In honour of this year's finalists (four international and three Canadian), CBC Books is giving you a taste of their nominated collections. Click on any book cover below to read a poem from the nominated collection.
Canadian Shortlist
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| What's the Score by David W. McFadden | Sailing to Babylon by James Pollock | Personals by Ian Williams |
International Shortlist
First aired on The Next Chapter (29/4/13)
Fiction plays an important role in telling stories that are often left out of history. When Aboriginal narratives are left out of the Canadian history books, aboriginal people find redemption in other forms of storytelling -- people like writers Joseph Boyden and Richard Wagamese.
Richard Wagamese is an Ojibway writer. His latest novel, Indian Horse -- a Canada Reads 2013 finalist -- is the story of a young Native boy who is taken away from his family. He's put into residential school, where he becomes a gifted hockey player. Wagamese began telling aboriginal stories first as a journalist, and later told their stories through fiction. "I feel privileged to carry the stories of what it means to be a First Nations person in Canada for parts of six decades," he told The Next Chapter host Shelagh Rogers. "The stories that come out of that experience are magnificent, because I've seen the nature and the state of equality of my people change so immensely in that time."
He felt telling these stories was important for another reason: many of them hadn't been shared outside the aboriginal community before. "As a journalist I had the privilege of covering some of those stories and bringing them to the attention of the Canadian population--sometimes for the first time."
Joseph Boyden has a mixed heritage of Irish and Anishinaabe. His novel, Three Day Road, tells the story of two young Cree men who are snipers during the First World War. Boyden is dedicated to changing Aboriginal narratives through fiction and activism. Just recently he used his status as a writer to change the popular narrative of the Attawapiskat crisis in Quebec.
"We read about Attawapiskat and picture something that I think is very different from the real place...[the story in the media] was all what's wrong with these people that they can live in poverty and isolation like this and tarpaper shacks and not take care of themselves and this is a place that I taught," he said. "I was like what, wait, these are the people that took me in and gave me meals and when I had nothing to do, they brought me to their house. It's a place that gave me my writing, so much of my writing...It's the opposite of what you hear in the media about all these places like Fort Albany and Attawapiskat with people with their hands out begging."
Wagamese and Boyden use fiction to explore the truth and to share this truth with readers everywhere. You can listen to their entire conversation with Shelagh Rogers in the audio player above.
Photo of Joseph Boyden by Bryan McBurney
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First aired on The Current 23/05/13
By 2035, it will be possible to colonize Mars. This is the crux of Buzz Aldrin's new book Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.
"[Mars] has been the ultimate destination of many presidents proclaiming their intermediate objectives. I think the time has come for the president to make a firm commitment for permanent presence, led by Americans onto the surface of Mars," Buzz told host Anna Maria Tremonti on The Current. He thinks Mars colonization should start to become a serious political priority amongst American politicians and the first politician to put a person on Mars will benefit greatly.
Aldrin isn't the only one turning their sights to Mars. One company has begun to take applications for a chance to live on Mars. Mars One is a company that hopes to colonize the red planet. They're offering the chance for a one way trip to Mars in a sort of reality TV like contest and more than 80,000 people have applied to boldly go so far, including some Canadians.
Buzz supports the enthusiasm people are beginning to take in Mars and hopes this attention will help his own push for Mars living, "if we do inspiring steps to the American people and people of the world, we can develop the performance of the interplanetary space craft."
What do you think, would you buy a one way ticket to Mars? Should Mars colonization be a political priority?
Highlights from CBC Books:
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First aired on Ontario Today (22/5/13)
College is a time of liberation, to explore who you are and what you want, professionally, personally, socially and sexually. But this liberation has led to what religious studies and gender studies scholar Donna Freitas calls "hook-up culture" -- and it's having a negative impact on college students across North America.
Freitas interviewed hundreds of university students for her book on hook-up culture, The End of Sex: How Hookup Culture is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy, and she came to a few startling conclusions. First, the definition of hook-up is broader than you may think. It's more than casual sex or a one-night stand. According to Freitas, "a hook-up can be anything from kissing to different types of sex" and can last "anything from a few minutes to an entire night." Second, there is an expectation of "no strings attached" and no emotional investment in the hook-up. And finally, there is almost always alcohol involved.
Freitas' biggest discovery was the difference between a hook-up and hook-up culture. Hook-ups are supposed to be a liberating, guilt-free good time. Freitas believes there's nothing wrong with mutual, consensual and safe casual sexual encounters. However, hook-up culture has dictated that this kind of sexual encounter is the only kind of sex worth having, and as a result, many people who engage in hook-ups are left confused, lost and unsure of how to navigate sexual relationships. Hence, the alcohol. Freitas discovered that many students felt alcohol is essential for a majority of hook-ups because it allows students to "numb themselves" to the experience.
"In theory, everybody I talk to thinks a hook up should be liberating," she told Ontario Today host Hallie Cotnam, "But the reality of living in a culture of hooking up where students feel like hooking up is the only option for sexual intimacy ... that's when they start becoming unhappy."
So what should college students who aren't into "hooking up" do? "One of the things that is really missing is empowerment around sex and hook-up culture," Freitas says and the way to reclaim that is for students to be honest with themselves and what they want. "I just want the young women and young men to feel sexually empowered. I want them to feel like they have options. I want them to see choices ahead of them. I want them to ask themselves 'What do I want out of sex? Do I even know? Do I know what good sex is? Am I kidding myself when I say I can do this? Can I really? Can I really hook up and be okay?'"
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Former press baron Conrad Black speaks to the Calgary Enterprise Forum in Calgary, Alta., Friday, May 10, 2013. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)
First aired on Q (22/5/13)
Conrad Black is a businessman, an author and a peer in the British House of Lords. But he's best known for his high-profile fraud case in the United States, for which he spent three years in prison. He's since been released and is now back in Canada. In his attempt to settle into a "normal" life, he's taken on plenty of new projects including writing provocative columns for the National Post and the Huffington Post, co-hosting an upcoming weekly newsmagazine on Vision TV and, of course, writing books.
Black's latest book, Flight of the Eagle: A Strategic History of the United States, is arguably his most ambitious work to date. It traces America's rise from colonial upstart to global superpower and through to the present day. But Black is insistent that while literature about American history is indeed plentiful, no one has taken the same approach as he does in Flight of the Eagle. From Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, Black focuses on their strategies and decisions, and how these strategies led to America's global dominance culturally, economically and politically. "This is a novel look at the subject," Black told Jian Ghomeshi in a recent interview on Q. "I was not under the illusion that I was bringing a lot of facts to the attention of readers that they didn't know before."
Black argues that America's long-standing power globally is unique in history. "There's never in the history of the world been such a success story, where a country rose from such modest origins to such heights so quickly," he said. And this is due to a combination of two things: this succession of ambitious, visionary men and a series of legitimate threats to American supremacy. America has created a climate where aggressive ambition was celebrated and threats to its #1 superpower status created opportunities for these men to showcase their strengths as leaders. "[The United States] have had the knack of attracting and elevating such people when you need them."
In fact, America is so good at this type of leadership that it's actually what led to its downfall in recent years. From Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union, the United States "masterminded the elimination of the competitors." And without legitimate threat (Black argues that China's emergence as a threat to american supremacy is grossly exaggerated), America is drifting. The nature of their biggest challenges is changing. And until they recognize that, Black believes that a strong leader who can push the country forward simply won't emerge. He points to the "hemorrhaging deficit," and the disintegration of the education system, justice system and "to some degree" the health care system as example of internal problems America needs to deal with before getting back on track.
Despite its problems, Black believes America can correct their course, with the right leader and the right attitude. "I [do] not think the decline was irreversible and I [do] not think the country was disintegrating."
And who knows more about making a comeback than Conrad Black himself?
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]]>To get in on the festival action, CBC Books asked a few performers about their reading habits to help us build the CBC Music Festival reading list. Check out what they had to say below.
Kae Sun is a Ghanaian-Canadian singer-songwriter from Toronto. His music combines elements of folk, soul, and reggae with insightful and inspired poetry. His book pick is Mirrors by Eduardo Galeano:
"I find Mirrors by Eduardo Galeano captivating because it is almost impossible to categorize by genre. It is a poetic collection of myths and little known tales as well as accounts touching on major events throughout history, but mostly from the perspective of the oppressed or forgotten."
Half Moon Run is an alternative rock band from Ottawa. Their sound combines folk, psych and electronica. Their guitarist Conner Molander thinks you should read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy:
"I just re-read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I read it first in grade 12. It's a difficult book, the language is written in a biblical kind of style. I think it's like a terrifying, resounding, wonderful novel. I really love it I always wonder if they're going to turn it into a movie, because I think it would be the most impossible thing to do. I hope Paul Thomas Anderson picks it up, actually. He's one of the only ones who could do it really well."
Juno award winning artist Corb Lund hails from Edmonton and is best known for his alt-country sound. He recently read Trails Plowed Under by Charles M. Russell and thinks you should too:
"Trails Plowed Under by Charles M. Russell is almost like the bible in my family. I have three copies, one given to me by my dad, one by my maternal grandfather and another by my great uncle. The book is a collection of the author's short stories, written in cowboy vernacular and dealing with all kinds of Western situations, some comical, some quite serious. Charlie Russell was better known as one of the West's best artists, and he is revered in Montana, Alberta, Wyoming, etc as a patron saint. I've re-read the book many times, and have given several copies to close friends on special occasions. It's worth a read for anyone interested in real cowboy history and flavour."
Of Monsters and Men are quickly becoming Canada's indie darlings with their catchy and adorable pop music. Two of their band members have reading suggestions:
Brynjar Leifsson: "I'm reading 1001 Fly Fishing tips. Actually, some school books. One day I hope to be a pilot, so I'm trying to read up on that. I just really want to be a pilot -- then I can quit this band. (Laughs)"
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir: "I am reading comic books called The Boys. I'm actually reading a lot at this moment and I don't really usually, but I read comic books. They have pictures. (Laughs)"
All photos courtesy of the bands
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A man looks at the prehistoric dinosaur called Giganotosaurus at an exhibit in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
First aired on Quirks & Quarks (5/4/13)
People tend to have a special place for dinosaurs in their hearts; they're a fixture in children's books and movies and continue to haunt the imagination as we age. It's not necessarily the scientific facts about dinosaurs that stick with us, but the majestic images that we grew up with that remain. If you close your eyes you can picture the magnificent Brontosaurus. The only problem is that scientists have known for more than a century that there is no such thing as a Brontosaurus -- what we call a Brontosaurus is actually a whole other species called an Apatosaurus!
This isn't the only myth we have about dinosaurs. Correcting the dinosaur myths of our childhood has become a bit of an obsession for Brian Switek, an American science writer. So much that he wrote a book called: My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the road with old bones, new science and our favourite dinosaurs. Switek spoke with Bob McDonald on Quirks & Quarks about the problem with the way popular culture depicts dinosaurs. It's not only the Brontosaurus that is wrongfully depicted; pretty much all of our ideas about dinosaurs are wrong.
For example, movies have this tendency to portray dinosaurs as the one and only dominant prehistoric species. But according to Switek, there were many dino-like species that preceded them, including Archosaurs. Archosaurs contain ancestors of dinosaurs, crocodiles and other reptiles; most of them resemble a cross between what we would recognize as a crocodile and an armadillo. Switek says, "We're so dinosaur obsessed that it becomes difficult to extend our enthusiasm to these other prehistoric weirdos that we might not be as familiar with."
So why do we have such horrible misperceptions of dinosaurs? Switek explains that it's impossible for pop culture to keep up with the constant evolution of scientific discovery. "A new dinosaur is named just about every two weeks and beyond naming new species, new analyses on how they live is coming out at such a rapid pace that it's almost impossible for even the 'dinosaur inclined' to even keep up with all the stuff. So the rate of discovery is absolutely astonishing."
Switek traces this new search for a more accurate depiction of dinosaurs back to the 1970s, a time he calls the "Dinosaur renaissance." It wasn't until the 1970s that there was more of an attempt to depict dinosaurs with scientific accuracy. Before then, there wasn't enough research to piece together an accurate image of a dinosaur. Today, research is advancing to the point where new discoveries of dinosaurs are completely smashing our idea of what we consider a typical dinosaur. Switek describes his favourite dino, just discovered: "It totally grates against the image of dinosaurs I had as a kid. This is an animal that has a small beaked skull, a long neck, a tubby body and long arms with Freddy Cougar claws...and the whole thing is covered in fuzz and is the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. So, this giant sized, waddling, omnivore with really impressive claws...and that's why I love it so much because I think it really challenges us to expand our vision of what dinosaurs are".
Note: CBC Books previously published an uncorrected version of the story. We regret this and have since corrected it.
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]]>In a nod to Toronto's pro basketball roots, the Raptors donned Huskies uniforms for a game in 2009. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)
In the wake of recent staffing changes, the Toronto Raptors are looking to rebrand themselves as Canada's team -- and the CBC Books team has some suggestions about what to rename them. After all, what's more Canadian than Canadian literature?
To get the list started, here are some names dreamed up by the CBC Books team:
What do you think? Add your suggestion to our list of #CanLit basketball team names by leaving a comment below for your chance to win a CBC Books prize pack! Contest closes Monday, May 27 at noon EST. CBC.ca contest rules are available here.
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David Sedaris is more than a celebrated American writer, essayist and humourist. His autobiographical tales act as a window into how funny and perverse the details of everyday life can be. Sedaris first gained attention in the 1990s with his darkly hilarious radio essays, and has since written several best-selling collections of personal essays, including Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. His newest collection is Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls, and he stopped by the Q studio this week to discuss the book with Jian Ghomeshi.
Sedaris is never without his notebook ("in case I thought of anything," he said), and he pulled it out at the beginning of the interview, making his host very nervous.
Like his previous collections, the essays in Sedaris's new book turn his idiosyncratic eye back on bizarre details from various points in his life and weave them together into poignant mini-memoirs.
An ongoing theme in Sedaris's writing is his difficult relationship with his gruff, but loving, father, whose affection is sometimes misread by his children as aggression. For example, when Sedaris was a young boy, he participated in competitive swimming (regular Sedaris readers won't be surprised to learn that he wasn't very good at it), but his father was always cheering the achievements of another boy on his team, while lobbing insults at his own son, telling Sedaris he was a "big fat zero," among other nasty things.
In retrospect, Sedaris said, it was an effort to toughen him up. Besides, Sedaris said, his mother was always very supportive and protective. "Having two supportive parents would have been...over the top," he said. "As it was, they balanced each other out."
Besides, Sedaris said, his father's hostility gave him something to fight against. "I always worked in opposition to my dad," he said. "That's what got me out of bed every day, thinking 'I'll show you.'"
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Sarah McNally in her Manhattan store. Photo: Yvonne Brooks.
First aired on Sunday Edition (19/05/13)
In a world where big online book retailers are killing the smaller stores, a certain kind of independent bookshop is fighting back. Some call it alternative, some call it hipsterism, some call it nerdism--it's a highly curated kind of book store that delights in the idiosyncrasies and novelties of literature.
The Sunday Edition's David Gutnick profiles a Canadian who set up a "hipster" book store in New York City during a time when the future of the book store is so uncertain.
"It has to appeal to perhaps the most base or uninteresting or frivolous part of me or perhaps the most deeply aspirational and poetic part of me, but it has to find a home somewhere in me or I won't bring it into my store." That's how Sarah McNally describes her process of carefully selecting the stock that goes into her store McNally Jackson Books located in trendy Manhattan. You may recognize that name: her parents founded McNally Robinson, one of Canada's largest independent bookstores. Sarah McNally's two-story bookstore appeals to those searching for something they might not be able to find online -- a fully sensory and aesthetic experience. Every corner of the store is well thought out from the decor, to the coffee served to the specialized groupings of books.
McNally Jackson Books provides an experience you can't get online. In the doc she takes Gutnick on a tour through her store stopping at the display she has on books about the theme of longing in literature, "every book display I curate is like a magazine article in my mind".
McNally is always thinking of new ways to make her store, er, novel. A recent addition was the Espresso Book Machine, which can print and bind books on demand, including books that have been out of print for decades.
The bookstore is also well known for its community and literary events, particularly its Spanish literary events. "I've always thought a book store should attempt to be a mirror to its community and in the New York community Spanish is obviously very important."
The lessons she learned from her family business selling books in Canada has helped her thrive in New York City; bigger is not necessarily better, people's tastes change often and the means in which people access content changes so you have to be able to adapt.
McNally's store is proof that people want more than just an abundance of selection at the click of a mouse, people want an experience. Business has been increasingly better for McNally Jackson Books, this year McNally will sell over six million dollars worth of books.
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]]>First aired on Metro Morning (16/5/13)
Summer is the season of backyard barbeques, of families and friends gathering together to enjoy a great meal.
But before you accept any invitations to these dinner parties, beware: a dinner party can be a battleground for social faux pas, embarrassing moments and just plain safety hazards. That's where Corey Mintz's new book How To Host A Dinner Party might come in handy.
Toronto food writer Corey Mintz has been hosting dinner parties with a mix of friends and total strangers, inviting everyone from former Mayors and axe throwers to artists and poker stars. His new book is a how-to on entertaining and he spoke with CBC radio host Matt Galloway about his new book and how to be the ultimate host on Metro Morning.
Here are some of his tips:
What dinner party tips would you add to Corey's list?
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Ray Manzarek of The Doors performs at the Sunset Strip Music Festival launch party in 2012 in West Hollywood, Calif. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/Associated Press)
The music world is in mourning today with the death of Doors co-founder and keyboardist Ray Manzarek. As well as being rock legends, The Doors also made quite a literary splash. They were fronted by a tragic poet, took their band name from an experimental Huxley book and are one of the most popular topics for rock journalism. Here's a reading list for the "rock-literary" legends The Doors.
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For most people, the television show Downton Abbey offers an escapist view into a long-ago world of servants and masters. But although the job description has changed somewhat, "butler" is still a viable profession -- as long as you have the proper training!
Charles MacPherson has been in the, er, buttling industry for more than two decades, and he runs the only school for aspiring butlers in North America. He's also written a book about how to be your own best butler. MacPherson spoke to Dave White on Airplay about The Butler Speaks earlier this week.
MacPherson doesn't believe that proper etiquette is a matter of snobbery, but rather one of self-confidence and general graciousness. "You learn by watching people with good etiquette that that's how they succeed in life, and that brings them confidence," he said. "That's what etiquette is about, is about self-confidence and making other people feel good."
You don't need to be wealthy to have good manners. "We do associate [proper etiquette] with rich people, but it's really for all of us," he said."
So what are some proper ways to be a good host? MacPherson has some tips. "When your guests arrive and you greet them, make sure everyone gets a drink in their hand," he said. "Make sure more importantly that they know where the bar is so they can help themselves...and also that they have someone to talk to."
It turns out that the physical details, like laying out the best dishes, aren't as crucial as you might fear. "At the end of the day, the two secrets that I've learned is that everyone wants to have a drink or something in their hand, and more importantly, they want to be able to socialize with someone they're having a good time with," said MacPherson.
But as a host, you need to step up an take responsibility -- you can't be a guest at your own party. "A good host is somebody who really makes sure that the guests are having a good time," he said.
So how does real-life modern butler MacPherson think of the fictional Edwardian butler Carson? "What I love about Downton Abbey is how professional they are, and how accurately the show is portrayed," he said. "But in real life in the 21st century, the butler does not only the things that Mr. Carson does, but also does many things in a managerial perspective -- you're basically the manager of a small business."
What's MacPherson's favourite part of the job? "I love seeing history happen from the sidelines," he said. "I love to be able to watch captains of industry at the dinner table."
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U.S. Army members escort a detainee to his cell during in-processing to the temporary detention facility at Guantanamo Bay on Jan. 11, 2002. There are currently 171 prisoners at the prison, down from around 700 in mid-2003. (Reuters)
Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been detained at Guantanamo Bay since the summer of 2002. He says he's been tortured, beaten and humiliated -- without any charges ever pressed against him.
"I was too hurt to be able to move. After all I was bleeding from my mouth, my ankles, my wrists, and maybe my nose, I could not tell for sure," he writes in a harrowing 466-page redacted memoir. Slate published excerpts from his memoir in early May. The excerpts were chosen by PEN's Freedom to Write Program Director Larry Siems.
"Making it public is simply a matter of giving a detainee the opportunity to have his voice heard publicly, and that's something that is a necessary part of the process of acknowledging and accounting for what happened in Guantanamo," Siems told CBC's Jian Ghomeshi in a recent interview for Q. "People who are subjected to torture have a right to hear their voices heard, stories told, and have them documented and have ... the mistreatment acknowledged."
Slahi actually wrote the memoir around 2005 and 2006, but it has only recently been declassified following a long battle by his attorneys.
His story is the first time the public is able to read a detailed first-hand account of a prisoner's experience at Guantanamo. Siems maintains Slahi's memoir "point by point follows the narrative of his interrogation that we have from declassified documents."
And it's not all torture. Slahi paints a surprising, perplexing picture at time.
"I can't think of a more dehumanizing environment than the isolation, interrogation regime at Guantanamo," said Siems. "Yet, Slahi not only maintains his humanity, but is able to perceive and to document the humanity of those he's with."
Slahi remains at Guantanamo indefinitely.
Image of Mohamedou Ould Slahi courtesy International Committee of the Red Cross, via Wikimedia Commons.
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If you're looking for a good charitable cause (and are a comic book fan) why not donate money to help an American library get their much needed statue of the Incredible Hulk? It may not be the most typical charitable donation but according to the Northlake Library in Illinois, a nine-foot statue of the hulk will help update the library's image "Today's libraries are celebrating creativity, entertainment and lifelong learning, and they are doing it with technology and popular materials including graphic novels. The problem is that many people still think of libraries in the old way. We want to smash that stuffy reputation with a nine-foot tall Incredible Hulk statue," write the Northlake team.
After Lorne Campbell and his wife broke up, he burnt down the house she shared with their eight-year-old daughter. When a man refused to get him a drink at a party, Campbell and his buddies hung him for several minutes, letting him down before he could die. When another man refused to pony up his drug debts, Campbell broke the man's fingers on one hand with a hammer.
Those are just some of the violent incidents Toronto Star crime and justice reporter Peter Edwards covers in his new book Unrepentent, which tells the life story of former Hells Angel biker Campbell.
Campbell spent 46 years total as a biker first with Satan's Choice -- he was their youngest member, only 16-years-old when the group formed -- and then the Angels.
"I live a different life now. I refuse to look in the rearview mirror ... I refuse to look at it with a bad thought," Campbell told CBC's Anna Maria Tremonti in a recent interview on The Current.
Though, he admitted he regrets taking a lighter to the drapes in his ex-wife's house and a few things about his relationship with his daughter.
Campbell asked Edwards to write the book, which he says is an honest depiction of how he became a part of that lifestyle.
The 64-year-old grandfather said his rough childhood forced him to seek the familial bonds of a motorcycle club. His father physically abused him and his mother, he said. At the age of five, his father also enrolled him in a boxing club, frequently placing him in the ring against opponents four or five years his senior.
There were two things his father taught him: loyalty and to confront problems right away. Campbell said both of these things made him a great motorcycle club member.
He said he does not support the idea of innocent bystanders being hurt by inter-club violence, like the time he says he accidentally broke a woman's leg when fighting her husband who had pulled a gun on a club member.
"I just cringe when I hear about drive by shootings or somebody being hurt when they shouldn't have been hurt," he said.
While he may not feel regret for hurting drug debtors, reading his life story did make Campbell emotional.
"I'm not beyond emotion. Couple of things I read now after it's all over -- put a tear in my eye," he said.
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These two guys really love hockey. We wonder if they love hockey books as well. (Dave Chidley/Canadian Press)Maybe your team is out of the playoffs. Maybe you're sitting tight until the next semi-finals game. We've got just the thing to scratch that hockey itch: a tricky quiz about hockey books! Do you know hockey in books as well as on the ice? Take our quiz and find out!
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First aired on As It Happens (07/05/13)
CBC Books recently hosted the Get Up! Stand Up! Open House Festival, a day-long event about the importance of the individual voice in democracy. One of the strongest individual voices that Canada has is that of Margaret Atwood. In her novels, non-fiction writing, and even on Twitter, she is rarely reticent with her keen opinions about politics and social issues.
She appeared at Get Up! Stand Up! to talk about the "muzzling" of scientists under the current Canadian government and the closure of research facilities. As It Happens aired a excerpt of her speech earlier this week.
"This issue gets less attention than most, though the lack of attention is perhaps due to the fact that people don't understand how research science works, and how it is related to our own health and well-being," she said. "But it is a crucial issue and the way our scientists are being treated, and the way our basic research facilities are being torched, especially those that monitor such things as air and water quality, go to the heart of what we are still pleased to call a democracy."
If there are things that the government doesn't want the public to know, Atwood said, there are two ways they can go about engendering ignorance. "First, they can threaten the scientists working for us and paid for by us. They can slap on a muzzle, forbidding them to talk to anyone, such as reporters, unless they have cleared what they are going to say with a political vetter first," she said. "This has been done in Canada with the intent of keeping the scientists on message with the Conservative government's agenda. 'Hear no evidence, see no evidence, speak no evidence,' that's the policy. What we don't know won't hurt them."
Atwood goes on to explain that of course there are some problems with objective evidence-based science, just as there are with every other human activity. "Large companies aren't the only entities to harbour dishonest activities," she said. "Science, too, has its cheats and liars. And yes, the collective entity called science sometimes gets things wrong honestly.
"But real science is relentlessly self-critical. It relies on peer review replicability of experiments. And self-criticism can only operate where there is freedom of expression. We must allow our scientist to speak freely...taxpayers paid for this knowledge. Give us what we paid for!"
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The latest book by blockbuster novelist Dan Brown hit the
shelves this week. Like his previous best sellers, The Da Vinci Code and Angels
and Demons, Inferno follows the adventures of Harvard symbologist Robert
Langdon. Langdon's newest adventure takes him to Florence, Italy, where the
answers to stopping a mad scientist from destroying the world lie buried within the symbols of Inferno, a section
from Dante's Divine Comedy.
Those worried the pressure of topping blockbuster hit The Da Vinci Code might be too much for Brown can rest assured -- Inferno became a best seller on the charts before it was even released. The pre-sale figures are so huge they even top the Da Vinci Code. The book community is hailing Inferno as easily the biggest book of 2013.
Dan Brown spoke to Jian Ghomeshi on Q the day after the release of Inferno to discuss his success as one of the best-selling writers of the 21st century. Brown's books don't become best-sellers by chance, he says: He puts a lot of work into giving them mainstream appeal. "I try to write books that are mainstream, that simultaneously educate, that simultaneously show people art and literature that they might not otherwise be interested in -- I'm just trying to get people interested in some of the things that I'm excited about."
Brown's Langdon series has a steady and winning formula that runs through all of the books -- the reliability of Langdon as a protagonist. According to Brown, the key to giving a character mainstream appeal is to make him a sort of everyman. "I think readers are smart people and they probably have a tendency toward people who are like them, not people who use guns and jujitsu to get out of tough situations whereas this is someone who uses his head, all of us have had that experience of getting out of tough situations with our heads," he said. "I think people identify with him". Langdon may be an ordinary guy but his adventures certainly aren't and it's the juxtaposition of the ordinary with the extraordinary that have made this a blockbuster series.
Dante's Inferno might not seem like the most accessible source for the inspiration of the book of the same name but according to Brown it seemed like a perfect fit. "I had written a lot about the fine arts but I had never written about the literary arts, so in some way Dante called to me as something new and simultaneously it felt like familiar ground and solid ground for Langdon," he said. "The Divine Comedy is like the Mona Lisa -- one of those creations that is... transcendent. It transcends its moment in history and becomes a real cultural touchstone -- it was pretty tough to resist".
On Q, Brown reminds listeners that Dante's Divine Comedy was actually quite accessible to its audience of the time, since it was written in the vernacular rather than Latin. But to a modern audience it might seem slightly unfamiliar so Brown curates the way he portrays the ancient text in a very specific way. "I don't dumb down any of the information but I do trim it," he said. "Dante is perfectly accessible if it doesn't land on your desk in the form of the divine comedy -- there are scholars who have spent their entire careers studying this stuff. So for me, making it successful often has to do with cherry-picking those pieces that I feel will really... characterize what it is I'm trying to describe".
Some critics cringe at the way Brown carefully tailors his books -- cherry-picking the elements that will appeal to the widest range of tastes. When asked if he thinks the mainstream success of the books compromises the integrity of his work, Brown responded that he doesn't. "Often what it does is it brings people in from another direction to my books, people like to know what is successful because they often turn to other people to say what should I be reading? Well if everybody's reading this maybe I'll try that. I certainly don't begrudge any stories about the book being a bestseller if it will just bring more people to reading it."
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