54 works of Canadian nonfiction to check out this fall
Check out the great Canadian memoirs, biographies, sports books and more coming out this fall.
In Exile by Sadiya Ansari
In this personal account, investigative journalist Sadiya Ansari looks for answers surrounding a family secret. In In Exile, she strives to understand why her grandmother left her seven children to follow a man from Karachi to Punjab — and what she did for the 20 years after she eventually left him.
In Exile examines cultural expectations, child marriage and what it means to be a woman who doesn't follow what's set out for her.
In Exile is out now.
Ansari is a Pakistani Canadian journalist whose work has been featured in the Guardian, VICE, Refinery29, Maclean's, The Walrus and the Globe and Mail. She co-founded the Canadian Journalists of Colour. She is currently based in London, England.
I Heard There Was A Secret Chord by Daniel J. Levitin
Neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores how music calms the mind in I Heard There Was A Secret Chord. It discusses how human evolution is shaped by music, how music can be used as treatment for various ailments and how it is essential to our social behaviour as humans.
I Heard There Was A Secret Chord is out now.
Levitin is a neuroscientist and writer known for his books This Is Your Brain on Music, The World in Six Songs, The Organized Mind, Successful Aging and A Field Guide to Lies. He is a professor at McGill University and the founding dean of Minerva University. He is a musician and composer who has been awarded seventeen gold and platinum records. He lives in California and Montreal.
The Knowing by Tanya Talaga
In The Knowing, Tanya Talaga retells her family story to explore Canada's history with an Indigenous lens. The Knowing starts with the life of Talaga's great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter and charts the violence she and her family experienced for decades at the hands of the Church and the government.
The Knowing is out now.
Talaga is a writer and journalist of Anishinaabe and Polish descent. She is a member of Fort William First Nation. Her book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City won the RBC Taylor Prize, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the First Nation Communities Read: Young Adult/Adult Award. Her book All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward was the basis for the 2018 CBC Massey Lectures.
Salvage by Dionne Brand
Salvage blends autobiography and literary criticism to delve into Dionne Brand's experiences with colonial tropes in British and American literature and reassesses them in an anti-colonial light. Exploring narratives like Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and Austen's Mansfield Park, she searches for what remains in the wreckage of an empire.
Salvage is out now.
Brand is a novelist, poet and filmmaker who has been creating in various mediums for over 40 years. She is a member of the Order of Canada and has won numerous awards, including the 1997 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry for the collection Land to Light On and the 2006 Toronto Book Award for the novel What We All Long For. Brand also won the 2019 Blue Metropolis Violet Literary Prize presented to an 2SLGBTQ+ writer for their body of work.
Everything and Nothing At All by Jenny Heijun Wills
Everything and Nothing At All is an essay collection that discusses Jenny Heijun Wills' quest for belonging as a transnational and transracial adoptee, a pansexual and polyamorous person and a parent with a life-long eating disorder. Drawing on her life experiences, she creates a vision of family — chosen, adopted and biological all at once.
Everything and Nothing At All is out now.
Wills is a writer born in Seoul and raised in Southern Ontario. Her memoir Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related won the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Award for Nonfiction and the 2020 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book. She currently lives in Winnipeg and teaches English at the University of Winnipeg.
A Life in Pieces by Jo-Ann Wallace
In 30 chapters, A Life in Pieces follows a woman's life from childhood in Montreal in the 50s and 60s, young womanhood in 70s and 80s Toronto, working life in Edmonton and elderhood in recent years. With tenderness and understanding of mortality, Jo-Ann Wallace shares stories of life and allows readers to fill in the gaps.
A Life in Pieces is out now.
Wallace was a professor at the University of Alberta and a writer of poetry and literary nonfiction. She died in June of 2024 in Victoria.
The Beautiful Dream by Atiba Hutchinson, with Dan Robson
The Beautiful Dream is Canadian soccer player Atiba Hutchinson's memoir. It spans his childhood in a suburb of Brampton and how he became a member of Canada's national soccer team and the six-time winner of Canadian Men's Player of the Year award. The book shows how Hutchinson's own journey mirrors the progression of Canadian soccer and shows how a seemingly unattainable dream can get close to reach.
The Beautiful Dream is out now.
Hutchinson is the recently retired captain of the Canadian men's national soccer team. He currently lives in Turkey.
Dan Robson is a senior writer for The Athletic. His books include Quinn: The Life of a Hockey Legend, Bower: A Legendary Life and Measuring Up: A Memoir of Fathers and Sons. He co-authored Ignite: Unlock the Hidden Potential Within with Andre De Grasse.
Voice Lessons by Eve Krakow
Voice Lessons is a collection of personal essays that explore one woman's journey to find her voice — as an introverted singer, a writer, a mother and a person. Showing a deep love and understanding for human connection, these essays look into dealing with grief at an early age, the anxiety of young adulthood and the tensions that come with heritage and tradition.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2024
Eve Krakow is a Montreal-based writer. Her work has been published in Grain Magazine, The Nasiona, JMWW Journal, Maisonneuve, Smithsonian Magazine and Shy: An Anthology.
Two Springs, One Summer by Frank Wolf
Two Springs, One Summer tells the story of adventurer Frank Wolf's wilderness journeys all in the span of less than a year: a 280 kilometre ski expedition across Baffin Island, a 1750 kilometre canoe trip through the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and a 550 kilometre ski. Along with the thrilling tales of survival in rugged landscapes and unforgiving environments, the book also discusses Wolf's feeling of otherness in the modern world.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2024
Wolf is a North Vancouver-based adventurer who was named one of Canada's 90 Greatest Explorers by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. His writing has appeared in Explore Magazine, Mountain Life Magazine, Paddling Magazine, Coast Mountain Culture Magazine and Canadian Geographic. His first book was Lines on a Map: Unparalleled Adventures in Modern Exploration.
Hope by Terry Fox, edited by Barbara Adhiya
Told through interviews with people close to Terry Fox including family, friends, nurses and coaches, Hope tells the story of how he ran his legendary Marathon of Hope. Using their stories, over 200 documents and photos and pages from Terry's own journal, Hope explores Fox's true story filled with resilience, determination and humility.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Barbara Adhiya is an editor and author based in Toronto. She was an editor at CP/AP and Reuters. She was a contributing author for Making It in High Heels 3: Innovators and Trailblazers and was an editor for Expect Miracles by Dr. Joe Vitale.
Hearty by andrea bennett
Hearty is an essay collection that explores andrea bennett's love and appreciation for food as someone who's worked in the industry for decades and uses food to show they care. The essays examine specific foods as well as broader themes like food media and home gardening in a blend of journalism, cultural commentary and personal experience.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
bennett is a writer and senior editor at The Tyee. Their writing can be found in The Walrus, Chatelaine, The Atlantic and the Globe and Mail. Their work includes the essay collection Like a Boy but Not a Boy and poetry collection the berry takes the shape of the bloom. They live in Powell River, B.C.
The Monster and the Mirror by K.J. Aiello
In The Monster and the Mirror, K.J. Aiello tells the story of their life through the magical tales that helped them during their struggle with mental illness. Blending memoir, research and cultural criticism, the book dives into stories like The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones to look into our perceptions and stereotypes when it comes to mental health.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Aiello is a Toronto-based writer whose work has been published in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, Chatelaine, The Walrus and This Magazine.
Our Green Heart by Diana Beresford-Kroeger
Our Green Heart is a deep dive into the science of forests and how protecting them will in turn protect us from the harsh effects of climate change. Diana Beresford-Kroeger writes powerful essays about the natural world drawing on her experiences as a botanist, biochemist, biologist, poet and the last child in Ireland to get a full Druidic education.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2024
Beresford-Kroeger is a scientist of medical biochemistry, botany and medicine and a recipient of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Kamookak Medal. She has written numerous books about nature including Arboretum America: A Philosophy of the Forest, which won the Arbor Day Foundation Award, To Speak for the Trees, which won the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award and The Global Forest, which she wrote and presented in a feature documentary called Call of the Forest. She lives in Ontario.
Are You Listening? by Zaynab Mohammed
Are You Listening? is a memoir in poems and stories that highlights the importance of listening to oneself, others and the earth. Weaving stories and transforming pain into possibility, it follows Zaynab Mohammed's experience as a woman who lost her innocence as a child because of cultural inequity and was forced to navigate her life in a strange place.
When you can read it: Sept. 10, 2024
Mohammed is an Iraqi, Lebanese and Palestinian performance poet. Are You Listening? is also a one-woman show that has been touring since 2023. She lives in Nelson, B.C.
Just Say Yes by Bob McDonald
Starting in a small town with a boy from a low-income family, Just Say Yes explores how Bob McDonald ended up travelling the world, hosting Quirks and Quarks, becoming an officer of the Order of Canada and even having an asteroid named in his honour.
When you can read it: Sept. 14, 2024
McDonald has been the host of CBC Radio's Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC's News Network and a science correspondent for CBC TV's The National. He has written multiple books including Measuring the Earth with a Stick, which was shortlisted for the Canadian Science Writers Association Book Award and The Future Is Now, about the achievable greener future.
Homing by Alice Irene Whittaker
Homing is a memoir about the author's experience of abandoning a busy commuter lifestyle to move to a cabin in the woods with her family. The book also touches upon the journey of repairing her fractured relationship with both herself and the natural world.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Alice Irene Whittaker is a writer and environmental leader. She is the executive director of Ecology Ottawa and the creator and host of Reseed, a podcast about repairing our relationship to nature. Whittaker has longlisted for all three CBC Literary Prizes. She was on the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize longlist, the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist and was on the longlist of the 2012 CBC Short Story Prize. Whittaker lives with her family in a cabin in the woods in Quebec.
Born to Walk by Alpha Nkuranga
Born to Walk is a memoir that details Alpha Nkuranga's story of resistance and survival. When she was eight, she and her younger brother ran from her grandparents' home in Rwanda in the midst of the civil war. They hid in a swamp until it was safe to leave and ended up joining a group of refugees fleeing to Tanzania. More than ten years later, Nkuranga moved to Canada and now works with women and children who face abuse and homelessness.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Nkuranga works for Women's Crisis Services in Kitchener, Ont. She fled Rwanda as an eight-year-old and lived in refugee camps in Tanzania and Uganda before arriving in Canada in 2010.
Because Somebody Asked Me To by Guy Vanderhaeghe
Because Somebody Asked Me To is celebrated writer Guy Vanderhaeghe's response to all the editors and publishers who have asked him for his insights on books, history and literature spanning his prolific career. It examines the state of Canadian literature when he first appeared on the scene in 1982, what's happened since and where it can go from here.
When you can read it: Sept. 17, 2024
Vanderhaeghe is a novelist, short story writer and playwright. Vanderhaeghe's debut short story collection Man Descending, published in 1982, earned him the Governor General's Literary Award and later the Faber Prize in Britain. He would go on to win two more Governor General's Literary Awards: in 1996 for The Englishman's Boy and in 2015 for the short story collection Daddy Lenin and Other Stories. His book The Last Crossing won Canada Reads 2004. He won the Timothy Findley Prize, the Harbourfront Literary Prize and the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Prize for his complete body of work.
Embedded by Catherine Lang
In Embedded, former reporter Catherine Lang preserves the memory of her niece Michelle, a journalist who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. In a book that addresses the horrific consequences of war, dedication to press freedom and the rights of Afghan women and girls, Lang gets closer to Michelle through the process of travelling across the country to talk to her colleagues and friends.
When you can read it: Sept. 20, 2024
Lang is a writer and former journalist living in Victoria, B.C. Her creative nonfiction book O-Bon in Chimunesu: A Community Remembered won the the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize in 1997.
Dear Da-Lê by Anh Duong
Written for his daughter, Anh Duong tells his previously untold story as a child during the Vietnam War and a refugee in Iran in the late 1970s. Compelled by his daughter's involvement in student protests, in Dear Da-Lê, he decides that it's finally time to share his journey to ending up in Canada in 1980.
When you can read it: Sept. 21, 2024
Duong is a Calgary-based writer. He was born in Thua-Thien Hue, Vietnam and moved to Iran in the 1970s. He worked for years as an engineer in the petroleum industry after his 1980 arrival to Canada.
When the Pine Needles Fall by Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, with Sean Carleton
When the Pine Needles Fall tells the story of Canada's violent siege of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in 1990 from the perspective of Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel who was the Kanien'kehá:ka spokesperson during that time. The book covers her experiences leading up to the siege and her work as an activist for her community since.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Gabriel is a Kanien'kehá:ka, Wakeniáhton, artist, documentarian and Indigenous human rights and environmental rights activist. She lives in Kanehsatà:ke Kanien'kehá:ka Homelands.
Sean Carleton is a historian and professor in Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba. He is also the author of Lessons in Legitimacy.
Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham
Book and Dagger brings to light the untold story of the scholars and librarians who joined the Office of Strategic Services, the intelligence agency that predated the CIA, at the start of the Second World War. The book explores how they became spies and shaped the course of the war and cultural institutions.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Elyse Graham is a historian and professor at Stony Brook University. She has written three books: You Talkin' to Me?, A Unified Theory of Cats on the Internet and The Republic of Games.
Invisible Prisons by Lisa Moore and Jack Whalen
In Invisible Prisons, told through the prose of author Lisa Moore, Jack Whalen shares the violence and abuse he experienced as a child at a St. John's boarding school for four years. Despite the pain he endured, he found love and satisfaction as a husband and father. After hearing about what happened to him, his daughter promised to become a lawyer to help him seek justice — and that's just what she did. Now, Whalen's case is part of a lawsuit that is before the courts.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Moore is a Newfoundland-based writer. Her books include February, which won Canada Reads 2013 when it was defended by Trent McClellan; Caught, which was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2013 and was made into a miniseries for CBC television; the YA novel Flannery and the short story collection Something for Everyone, which was on the longlist for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Who We Are by Murray Sinclair, with Sara Sinclair and Niigaan Sinclair
Murray Sinclair made his mark on Canadian society as a judge, activist, senator, the chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry — and now he writes all about it in his memoir Who We Are. The book answers the four guiding questions of Sinclair's life — Where do I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? Who am I? — through stories about his remarkable career and trailblazing advocacy for Indigenous peoples' rights and freedoms.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2024
Murray Sinclair is a former judge and senator. Anishinaabe and a member of the Peguis First Nation, Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba and the second appointed in Canada. He served as Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba and as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He has won awards including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Manitoba Bar Association's Equality Award and its Distinguished Service Award (2016) and has received Honorary Doctorates from 14 Canadian universities.
Sara Sinclair is an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa and mixed settler descent. She teaches at Columbia University and is currently co-editing two anthologies of Indigenous letters.
Niigaan Sinclair is a writer, editor, activist and the head of the Department of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba. He is the co-editor of Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water and Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World Through Stories. He won the Peace Educator of the Year award in 2019. He is also the author of the book Wînipêk.
Poutine by Justin Giovannetti Lamothe
Journalist Justin Giovannetti Lamothe writes about the odd, winding origins of the closest thing Canada has to a national dish — Poutine. Through his research, he learns more about Canadian history and draws closer to the Québécois heritage he used to drift away from.
When you can read it: Sept. 26, 2024
Giovannetti Lamothe is a Montreal-based journalist who has covered major events such as the Lac-Mégantic rail explosion and the Fort McMurray wildfires. He was born in rural Quebec and has lived in Ontario, Alberta and B.C.
Bad Artist, edited by Nellwyn Lampert, Pamela Oakley, Christian Smith & Gillian Turnbull
Bad Artist is a collection of 21 essays about creativity featuring Canadian and international writers who refuse to conform to the narrative of toxic productivity.
When you can read it: Sept. 26, 2024
Nellwyn Lamper is a Toronto-based writer, editor, bookseller and teacher. She is the author of Every Boy I Ever Kissed. She has written or edited for CBC First Person, She Does the City, The Huffington Post and The Ex-Puritan Literary Magazine.
Pamela Oakley is a Toronto-based writer, editor and educator. Her work has appeared in Canadian Running, Canadian Cycling, Today's Parents and the Kingston Whig-Standard.
Christian Smith is a biologist and the manager of research operations at the Brain Tumour Research Centre in Toronto. He is also the writer of the nonfiction book The Scientist and the Psychic: A Son's Exploration of His Mother's Gift.
Gillian Turnbull is the writer of Sonic Booms: Making Music in an Oil Town. She is the director of Writing and Publishing at the University of King's College in Halifax and has written for Chatelaine, Maisonneuve, The Walrus and The National Post.
Hot Mess by Sarah Marie Wiebe
Hot Mess is a meditation on parenting during the climate crisis. A year after Sarah Marie Wiebe gave birth, she and her baby experienced the 2021 heat dome in B.C., as well as fires and floods, shaping her politics of parenting and exploring conversations about different states of emergency.
When you can read it: Sept. 26, 2024
Wiebe is a B.C.-based writer and academic. Her books include Life against States of Emergency: Revitalizing Treaty Relations from Attawapiskat and Everyday Exposure: Indigenous Mobilization and Environmental Justice in Canada's Chemical Valley, which won the Charles Taylor Book Award. She teaches at the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and the University of Hawai'i, Mānoa.
The Art of Making by Jared Tailfeathers
The Art of Making follows Jared Tailfeathers' land-based journey to explore and understand his cultural and historical identity as a Blackfoot man. It goes into detail about the evolution of the Blackfoot Confederacy and all that came after it.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Tailfeathers is an Indigenous artist whose work explores the art, history and future of the Blackfoot and other Treaty 7 Nations.
i heard a crow before i was born by Jules Delorme
i heard a crow before i was born is a memoir in which Jules Delorme shares his difficult upbringing from resentful and abusive parents. He also pays homage to his tóta (grandmother) and the many animal protectors that helped him be strong enough to move forward — and reflects on the intergenerational trauma from residential schools that continues to affect his family.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Delorme is a neurodivergent Kanien'kehá:ka writer who grew up on the Akwesasne Reserve. His other books are faller and Ahshiá:ton (You Should Write It). He is based in Toronto.
Unlike the Rest by Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Unlike the Rest charts how Chika Stacy Oriuwa's realized her dream of being a doctor — and the systemic discrimination she faced as the only Black student in her medical school class of 259 students at the University of Toronto. She vividly describes what it's like to train in the hospital, have doubts and familial pressure to achieve success and become an advocate for change.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Oriuwa is a psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto. She was named one of Time magazine's 2021 Next Generation Leaders and was on Maclean's Power 50 list in 2022. She has been on multiple boards and is an advocate for creating spaces of wellness and inclusion.
Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
In Revenge of the Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell revisits the lessons of his groundbreaking book The Tipping Point and reframes the subject of social epidemics in the current context. Using stories and research, Gladwell highlights a concerning form of social engineering and offers a guide to making sense of modern contagion.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Gladwell has written many nonfiction books including The Tipping Point, Blink, What the Dog Saw, David and Goliath, Talking to Strangers and The Bomber Mafia. He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, a company that produces the podcast Revisionist History among others as well as audiobooks. Gladwell grew up in Elmira, Ont. and now lives in the U.S.
What She Said by Elizabeth Renzetti
Drawing on her experiences as a journalist covering women's rights, Elizabeth Renzetti dives into the challenges that women are still facing in today's Canada in What She Said. With humour and sympathy, she looks into everything from reproductive justice to pay disparity through the lens of how women can work together to protect their rights and work towards a more equal society.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Renzetti is a Toronto-based author and journalist who has worked for the Globe and Mail. Her other books include the essay collection Shrewed, the novel Based on a True Story and the mystery Bury The Lead written with Kate Hilton.
Treat Them Where They Lie by Ronald Stewart with Jim Meek
Treat Them Where They Lie is the memoir of Ronald Stewart, a physician who paved the way in emergency medicine. Steward served as an advisor on the TV show Emergency! and was the Nova Scotia Minister of Health. Co-written with Jim Meek, the book tells the story of a life well-lived and chronicles modern emergency medicine.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Stewart is a trailblazer in the development of modern emergency medicine and served as the Nova Scotia Minister of Health. He is a companion of the Order of Canada and founded the Music in Medicine program at Dalhousie University's medical school.
Meek is a writer and journalist. His work includes Cultivating Success: The Life of Acadian Seaplants Founder Louis Deveau and he received the Hyman Solomon Award recognizing achievements in Canadian public policy journalism.
Mars on Earth by Mark Johanson
Mars on Earth is a memoir detailing Mark Johanson's life-changing journey through the world's driest desert, the Atacama in Chile. As he treks through 1,200 miles of unknown territory and meets many unique people, he searches for a better understanding of his partner and Chile.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2024
Johanson is a journalist based in Chile. His work has appeared in publications including Travel National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, The Economist, The Guardian, BBC and CNN. He has co-written several Lonely Planet guidebooks and coffee table books.
Sunrise Over Half-Built Houses by Erin Steele
In Sunrise Over Half-Built Houses, Erin Steele tells her story of growing up in a suburban town where things aren't always what they seem. While things might look okay on the outside, Steele is grappling with addiction and her sexuality. The book shines a light on her experiences and how she has finally been able to find peace.
When you can read it: Oct. 4, 2024
Steele is a writer based in Kelowna, B.C. She was a 2022 Writing by Writers fellow and has been published in Human Parts by Medium.
Mad Sisters by Susan Grundy
Mad Sisters is a memoir that explores Susan Grundy's experiences as a caretaker for her older sister with schizophrenia after their parents move away. With compassion and resilience, the book explores the collateral of mental illness and complex families while shedding light on the lack of resources in the mental health care system.
When you can read it: Oct. 4, 2024
Grundy is a writer who formerly worked in marketing. Her work has been published in The Danforth Review and Montreal Writes. She lives in Montreal and London, U.K.
Finding Otipemisiwak by Andrea Currie
Finding Otipemisiwak is the story of Sixties Scoop survivor Andrea Currie and her journey to finding her Métis roots and reuniting with her birth family. It's a tale of survival, identity, family and culture in the face of colonial practices and Indigenous erasure.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Currie is a writer, healer and activist. She lives in Cape Breton where she works as a psychotherapist in Indigenous mental health.
Walking Disaster by Deryck Whibley
Walking Disaster is a memoir that follows the trajectory of Deryck Whibley, the lead singer of Sum 41. Candid and earnest, Whibley walks readers through the highs and lows of the band and his life, coping with stardom, high-profile relationships and the music industry.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Whibley is the founder and lead songwriter of Sum 41. The band has been nominated for seven Juno Awards and won twice.
Blackness Is a Gift I Can Give Her by R. Renee Hess
In Blackness Is a Gift I Can Give Her, founder of Black Girl Hockey Club R. Renee Hess writes essays about representation and stereotypes in the game she loves. She shares how she developed a love for hockey and her own perspectives on the game as well as research and anecdotes from players, executives, fans and media who are shaping its future.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Hess is the founder of the Black Girl Hockey Club and works in community engagement for La Sierra University. She was a finalist for the NHL's Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in 2021. Her work has been featured in Black Nerd Problems, Spectrum Magazine and Racebaitr.
Heart on My Sleeve by Jeanne Beker
Heart on My Sleeve is fashion and style icon Jeanne Beker's memoir detailing her experiences as host of Fashion Television and The New Music. Featuring tidbits with celebrities including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Beyoncé, Beker also reveals parts of herself — and the outfits that have made an impact.
When you can read it: Oct. 8, 2024
Beker is the former host of Fashion Television and The New Music. She is currently style editor at the Shopping Channel and host of the series Style Matters. Her contributions have been recognized with the Order of Canada (2014), a star on Canada's Walk of Fame (2016), a Canadian Screen Achievement Award (2013) and the Canadian Award of Distinction from the Banff World Media Festival (2012). She is also the author of multiple books, including her 2010 autobiography, Finding Myself in Fashion. She won Canada Reads 2018 defending Forgiveness by Mark Sakamoto.
Relative to Wind by Phoebe Wang
Relative to Wind is an essay collection that describes Phoebe Wang's sailing journey — from starting as a beginner to becoming an avid racer and volunteer race organizer. While sailing is at the helm of the essays (pun intended), they also apply lessons from sailing to life, relationships, careers and community.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Wang is an Ottawa-born poet and author. Her debut poetry collection Admission Requirements, which explores stories of the land and searches for a secure sense of belonging, was shortlisted for the 2018 League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. Wang made the CBC Poetry Prize longlists in 2016, 2013 and 2012.
Living Disability, edited by Emily Macrae
Living Disability brings together diverse disabled perspectives to explore how urban systems can be accessible to all populations. Including both essays and interviews, the book brings research together with lived experience to share stories and strategies for an inclusive future.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Emily Macrae is a disabled writer and organizer. Her work has been published in Canadian Architect, Spacing and NOW magazine. She is based in Toronto.
The Rough Poets by Melanie Dennis Unrau
The Rough Poets is an exploration into the literary phenomenon of oil-worker poetry and how it serves as a window into the oil and gas industry. Through compassionate close-readings, Melanie Dennis Unrau writes about how petropoets grieve the environmental and social impacts of their work and desire work that is safer and fairer.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Unrau is a postdoctoral fellow in geography and environmental studies at the University of Regina.
Searching for Mayflowers by Lori McKay
Searching For Mayflowers tells the story of Lori McKay's mission to understand the real story surrounding Canada's first documented quintuplets. In 1880 Little Egypt N.S., Maria Murray gave birth to five children. Unfortunately, all five died within days of being born but their existence made headlines locally and across the border causing the Murrays to bury the babies in a secret location. When McKay discovers that her great-great-grandmother delivered the babies, she embarks on a quest to find out what happened.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
McKay is a journalist, editor and writer based in Dartmouth, N.S. She was a newspaper and magazine editor for over 20 years and Searching for Mayflowers is her first book.
Sacred Thought by Elder George Paul
Mi'kmaq Elder George Paul shares his stories and knowledge in Sacred Thought. It is a philosophical journey through traditional Indigenous tradition, history and symbols aiming to enrich spirituality. For those who want to meditate on themselves and their inner self, Sacred Thought offers stories, legends and traditions from Mi'kmaq history.
When you can read it: Oct. 15, 2024
Elder George Paul is an author and leader in Indigenous Studies. He is part of the Indigenous Traditional Movement to champion the revival of Mi'kmaq culture and collaborates with government agencies and schools to bring Indigenous culture into the curriculum. His previous books include The Honour Song and My Journey to The Honour Song. He is from Metepenagiag First Nation in New Brunswick and his Spirit name is Sky Blue Eagle.
Climate Hope by David Geselbracht
Climate Hope explores the efforts to fight climate change across the world from the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow to the post-wildfire land of Western Canada. The book breaks down jargon and data through interviews, research and reporting to tell real stories in an accessible format.
When you can read it: Oct. 19, 2024
David Geselbracht is a lawyer and environmental journalist based in the East Kootenays, B.C. His work has appeared in publications including The Globe and Mail and Canadian Geographic.
Montreal Standard Time, edited by Neil Besner, Bill Richardson and Marta Dvorák
Montreal Standard Time is a collection of columns written by journalist Mavis Gallant during her time at The Montreal Standard from 1944-1950. They cover topics including immigration, suffrage, labour issues and comedy through a witty, precise lens. Creating an image of post-war Montreal through the eyes of a young woman, the book highlights a previously under-reported part of Gallant's life.
When you can read it: Oct. 24, 2024
Neil Besner is a writer and editor. He wrote the first book on Gallant in 1988, The Light of Imagination and has edited and written books on Carol Shields and Alice Munro. He released Fishing With Tardelli in 2022.
Bill Richardson is a writer living in Vancouver. His works include Last Week and The Alphabet Thief.
Marta Dvorák is a professor and editor. She teaches Canadian and postcolonial literature at the Sorbonne Nouvelle and is the editor of Commonwealth Essays and Studies.
The Coincidence Problem by Stephen Osborne
The Coincidence Problem is an essay collection charting a range of subjects including the city, global terrorism, violence against Indigenous people and climate change in the Arctic. It brings together selected essays Osborne has written over the past 23 years and presents them in one cohesive work that is approachable and intimate.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Stephen Osborne is a writer and the founder of Arsenal Pulp Press. He is the author of Ice and Fire: Dispatches from the New World, 1988-1998. His previous work has received a CBC Nonfiction Prize, the Vancouver Arts Award for Writing and Publishing and the National Magazine Foundation Special Achievement Award. Osborne lives in Vancouver.
No Credit River by Zoe Whittall
No Credit River is a memoir following Zoe Whittall through six years of her life which include the loss of a pregnancy, a global pandemic and abandoned love. Honest, emotional and painful, the memoir examines anxiety and creativity in the modern world.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Whittall is an author, poet and screenwriter. Her past works include short story collection Wild Failure, the novels The Fake, The Best Kind of People and Bottle Rocket Hearts. She has also written poetry collections including The Emily Valentine Poems and The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life. She has received the Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Award, a Lambda Literary Award and been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. She currently lives in Ontario.
No Jews Live Here by John Lorinc
No Jews Live Here explores John Lorinc's Hungarian Jewish family history during the Holocaust, the 1956 Revolution and eventual move to Toronto. It follows Lorinc's grandmother, grandfather and father's experiences with the Nazis. No Jews Live Here uses historical insight and human stories to chart one family's trajectory across cities and cultures.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Lorinc is an editor and journalist living in Toronto. His work has appeared in publications including the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and the Walrus. His books include Dream States: Smart Cities, Technology, and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias and The New City. Lorinc received the 2019/2020 Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy and the 2022 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.
The Nail That Sticks Out by Suzanne Elki Yoko Hartmann
The Nail That Sticks Out dives into the history of the Japanese Canadian experience in the post-war era. It focuses on Hartmann's mother's life during the Second World War living in an internment camp as a baby and then after, with their community ripped apart and scattered across Canada. The memoir details the triumph of resilience and hope and what it means to be a community.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Suzanne Elki Yoko Hartmann is a Toronto-based author and editor. Her previous work includes the children's book My Father's Nose.
Dangerous Memory by Charlie Angus
Dangerous Memory explores the politics and revolution of the 1980s from the AIDS epidemic to the fall of the Berlin Wall to the anti-apartheid movement. Highlighting hope and resistance, Dangerous Memory details the political and cultural shifts that took place, arguing that the 1980s can give insight into our current world today.
When you can read it: Oct. 29, 2024
Charlie Angus is a Canadian politician, musician and author. His works include Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower which was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award. Angus lives in Cobalt, Ont.
Hòt'a! Enough! by Wayne K. Spear and Georges Erasmus
Hòt'a! Enough! tells the story of Georges Erasmus, the Dene leader and lifelong Indigenous rights campaigner. It chronicles his experiences as a leading Indigenous figure during many of the hardest challenges in Canada over the last several decades including the Oka Crisis and the Berger Inquiry.
When you can read it: Nov. 12, 2024
Wayne K. Spear is a Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) educator and writer. His other books include Residential Schools, with the Words and Images of Survivors and Full Circle: The Aboriginal Healing Foundation and the Unfinished Work of Hope, Healing, and Reconciliation. Spear is based in Toronto.
Georges Erasmus is the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, president of the Indian Brotherhood of Northwest Territories and chair of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada and is based in Yellowknife.
Grandfather of the Treaties by Daniel Coleman
Grandfather of the Treaties dives into the founding Wampum covenants between the first European settlers and the Haudenosaunee nation. It explores how revisiting the covenants could provide insight into healing and reconciliation.
When you can read it: Nov. 12, 2024
Daniel Coleman is a writer and professor based in the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Aanishinaabe in what is called Hamilton. He teaches English at McMaster University and studies Canadian literature, Indigeneity, diaspora and whiteness. His book Yardwork: A Biography of an Urban Place was shortlisted for the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize.
Corrections
- A previous version of this article noted that Sadiya Ansari lived in London, Ont. This has been corrected to London, England.Aug 29, 2024 10:43 PM EDT
- This article has been updated to reflect that Barbara Adhiya is a contributing author for Making It in High Heels 3: Innovators and Trailblazers.Aug 29, 2024 2:44 PM EDT
