Canada Reads, Could You Defend a Book You Loved?

Introduction: Canada Reads, Could You Defend a Book You Loved?

Canada Reads made its debut in 2002, and the intent was to get Canadians reading. I thought that it was a novel idea to get people reading the same book. The year before, Chicago introduced its One Book, One Chicago where the residents were reading To Kill a Mockingbird (My review).

For the inauguration of Canada Reads, In the Skin of a Lionby Michael Ondaatje won, and I rushed to Chapters to buy my copy. I slogged through that book and I found it very difficult to read (I have since heard that Ondaatje's books are difficult to read).

By the way, Michael Ondaatje also wrote The English Patient, a 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel that was made into a film of the same name. Although I was given The English Patient as a gift last year, I haven’t read it yet, remembering my experience reading In the Skin of a Lion.

In 2003, the Canada Reads winner was Next Episode by Hubert Aquin. Once again, I rushed to the bookstore and purchased the book, which is small and only 136 pages. I read the first couple of pages and that was the end of that, and I lost interest in Canada Reads. Canada Reads wasn’t created for people like me who love to read and do not need any prompting. However, the event helps to popularize books that most people wouldn’t read, which is good for authors who need exposure.

Fast forward to Canada Reads 2014. I was in the bookstore and noticed that there was a sign saying that you could get the five Canada Reads Finalists for $70, which is a very good deal, but I wasn’t tempted even then to buy the books.  Stephen Lewis defended The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood; Wab Kinew defended The Orenda: A novel by Joseph Boyden; Donovan Bailey defended Half-Blood Blues: A Novel by Esi Edugyan; Samantha Bee defended Cockroach: A Novel by Rawi Hage; and Sarah Gadon defended Annabel: A Novel by Kathleen Winter. Women wrote three of the finalists, which is apropos for the Year of Reading Women, and National Women's History Month.

The following day, my friend Judy Gombita, invited me to the live event at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) studio for this year's Canada Reads. By that time, two books, The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood and Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan had already been eliminated. I told Judy that I would be her guest at the live taping. When I woke up the morning of the event, this past Wednesday, I really didn’t want to go, but I did, because I had made a promise. The way the process works with Canada Reads, is that after one of the five books has been voted off the the defender still participates and gets the opportunity to vote on the other books.

It’s unlikely that I will read a couple of the books after I heard their descriptions, but the entire experience of being part of a live audience listening to three people passionately defending a book that moved them was a very powerful feeling.

Could you defend a book you loved? And what I found most powerful, was listening to defenders of one book saying that they hated another book. To me that is real, it is human, because we are not going to like every book that we read, and I found that endearing.

For Canada Reads 2014, the underlying theme for the five finalists was being an outsider, what it’s like to be marginalized. Stephen Lewis believes that the outsider theme is strongest in Annabel – the struggle to be accepted. Some of the defenders believe that Annabel is too tidy, but Sarah Gadon fiercely responded that there is nothing tidy about rape and inequality.

Samantha Bee touched on something that’s very important and relevant to our society today – that the immigrant experience is not always a happy one – and that’s the issue that Cockroach grapples with. One of the characters in Cockroach, transforms into a cockroach, which was problematic for many, but it reminded me of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (My review) where the main character Gregor Samsa transformed into an insect and the reader is never told why.

Have you read?

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, a Book Review

Wab Kinew addressed every question to him, and he did such a good job in defending The Orenda that he was able to change the minds of other defenders about his book. That day when I attended Canada Reads, Annabel was voted off, and Sarah Gadon responded, “My heart is broken, I’m really disappointed!” After the show ended, I spoke to Sarah because there was something said that was confusing to me and since I hadn’t read the books, I needed clarification.

From what was said, a character was able to impregnate herself, and the other defenders thought that was so weird. Sarah explained what happened in the book, and I recommended that she read Herland (My review) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In Herland, they are striving for Utopia, and women have evolved so much that they can get pregnant without the involvement of men. She was very intrigued, and Sarah assured me that she would read Herland.

Have you read?

SummaReview of Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Not surprisingly, the following day, The Orenda was chosen as the winner of Canada Reads 2014. Wab Kinew successfully defended the book, one he was fiercely passionate about. One thing that was evident the day I attended Canada Reads, is that people do not like books with themes that are dark with no sense of hope.

Being on the outside looking in is not fun, neither is inequality, but if we want to inspire change, making people feel bad, and like the situation is hopeless is not the way to go. We want people to feel that there is something they can do to make the situation better. Dark themes are not necessarily a bad thing because we need to direct people’s attention to taking inspired action, but feeling a sense of hopelessness will not do that.

Final Thoughts: Canada Reads, Could You Defend a Book You Loved?

Now that I experienced Canada Reads “live,” will I read the five books? I can honestly say that there are a couple that I will not read. The ones that I will likely read, I won't read them now because my attention is focused on reading the classics for my informal liberal arts education and I will not allow myself to be distracted. If you had to defend a book, which one would you choose?

Canada Reads: 2014 Books

 The Year of the Flood The Orenda: A novel Half-Blood Blues: A Novel Cockroach: A Novel Annabel: A Novel