Canada Reads 2019 Day One: Watch the replay
CBC Books | | Posted: March 20, 2019 5:24 PM | Last Updated: March 27, 2019
The opening round of Canada Reads, the annual battle of the books, kicked off March 25, 2019 at 11 a.m. ET.
Watch the recap of Day One on this page, or on Gem or find other ways and times to tune in here.
Over the four-day event, the five panellists will bring their diverse perspectives to this year's theme: One Book to Move You. This year's host is comedian Ali Hassan.
Each panellist had an opportunity to deliver an opening pitch for their respective book, then defend it when the question turned to whether their book was truly the one that all Canadians need to read right now.
- Day One Highlight | Yanic Truesdale on why some are compelled to make hard choices in life
- Day One Highlight | Ziya Tong and Joe Zee on confronting stereotypes and stigmas
The Day One debates — which touched on themes such as mental wellness, racial harmony, overcoming adversity and understanding the human condition — were engaging and persuasive.
After one hour of debate, the five panellists had to vote one book off the show.
- Chuck Comeau defending Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung
- Lisa Ray defending Brother by David Chariandy
- Ziya Tong defending By Chance Alone by Max Eisen
- Yanic Truesdale defending Suzanne by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, translated by Rhonda Mullins
- Joe Zee defending The Woo-Woo by Lindsay Wong
Catch up on the other episodes of Canada Reads 2019: