frustration and loneliness with wry optimism and wit.

The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver


Chuck Davis - 2011
    This volume represents the culmination of his life as a folk historian, someone who was obsessed and delighted by all things Vancouver, and of his immense contribution to historical knowledge of the city of Vancouver. It was nearly realized, but not quite completed before his death in November, 2010. Harbour Publishing worked with Davis on "The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver" for five years, and has collaborated with the Vancouver Historical Society to complete the volume in 2011 to mark the city's 125th anniversary, as was the author's plan. Arranged chronologically, and illustrated with a trove of archival photographs, this volume includes influential characters both famous, like White Spot founder Nat Bailey, and nearly-forgotten, like Sara Anne McLagan, the first female publisher of a daily newspaper in Canada, plus many tales of eccentric locals and celebrity visitors. Here too are Vancouver's unforgettable and formative events, from the tragic collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge to the city's first rock 'n' roll concert ("the ultimate in musical depravity"). The story of how Vancouver grew from a ramshackle tumble of stumps, brush and crude wooden buildings to today's urban metropolis turns out to be interesting, complicated, frequently rancorous and occasionally even funny. And the book is, as the author hoped, "fun, fat and filled with facts."

Mnemonic: A Book of Trees


Theresa Kishkan - 2011
    For Kishkan, trees are memory markers of life, and in this book she explores the presence of trees in nature, in culture and in her personal history. Naming each chapter for a particular tree -- the Garry oak, the Ponderosa pine, the silver olive, the Plane tree, the Arbutus, and others -- she draws on Pliny the Elder's "Natural History," John Evelyn's "Sylva," and strands of mythology from other classical and contemporary sources to blend scientific fact with natural history and the artifacts of human culture.Never pedantic and always accessible, "Mnemonic"?reveals -- through one woman's relationship with the natural world -- how all of us have roots that intertwine with the broader world, tapping deep into the rich well of universal themes. In the words of Pliny the Elder, "Hence it is right to follow the natural order, to speak about trees before other things . . ."

A Matter of Honour: The Life, Campaigns and Generalship of Isaac Brock


Jonathon Riley - 2011
    He has been revered as the Savior of Upper Canada. Brock was a resourceful field commander who believed in offensive measures to keep his opponent off-balance and is probably best known in the United States for managing to cow U.S. General William Hull into surrendering Detroit, to that general's eternal shame. Jonathon Riley describes Brock's early days in the Channel Islands and his military career in Europe and the West Indies. He covers in detail how Brock prepared for war with the United States, the events of the capture of Detroit as well as the Battle of Queenston Heights, which cost Brock his life but from which he emerged as a major historical figure. The book includes an assessment of Brock's abilities as a general by an author who is himself a general with experience in various theaters of war.

Unrepentant: Disrobing the Emperor


Kevin Daniel Annett - 2011
    Kevin Annett's story is a David/Goliath epic of one man's fight against the establishment of church and state in support of a subjugated people.

What the Bear Said: Skald Tales from New Iceland


W.D. Valgardson - 2011
    For a thousand years, its inhabitants passed down oral histories that included fantastical fables as a way to understand their strange land. For settlers escaping starvation in the wake of volcanic eruptions and economic hardship, Manitoba's Interlake held further mystery.35 years after Turnstone Press published its first book of poetry, The Gutting Shed, W. D. Valgardson returns with a collection full of fantastic tales and colourful characters. Bears, wolves, fish, forests, swamps, harsh winters, insect-infested summers, the unpredictable waters of an inland sea, and people claimed by the forces of nature, provide a wealth of material from which Turnstone Press's first published author draws his inspiration.Ancient sturgeon who rescues a fair maid from drowning, a fisherman who can "speak" with a bear, and mischievous Christmas sprites who protect a poor girl from a nightmarish marriage: these and more tales combine a canon of Icelandic folklore with the landscape and wildlife of Canada for a truly absorbing reading experience. Blurring lines between reality and fantasy, W. D. Valgardson continues to be one of Canada's foremost storytellers.

The History of Canada Series: War in the St. Lawrence: The Forgotten U-boat Battles On Canada's Shores


Roger Sarty - 2011
    Army troop transport, and the Newfoundland ferry Caribou . More than 250 lives were lost. It was the only battle of the twentieth century to take place within Canada’s boundaries, and the only battle to be fought almost exclusively by Canadian forces under Canadian, rather than alliance, high command. And for more than forty years the battle was characterized as a Canadian defeat.But was it a defeat? Drawing on new material from wartime records—including ultra-top-secret Allied decryptions of German naval radio communications, Roger Sarty shows that Canada mounted a successful defence with far fewer resources and in the face of much greater challenges than previously known. He draws vivid pictures of the intense combat on Canada’s shores and the interplay of the St. Lawrence battle with war politics in Ottawa, Washington, and London. At the same time, he weaves a second story: how researchers reassembled the scattered war records in Canada, Britain, the United States, and Germany, and brought the long-forgotten battle to life for new generations of Canadians and international audiences.

The Power of Place, the Problem of Time: Aboriginal Identity and Historical Consciousness in the Cauldron of Colonialism


Keith Thor Carlson - 2011
    In The Power of Place, the Problem of Time, Keith Thor Carlson re-thinks the history of Native-newcomer relations from the unique perspective of a classically trained historian who has spent nearly two decades living, working, and talking with the St?: l? peoples.St?: l? actions and reactions during colonialism were rooted in their pre-colonial experiences and customs, which coloured their responses to events such as smallpox outbreaks or the gold rush. Profiling tensions of gender and class within the community, Carlson emphasizes the elasticity of collective identity. A rich and complex history, The Power of Place, the Problem of Time looks to both the internal and the external factors which shaped a society during a time of great change and its implications extend far beyond the study region.

Bloodwood


John Rykken - 2011
    Before he knows it, he and his best friend, Lydia, are sucked into a daring hunt for Peter’s missing girlfriend—a hunt that leads them to a suspiciously empty town in northern Canada, where Max guesses things are not what they seem. As the sun sets over the ice-blue mountains and the town falls into shadow, cries echo through the woods and Max realizes it’s too late. Now the missing girl is the last thing on his and Lydia’s minds, and it will take all their cunning to survive until sunrise.

Elusive Destiny: The Political Vocation of John Napier Turner


Paul Litt - 2011
    It highlights Turner’s vision for the country and tallies the political price he paid when he deviated from the Trudeau legacy on matters such as language rights, social spending, and Quebec. It also provides a new perspective on federal politics from the 1960s through the 1980s while giving John Turner his rightful place in Canadian history.

Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: An Introduction to Our Form of Government


Nathan Tidridge - 2011
    Media often refer to the governor general as the Canadian head of state, and the queen is frequently misidentified in Canada as only the British monarch, yet she has been queen of Canada since 1952. Even government publications routinely cast the Crown as merely a symbolic institution with no impact on the daily lives of Canadians â?? this is simply not true. Errors such as these are echoed in school textbooks and curriculum outlines.Canada's Constitutional Monarchy has been written to counter the misinformation given to Canadians, reintroducing them to a rich institution integral to our ideals of democracy and parliamentary government. Nathan Tidridge presents the Canadian Crown as a colourful and unique institution at the very heart of our Confederation, exploring its history from its beginnings in 16th-century New France, as well as its modern relationships with First Nations, Honours, Heraldry, and the day-to-day life of the country.

Dirk Danger Loves Life


Chris Rothe - 2011
    As his life swirls down the drain, serendipity provides a phone number that launches him into the world of Dirk Danger.What follows is a not‑so-​​typical coming of age story involving scuba gear, terrible poetry, a fish eulogy, a walrus, pop music, terrible puns, marijuana, a fake attorney, homelessness, death, and far, far too much pornography. The road to recovery is a twisted and ridiculous one indeed.

Racism, Colonialism, and Indigeneity in Canada: A Reader


Martin J. Cannon - 2011
    With an emphasis on the Two-Row Wampum treaty--a pact between Western and Indigenous nations--the book discusses the historic and contemporary meaning of key terms like race and racism, and identifies how these factors were and continue to be at play in the lives of Indigenous peoples living in a colonized nation. The editors' objective is to provide insight into what can be done to address historic wrongdoings, while also showing how much can be gained by working across differences, revitalizing original partnerships and agreements, and coming together collectively as Canadians to combat racism.

In the Field


Claire Tacon - 2011
    She's got a doctorate, her husband's a prominent academic, and their children are excelling at a Montessori.When she loses her teaching job, however, she packs up her sons to spend the summer in her hometown. She finds her mother suffering from dementia and the house in squalor, and she is forced to confront small town prejudice towards her biracial sons.As Ellie is drawn back into the community, the strain on her marriage intensifies and she is forced to decide where her loyalties lie.Clare Tacon has an MFA in writing from the University of British Columbia and is a past editor of Prism Magazine. In the Field is her first novel.

Maurice Richard


Charles Foran - 2011
    A proud, reticent man, Richard aspired only to score goals and win championships for the Montreal Canadiens. But he represented far more than a high-scoring forward who filled seats in NHL arenas. Beginning with his 50-goal, 50-game season in 1944-45 and through his battles with the league over bigotry toward French-Canadian players, Richard's on-ice ferocity and off-ice dignity echoed the change in Quebec. The March 1955 “Richard Riot,” in which fans went on a rampage to protest his suspension, contained the seeds of transformation. By the time Richard retired in 1960, Quebec had begun to reinvent itself as a modern, secular society. Author Charles Foran argues that the province's passionate identification with Richard's success and struggles emboldened its people and changed Canada irrevocably.

Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War


Timothy C. Winegard - 2011
    It provides the first comprehensive examination and comparison of how indigenous peoples of Canada, Australia, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa experienced the Great War. The participation of indigenes was an extension of their ongoing effort to shape and alter their social and political realities, their resistance to cultural assimilation or segregation and their desire to attain equality through service and sacrifice. While the dominions discouraged indigenous participation at the outbreak of war, by late 1915 the imperial government demanded their inclusion to meet the pragmatic need for military manpower. Indigenous peoples responded with patriotism and enthusiasm both on the battlefield and the home front and shared equally in the horrors and burdens of the First World War.

The Whaling People of the West Coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery


Eugene Arima - 2011
    They comprise more than 20 First Nations, including the Nuu-chah-nulth (formerly called Nootka), Ditidaht, Pacheedaht and Makah. These socially related people enjoyed a highly organized, tradition-based culture for centuries before Europeans arrived. As whaling societies, they had a unique relationship with the sea.In The Whaling People, Eugene Arima and Alan Hoover give an intimate account of the traditional ways in which these coastal people looked at and understood the world they lived in. They present the activities, technologies and rituals that the Whaling People used to make a living in their complex coastal environments, and their beliefs about the natural and supernatural forces that affected their lives. The book features 12 narratives collected from First Nations elders, each illustrated with original drawings by the celebrated Hesquiaht artist Tim Paul.This informative and entertaining book celebrates the still-thriving cultures of the Whaling People, who survived the devastating effects of colonial power and influences. It includes a history of treaty making in BC, leading up to the just-ratified Maa-nulth Treaty signed by five First Nations of the Whaling People.

Mind Gap


Marina Cohen - 2011
    Hes making all the wrong choices gambling, drinking, hanging around gang members and now hes been asked to make a special delivery. What should he do? Jake knows either way that his decision will seal his fate, but what he doesnt realize is that this choice might not only destroy his life but the lives of those close to him.Before Jake has a chance to make up his mind, he receives a mysterious text message inviting him to a flash party on a midnight subway train. As Jake steps off the platform and onto the ghostly 1950s-style Gloucester car, he has no idea he has just boarded a train bound for his worst nightmare. And whats more he cant get off!

The Grads are Playing Tonight!: The Story of the Edmonton Commercial Graduates Basketball Club


M. Ann Hall - 2011
    Coached by J. Percy Page, they played over 400 official games, losing only 20; they travelled more than 125,000 miles in Canada, the United States, and Europe; and they crossed the Atlantic three times to defend their “world” title at exhibition games held in conjunction with the Summer Olympics in Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Meticulously researched and documented—including capsule biographies of all 38 women who played for the Grads over the years—the story of the Edmonton Grads will enthrall fans of sport history and women in sport.

Gulf Islands Alphabet


Bronwyn Preece - 2011
    Inviting language and compelling illustrations takes children and adults alike on an island-hopping journey through a stunning corner of the world - British Colombia, Canada.

Wife to Widow: Lives, Laws, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Montreal


Bettina Bradbury - 2011
    Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, from church and court records, censuses, and tax documents, to newspapers and pamphlets, Bradbury shows how women --Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, wealthy and working-class -- interacted with and shaped the city's culture, customs, and institutions, even as they laboured under the shifting conditions of patriarchy.Weaving together the individual biographies of twenty women against the backdrop of the collective genealogy of over five hundred, Bradbury tells the stories of these women through the traces their actions left in documents and archives. In doing so, she makes an invaluable contribution to the writing on the histories of women, families, cities, law, religion and politics.A truly monumental study, Wife to Widow is an immensely readable, rigorous, and compelling work.

The Last Colonial


Christopher Ondaatje - 2011
    Born in Ceylon in 1933 and brought up on a tea plantation, he was sent as a teenager to boarding school in England. But soon after Ceylon was granted its independence in 1948, his family found themselves destitute, and the young Ondaatje left school and got a job. In 1956 he made his way to Canada with just thirteen dollars in his pocket. From this improbable beginning there followed a series of commercial triumphs until 1988 when he abruptly abandoned high finance at the peak of his career and reinvented himself as an explorer and author, focusing mainly on the colonial period.It is the curious encounters behind these often precarious adventures that make up The Last Colonial. The stories tell of Ondaatje’s childhood days in Ceylon, his early life in Canada, his fascination with inexplicable events and local superstitions, and his sometimes perilous travels researching biographies of Ernest Hemingway in Africa, Leonard Woolf in Ceylon, and Sir Richard Burton in India and Africa.Complemented by the artist Ana Maria Pacheco’s magical, sometimes disturbing illustrations, the stories conjure up a truly unique portrait of a world that is vanishing forever.

A Gentleman of Pleasure : One Life of John Glassco : Poet, Memoirist, Translator, and Pornographer


Brian Busby - 2011
    In addition to Glassco's readily available work, Brian Busby draws on pseudonymous writings published as a McGill student as well as unpublished and previously unknown poems, letters, and journal entries to detail a vibrant life while pulling back the curtain on Glassco's sexuality and unconventional tastes. In a lively account of a man given to deception, who took delight in hoaxes, Busby manages to substantiate many of the often unreliable statements Glassco made about his life and work. A Gentleman of Pleasure is a remarkable biography that captures the knowable truth about a fascinatingly complex and secretive man.

All That Glitters: A Climber's Journey Through Addiction and Depression


Margo Talbot - 2011
    230728ESY0000 Features: Specifications: Pages: 196 ISBN-13: 978-1550391824 Publisher: Sono Nis Press Cover: Paperback

Snowball, Dragonfly, Jew


Stuart Ross - 2011
    His father and mother are both dead, and his brother, Jake, is a lousy source of information. So when he begins to struggle with a particularly nagging memory, he doesn’t know where to turn. The memory: the assassination — by his mother — of a prominent neo-Nazi. In a non-chronological montage of memories, Ben travels back and forth through the events of his life, some of which seemed trivial at the time but are important now: his childhood summers at a cottage in central Ontario, his teenage years in a Toronto suburb, his disastrous university career, the calamity that precipitated his brother’s institutionalization. Stuart Ross’s first novel is a blend of suburban realism and out-of-body surrealism.

The Other Side of Ourselves


Rob Taylor - 2011
    Mysterious without denying clear images, plain spoken without being plain, if there is an ongoing Cold War between modern poetry and the general reading public, Taylor's poems are defiantly Non-Aligned. They promote a middle path where complexity does not trump simple pleasure, and pleasure gives way willingly to moments of insight and grace.

Two Billion Trees and Counting: The Legacy of Edmund Zavitz


John Bacher - 2011
    Wastelands were talking over many hectares of once-flourishing farmlands and towns. Sites like the Oak Ridges Moraine were well on their way to becoming a dust bowl and all because of extensive deforestation. Zavitz held the positions of chief forester of Ontario, deputy minister of forests, and director of reforestation. His first pilot reforestation project was in 1905, and since then Zavitz has educated the public and politicians about the need to protect Ontario forests. By the mid-1940s, conservation authorities, provincial nurseries, forestry stations, and bylaws protecting trees were in place. Land was being restored. Just a month before his death, the one billionth tree was planted by Premier John Robarts. Some two billion more would follow. As a result of Zavitz's work, the Niagara Escarpment, once a wasteland, is now a UNESCO World Biosphere. Recognition of the ongoing need to plant trees to protect our future continues as the legacy of Edmund Zavitz.

Adrift


Loren Edizel - 2011
    John arrives in a Montreal airport with a suitcase in hand. We do not know where he is from, or who he is. He takes up work as a night-shift nurse and writes his reflections and impressions in a notebook that he carries with him at all times. By means of these personal entries, the novel allows us to explore his identity by following his daily movements andintimate thoughts, as well as his connections to those who come into contact with him. Based in a Montreal neighborhood called Carre St Louis, the story unfolds through nonlinear narrative connections that flow across city blocks, continents and oceans, and meander in and out of the characters' minds, dealing with questions of displacement, identity, and meaning.

Decade of Fear: Reporting from Terrorism's Grey Zone


Michelle Shephard - 2011
    On that night, Toronto Star journalist Michelle Shephard watched the remains of New York’s World Trade Center fall from the sky, wondering what much of the world was asking: “Why?” So began a ten-year search for answers that took her through the streets of Mogadishu and Karachi, into the mountains of Waziristan and behind the wire of Guantanamo Bay two dozen times.Shephard conducted hundreds of interviews worldwide, and with sharp insight and an appreciation for the absurd, she weaves together stories of warlords, presidents, spies, grieving widows and global terrorists, to describe the historic decade where often the West’s “solutions” for terrorism only served to exacerbate the problem. She cruises with former CIA bosses, runs alongside protestors in the streets of Sanaa to escape fire from Yemen’s security services during experience the Arab Spring, meets victims of terrorism who leave her devastated, and earns enough stamps on her Gitmo Starbucks card for a free latte. Gripping, heartbreaking and infuriating, Decade of Fear broadens our understanding of a decade that was all too often described through panicked rhetoric.

Full Steam to Canada


Anne Patton - 2011
    Her father dreams to have a farm of his own. When young Frank loses his clerk job to a returning Boer War veteran, the Boltons' last good reason for staying where they are is gone with it. They follow the lead of Reverend Isaac Barr, whose stated mission it is to create an exclusively British colony in the new world. In lively language and crystal-clear detail, Anne Patton recreates the Boltons' farewell to friends and family, their journey across the Atlantic in a ship packed with other emigrants on the Barr Colony mission and their journey by train from the Maritimes to the Canadian prairie. Based on interviews with the original Dorothy Bolton, Full Steam to Canada is a novel, but it absolutely is a true story.

Cryptic Canada: Unsolved Mysteries from Coast to Coast


Natalie Hyde - 2011
    From buried treasure to ice mummies to bootleggers to shipwrecks, curious readers need look no further than Cryptic Canada to discover seven of this country’s most engaging unsolved mysteries. Beginning with the ongoing hunt in Nova Scotia for the legendary treasure of Captain Kidd and his crew, moving to the discovery of the mummified Franklin Expedition in Nunavut by modern-day scientists, and ending with an exploration of the Great Lakes Triangle phenomenon (with several other exciting stories in between), this book has something for every adventurous reader. Each chapter, bursting with illustrations by Matt Hammill and color photographs, ends with an interview with an expert in the field, who answers questions kids will be eager to ask after reading about each mysterious case.

Rebuild


Sachiko Murakami - 2011
    But look for the city, and one encounters “a kind of standing wave of historical vertigo, where nothing ever stops or grounds one’s feet in free-fall.”Murakami approaches the urban center through its inhabitants’ greatest passion: real estate, where the drive to own is coupled with the practice of tearing down and rebuilding. Like Dubai, where the marina looks remarkably like False Creek, Vancouver has become as much a city of cranes and excavation sites as it is of ocean and landscape. Rebuild engraves itself on the absence at the city’s center, with its vacant civic square and its bulldozed public spaces. The poems crumble in the time it takes to turn the page, words flaking from the line like the rain-damaged stucco of a leaky condominium.The city’s “native” residential housing style now troubles the eye with its plainness, its flaunting of restraint, its ubiquity. What does it mean to inhabit and yet despise the “Vancouver Special”; to attempt to build poems in its style, when a lyric is supposed to be preciously unique, but similar, in its stanzas or “rooms,” to other lyric poems? What does it mean to wake from a dream in which one buys a presale in a condo development—and is disappointed to have awoken?In the book’s final section, the poems turn inward, to the legacy left by Murakami’s father, who carried to his death the burden of the displaced and disinherited: the house seized by the government during World War II, having previously seized the land from its native inhabitants—a “mortgage” from which his family has never truly recovered.

The Ancient Realm


Sarah Leith Bahn - 2011
    Her life in Blue Rocks Harbour, Nova Scotia, once filled with tedious chores from her German Nanny and teasing from her older twin brothers, is changed forever when she is introduced to the Ancient Realm, a secret society of Guardians who protect the precious natural resources of planet Earth.The first book in a new fantasy series by Sarah Leith Bahn, The Ancient Realm combines a look at the beauty of our planet with timely concerns about our global ecosystems. Above all, we are taken on a magical adventure, from the shores of Nova Scotia, to the heights of the Himalayas, to the islands of the Indian Ocean, where we learn about the mystery and power of the natural world around us. Through Octavia, Agnes also learns about herself, and how important it is for each of us to dream, to appreciate the world around us, to fight for what we care about . . . and to believe.

Sister and I: From Victoria to London


Emily Carr - 2011
    . . . With red eyes and a body guard of sniffing “faithfuls” attending us, we start on our long trip abroad. . . . So begins Emily Carr’s memoirs of her trip to England with her sister Alice. They travel across Canada by rail to board an ocean liner in Quebec City, meeting interesting characters and having many adventures along the way. They hike in “gloriously cool and beautiful” Glacier House, and encounter porcupines and wasps in otherwise “heavenly” Lake Louise.They carry on to the “wonderful little town” of Medicine Hat, then Winnipeg, Montreal and “wonderful historic old” Quebec City, where they prepare for boarding the Empress of Ireland for Liverpool.Sister and I presents Emily Carr’s whimsical account of her trip across Canada, written and illustrated in her own hand, directly from Carr’s original notebook. This one-of-a-kind book is introduced by Kathryn Bridge, who places it in context with Carr’s life and works.

Power Failure?


Richard Starr - 2011
    For three centuries politicians and other prominent players have clashed over the ownership, control and development of energy resources--coal, electric power, offshore petroleum. This book traces the interplay between politics and energy and documents the ongoing failure of government to use energy resources in ways that would create a prosperous and sustainable provincial economy.

The Legacy of the War of 1812


Lizann Flatt - 2011
    This book helps readers understand the significance and long-term effects of the War of 1812.

Freddy's War


Judy Schultz - 2011
    Assigned to the Winnipeg Grenadiers, part of the Canadian army in Hong Kong, Freddy McKee becomes a prisoner of war six weeks after arriving in Hong Kong.Five years pass and Freddy finally returns home from the war, but three women—Joanna Keegan, her daughter Hope, and the beautiful and mysterious Su Li—feel echoes of Freddy's ordeal in each of their lives. For Freddy, the memory of war is a heavier burden than the weapon he once carried. And he must fight to survive in a world that has left him behind."Veterans traditionally have never shared the hell of their war. Often the only way to get close to their experiences is via skillful fiction. Gritty and well-researched, Freddy's War takes us to the siege of Hong Kong and back." —Ted Barris, author and military historian"Wartime love stories are the stuff of cliché, but there's no false sentimentality in Freddy's War. With a cool reporter's eye, Schultz draws on her deep knowledge of China, and of prairie social history, to craft an understated, elegaic story of loneliness, loss, and dislocation." —Paula Simons, Edmonton Journal