In this special Newcastle Writers Festival episode, Rebecca Starford, the author of Bad Behaviour, reads from and talks about her memoir and how it came about, her “characters” and why she needed to revisit them, about the complex and fuzzy…
A review of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Watchman is a coming-of-age story about 26-year-old Jean Louise who is racially tolerant and non-apologetic towards Maycomb’s prevalent bigotry. Upon discovering that her closest friends and family have adopted the very social standards that Atticus fought against in Mockingbird, Jean Louise must find her own moral code and identity. “Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common: they both begin where reason ends.”
A review of That Fry Boy by James Fry
A review of We’re Going to Run this City by Stefan Epp-Koop
“There is something about the audacity, length and size of the General Strike”, writes author Stefan Epp-Koop, “that continues to capture public and scholarly attentions.” The Strike, he says, was not the end of radical politics in Winnipeg, but was “near the beginning.” While focusing on one city’s municipal politics, his work is relevant to the larger history of the left in the 20th century
A review of Small Pig by Arnold Lobel
Jam-packed with easy-to-read vocabulary and child pleasing, characteristic Lobel illustrations Small Pig has proven to be a long time, much loved, favorite in my K-1 classrooms. Ludicrousness, exhilarating action, and short, simple, child friendly sentences and low key illustrations are a delight for emergent readers, as well as those who enjoy reading Lobel’s books to them.
A review of Apostate Englishman by Albert Braz
Archie Belaney “went native”, in an era when “the cowboys always won.” In the early 20th century, American First Nations people were still regarded as savages with a lust for killing wild animals. On one occasion, in an upscale Toronto hotel while on a lecture tour, Grey Owl was taunted for being Indian. He harmed no one with his deception. Did writing about his own experiences in the forest with animals constitute cultural appropriation? Braz says no.
Mark Flanagan on David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest and Infinite Winter
Mark Flanagan is the founder and editor of Run Spot Run, and the instigator behind Infinite Winter, an online book club of hundreds of readers who have banded together to jointly read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest in celebration of the…
A review of Wild Things by Brigid Delaney
Though it is an intense and sometimes brutal read, Wild Things reveals its truths slowly, showing rather than telling, in the spaces between the story. The mystery of what exactly happened to Alfred is what drives the narrative forward, almost with a detective story pace,but in terms of its themes and the development of the characters, the story cuts deeply. The multi-layered narrative structure with its reversing arcs between Ben and Toby is particularly effective.
A review of Natural Harmony: Jade’s Story by Gail Albrechtson
Smiles and laughter, sense of humor for small things, joy of life, love, loveable, and loving are part of the child or adult with Down’s. Counsellors, teachers and new parents of a Down’s child alike will find comfort and value through reading of Jade’s life and her joy of life as told through the eyes of her mother. Natural Harmony: Jade’s Story is an outstanding addition to the home library for those who enjoy a true slice of life type work with a twist. We all have some tussle in our lives. Few of us face the struggle this little girl and her mother faced daily.
A review of Unspeakable Things by Kathleen Spivack
Kathleen Spivack’s Unspeakable Things has everything a great novel, let alone debut novel, should have. There’s irreverent passion, unexpected ways of shocking, a healthy libido (in this case the two are connected), light touches of magical realism, and poeticism.