Congratulations to Carmen Aguirre! Her book, Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter was crowned the Canada Reads 2012 champion. Something Fierce was defended by musician Shad.

You can watch, listen and go behind the scenes of all four days of debate by clicking on the image above and learn more about all five nominees here.

Day one of the debates opened with controversy, courtesy of rather incendiary comments made by panelist Anne-France Goldwater. Many were outraged. The media reported it. There was much soul-searching and teeth-gnashing. For the remaining three days of the debates, Anne-France Goldwater tempered her words somewhat, but never backed down.

The Canada Reads 2012 panel with moderator Jian Ghomeshi on Day 1, February 6, 2012. (Tanja-Tiziana Burdi/CBC)

Prisoner of Tehran was eliminated on day one, The Tiger on day two and On a Cold Road on day three. This set up a memorable finale pitting Ken Dryden's The Game against Carmen Aguirre's Something Fierce.

These are two very different books. One was written by a man, nearly 30 years ago, and takes a probing look at life in Canada through our national game. The other was written by an immigrant woman, published just last year, and takes us to South America to join the resistance movement fighting for democracy. It was almost as if the final debate challenged the panelists to look inwardly at a mainstay of Canadian culture or outwardly, lifting their eyes beyond our borders to the life that many of our immigrants experience before coming to Canada.

Carmen wanted to be an actress, and went to theatre school to pursue this lifelong dream. But when she was there, she was told that she would probably only be offered the role of a Latina maid. Carmen decided to do something about it. She wrote her own material, creating new roles for women like herself and breaking barriers in the theatre world for future generations.

You can watch Carmen discuss this defining moment in the video below the jump.

Less than 24 hours after his dramatic Canada Reads victory, award-winning rapper Shad stopped by the Q studios to discuss the past four days of heated debate. Joining him was Carmen Aguirre, author of Canada Reads 2012 champion Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter.

Something Fierce experienced a rough few days during the debates, with panelist Anne-Francis Goldwater referring to Aguirre as a "terrorist" early on.

Despite the wild ride, Carmen couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. Since the book was published in May 2011, it has been embraced by the Chilean community in Canada. Now, Carmen is thrilled that her story will reach a wider audience. "It feels great," she said. "It's great that this story has gone mainstream. To me, that's fantastic."

You can watch Carmen and Shad's conversation with Q (and Canada Reads!) host Jian Ghomeshi below the jump.

You can relive all the drama in our video stream and live chat below:

Which book would you like to see eliminated during day three? Have your say in the poll below! Polls will remain open during the debates, so get your vote in now.

Which book would you like to see eliminated during day two? Have your say in the poll below! Polls will remain open during the debates, so get your vote in now. Canada Reads host Jian Ghomeshi will reveal the results during day two of the debates.

If you missed the day one debates, you can replay the video and the live chat below:

One book down, four books remain. Which book do you want to see win it all? Let us know in the comments below for a chance to win a Canada Reads prize pack -- signed copies of all five books! We'll draw the winner randomly from all the comments on Tuesday morning!

There are three ways you can take part:

ATTEND: Be part of the live studio audience at CBC's broadcast studios in Toronto. You can find out how here.

LISTEN: Tune into the debates on CBC Radio One or on Sirius Satellite Radio 159 at 11 a.m. (11:30 a.m. in Nfld.) or again at 8:00 p.m. (8:30 p.m. in Nfld.) on CBC Radio One.

WATCH: See the debates unfold in real time via a livesteam on CBC Books at 10 a.m. ET. The debates will air each evening on CBC's documentary channel at 7:00 p.m. ET and again at midnight ET.

Who will be crowned the Canada Reads 2012 champion? Stay tuned...

Our celebrity panelists will be standing up for their favourite read in the February debates, but the Canada Reads team is on the case right now. Five of our producers have chosen to go to bat for their favourite Canada Reads 2012 title. Each week, they will make an argument for their book as the best.

But why should we have all the fun? You can get involved too -- and just by jumping into the fray, you get a chance to win a Canada Reads prize pack. We're giving one away every week. To enter, see what our team has to say about their book of choice, then answer the question at the bottom of the post for a chance to win.

Since the books were revealed in November, our team has been discussing, debating and defending their favourite titles. As we pass the baton over to the 2012 defenders next week, our team offers up a piece of advice they believe will be key to their celebrity counterparts.

Adrian defends The Game by Ken Dryden

OK, the big debates are finally here, so let's talk a little pre-match strategy.

First, having actor Alan Thicke to defend Ken Dryden's The Game was a great pick-up this season. This year's top five books are all strong contenders for the Canada Reads championship, but Thicke brings veteran savvy and smooth communication skills honed from years of interviews, acting performances, and hosting his own talk and game shows. He knows the entertainment game better than anyone else.

He also has a solid plan of attack. He's talked about how he's going to focus on how The Game is about more than hockey. "It really defines the Canadian spirit and the Canadian soul," he told CBC. "It's about Canadian passion."

My only advice to Thicke is to really study his scouting report. He's got some formidable opponents out there with some unique skill sets. Rapper Shad (defending Something Fierce) is highly literate and very quick on his feet. Try to block his passing lanes to keep the puck away from him. Dragons' Den's Arlene Dickinson (defending Prisoner of Tehran) has made millions in marketing, so she definitely knows how to sell. Use a neutral zone trap to force turnovers. Supermodel Stacey McKenzie (defending On a Cold Road) is no shrinking violet and won't succumb to the pressure as the debates rage on. Keep her on the boards and disrupt her game plan. And Anne-France Goldwater (defending The Tiger), the Quebec litigator and reality show star, will bring an aggressive "best defence is good offence" style of play into the mix, daring you to go toe-to-toe with her. Take the battle to her. Don't give her a chance to score first. Look to build a quick lead and then defend, defend, defend to come out with the win.

Nicole defends On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini

The one piece of advice I want to give to Stacey McKenzie when she debates On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini next week is: make it personal.

Now, I don't mean Stacey should attack her fellow panelists, though she is fierce enough to do so and it would make for great radio. No, I mean she should find the themes of On a Cold Road that ring truest to her own life.

As far as I know, Stacey's never played in a Canadian rock band, but whenever she struts her stuff on a runway or poses in front of a camera, she is performing. Stacey is the first one to tell you that it's not easy to climb to the top of the modelling chain. It takes as much hard work and determination as it does good looks and talent.

That same hard work and determination is evident in the Rheostatics, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and every musician Bidini talks to in On a Cold Road. All of the musicians in the book overcame challenges to fulfill their dreams.

As I've said in my previous posts, we all faces similar challenges in our own lives, which is why this book is an essential Canadian read.

And, if all else fails, Stacey: strike a pose. Alan Thicke's mug's got nothing on you.

Barb defends Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat

I think Dragons' Den star Arlene Dickinson already knows the key to defending Prisoner of Tehran in the debates. After all, she just wrote a book called Persuasion.

And that's ultimately what Canada Reads is all about. To come out on top, Arlene has to win over her fellow panelists. Let's face it: they all start out thinking their book is the best and deserves to triumph. And they have a sense of which of the other books they like, and which they are least keen on. (For that matter, they're sizing up the competition and figuring which book is the greatest threat to their own chances -- and given how much Prisoner of Tehran has going for it, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a target.) But ideally, the other panelists also come into the debates open to having their opinion swayed. That's where Arlene's powers of persuasion and marketing savvy come in.

I have faith! Besides, it's the Year of the Dragon in Chinese astrology -- why not in Canada Reads, too?

Debbie defends Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre

Carmen Aguirre's Something Fierce is one of this competition's many memoirs, but if defender Shad focuses on Aguirre's dark sense of humour, her passion and her honesty, he should be fine and the book he is defending will stand out for the vibrant story it is. It's an original and unusual take on the memoir.

Also, Shad: use your low-key nature to your advantage. Let the others battle it out and let emotions take over. Go with the flow, don't make any enemies and let the others exhaust themselves with their battles. This strategy has proven successful for many musicians before you. Why mess with a good thing?

Alison defends The Tiger by John Vaillant

It's not like outspoken litigator Anne-France Goldwater needs much advice on how to best position The Tiger in the Canada Reads debates next week, but I would suggest that she focus on author John Vaillant's compassion and environmentalism in her arguments. The Tiger is the only non-memoir in this competition, which can be either an advantage or a drawback. Ms. Goldwater should focus on Vaillant's objective journalistic approach and the complex breadth he finds in a story that, in a lesser writer's hands, could be reduced to a simple good vs. evil dichotomy.

Well, that's a wrap for the Canada Reads team! Be sure to tune into the Canada Reads debates February 6-9. You can watch and chat online on CBC Books at 10 a.m. ET, listen on the radio on CBC Radio One at 11 a.m. (11:30 in Nfld.), or tune in on television on CBC's documentary channel at 7 p.m. ET.

Canada Reads 2012 begins on Monday! We've heard from four of the panelists during the Canada Reads podcast. Today, we hear from the last (but certainly not least!) defender, supermodel Stacey McKenzie.

Canada Reads host Jian Ghomeshi with panelist Stacey McKenzie and author Dave Bidini. (Tanja-Tiziana Burdi/CBC)

Competition doesn't scare Stacey. She fought her way to the top of the fashion world, walking for designers like Jean Paul Gautier and Alexander McQueen, gracing the pages of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and appearing in campaigns for Calvin Klein and MAC Cosmetics.

Stacey turned her attention from modeling to music for her Canada Reads book choice. She's defending On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock by Dave Bidini. On a Cold Road offers an inside look at what it's like to tour Canada as a working musician. It's filled with stories from Canadian musical greats like The Tragically Hip, BTO and Bruce Cockburn.

Stacey is confident that this musical message with hit the high notes with readers. She explains why in her conversation with Canada Reads associate producer Debbie Pacheco. Listen to their chat in the audio player above.

The debates will air at 11 a.m. (11:30 a.m. in Newfoundland) on CBC Radio One and will be livestreamed on CBC Books at 10 a.m. ET on February 6,7, 8 and 9.

You can listen to Dave Bidini's conversation with Tom Allen and his musical selections in the audio player below.

Play On by the Local Rabbits

Dave says: "This song is a beautifully poetic and wonderfully huge piece of music about what the musical life is all about."

Any Sense of Time by The Inbreds

Dave says: "It's one of the great Canadian records of all time."

Dope Fiends and Boozehounds by the Rheostatics

Dave says: "This is just a song of loneliness. Growing up in the suburbs, I don't think I could survived it if I didn't have my three friends, my band."

I'm the Man by Joe Jackson

Dave says: "We have a song called My First Rock Concert, which recounts an experience at Massey Hall, watching Joe Jackson play... it's a really profound memory of my days as a concert kid in Toronto."

I Want to Go to Yemen by the bidiniband

Dave says: "I spent my life writing these very long narrative songs about important life issues and subjects. This is really a straight rock and roll album. It felt so good."

What song would you add to On a Cold Road's playlist? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or in the comments below!

Dave Bidini was the rhythm guitarist for the Rheostatics, who are still widely considered one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands of the 1980s and '90s. In 1998, Bidini published his first book, On a Cold Road, an account of the band's tour with fellow Canadian icons The Tragically Hip. Since then, Dave has gone on to write 10 books, including his latest, Writing Gordon Lightfoot, which was published in October 2011.

On Thursday, February 2,we chatted with Dave Bidini about On a Cold Road, his musical and literary adventures and everything in between.

You can read the replay below the jump!