How Michelle Morgan's personal story connects to her book — Watch Day Three of Canada Reads
CBC Books | Posted: March 18, 2025 8:37 PM | Last Updated: March 19
The debates take place March 17-20 on CBC TV, CBC Radio, CBC Listen, CBC Gem and CBC Books
The great Canadian book debate is back for its 24th season! The third round of Canada Reads kicked off March 19, 2025 at 10:05 a.m ET.
Watch Day Three above or find other ways and times to tune in here.
WATCH | Michelle Morgan talks about her personal connection to Etta and Otto and Russell and James on Day Three of Canada Reads 2025:
In Etta and Otto and Russell and James, alternating timelines depict the past and present lives of couple Etta and Otto, using magic realism to help show Etta's progressing dementia.
When 82-year-old Etta decides to take a journey to the ocean, her husband, Otto, stays behind in Saskatchewan. Their friend Russell tries to bring Etta home, but she has no desire to give up on her goal. As Etta gets closer to the water, she begins to forget more and more — and the stories of her past are revealed through letters and flashbacks. All the while, a talking coyote, James, watches over her.
On Day Three of Canada Reads 2025, thriller writer Linwood Barclay noted that the sense of confusion and wonder throughout the novel is powerful at illustrating dementia, but worried that the use of magic realism detracted from this portrayal.
We have to fill in the gaps of the conversations. - Michelle Morgan
Actor Michelle Morgan, who is championing Etta and Otto and Russell and James, explained that to her, the magical realism added to the way Etta experiences dementia in the novel.
Morgan made the connection to her own mother, who is dealing with dementia, and sometimes has trouble grasping at the current reality.
"I just have to meet her where she is," Morgan said. "She'll talk about us as if we're still children. Her timelines jump."
Responding to critiques about the snippets of a lifetime provided in Etta and Otto and Russell and James, Morgan was glad that writer Emma Hooper allowed readers to imagine the rest.
"We meet them when they're young and then we meet them at the end of their lives," she said. "We have to fill in the gaps of the conversations."
WATCH | Shayla Stonechild defends writing style in A Two-Spirit Journey on Day Three of Canada Reads 2025:
Of all the books on this year's panel, A Two-Spirit Journey, which tells the life story of Ojibwa-Cree elder Ma-Nee Chacaby, has a writing style that's more academic than literary.
For Shayla Stonechild, who's championing the memoir, this is a strength, since she prefers nonfiction to fiction. However, both Barclay and Morgan noted that the academic style could be a barrier for readers hoping to get into the book.
"I think many people will struggle to get through it because it's so dense and so dry and there's so much information," said Morgan.
"In a country teeming with talented writers, including from the Indigenous community, it kind of seems a shame that Canada Reads would be given to a dense academic text, even though the story is so important."
Stonechild, who praised A Two-Spirit Journey for its combination of Indigenous and Western storytelling, invited readers who found it hard to get into to try listening to the audiobook instead.
"It's like [Ma-Nee] is in the room with you and it's almost like you're in a conversational relationship with the Kokum, with the grandmother," she said.
The Canada Reads books are available in print, e-book and audiobook format at your local bookstore or library of choice.
"That's what I love about reading — there's so many forms to gather knowledge nowadays," said Stonechild.
If you'd like the Canada Reads books in an accessible format, both CELA and NNELS provide books in audio, braille, print braille and text formats. You can find out which formats are available for each of the books here for CELA and here for NNELS.
The 2025 contenders are:
- Olympic gold medallist Maggie Mac Neil champions Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey
- Podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild champions A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer
- Heartland actor Michelle Morgan champions Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper
- Thriller writer Linwood Barclay champions Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston
- Pastry chef Saïd M'Dahoma champions Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew
Here's how to tune into Canada Reads 2025:
The debates will be available to replay online each day. The livestream on YouTube will be available to watch outside Canada.
If you'd rather listen to the debates online, they will air live on CBC Listen. A replay will be available later each day.
ON RADIO: Canada Reads will air on CBC Radio at 10:05 a.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.
It will air at 11:05 a.m. in Nunavut, the Maritimes, 1:05 p.m. in Labrador and at 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland.
The debates will replay at 9 p.m. local time in all time zones, except in Newfoundland, where it will replay at 9:30 p.m.
ON TV: CBC TV will broadcast Canada Reads at 1 p.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 2 p.m. in the Atlantic time zone and at 2:30 p.m in the Newfoundland time zone.
PODCAST: The episode will be posted each day after the live airing. You can download the episodes on the podcast app of your choice.
The Canada Reads 2025 books touch on difficult topics, which may come up in the debates.
Topics covered may include abuse, alcoholism, racism and more. You can access support and services at the link below.