Dave Eggers; Leaving Halifax; Books for prisoners; Crown Can strike

Dave Eggers' new frontier fiction: With his memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers burst on to the literary scene as a passionate, playful, inventive young writer. He has since established himself as one of the most prolific and decorated writers working today. His new novel, Heroes of the Frontier, seems perfectly timed for an American election year in which the U.S. appears seriously on edge and fraying at the seams: The story of a young family fleeing natural disasters, disappointed hopes and the maddening complications of contemporary life. Why I'm Leaving Halifax: Allison Sparling explains why young people like herself are forced to leave in search of work and opportunity, despite their love for the city. The darkness inside Canada's prisons: As director of the charitable foundation "Book Clubs for Inmates", Carol Finlay helps female inmates escape to worlds beyond their narrow cells. Ms. Finlay, an Anglican Church minister, sees a deepening despair gripping these women, most of whom are of Aboriginal descent. "More Powerful Than God" - an Ashley Walters documentary: A small but steadfast band of Canadian workers marched on a picket line for 22 long months. Their strike against Crown Can, an American-based multinational company, came to a distressing end. The workers settled, but it came at a steep price. Plus, music from Peter Dent, Peter Togni, the Creaking Tree String Quartet, Neko Case, k d lang, Laura Veirs, Vivaldi, Mozart, Danielle Knibbe and Franz Schubert.