Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcasted by the CBC. During the program, five Canadian luminaries champion five different books, each extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcasted over a series of five programs and at the end of each episode, a book is voted off the island. By day five, only one remains and it is billed as the book that all of Canada should read.

The books for 2018 have been announced and there is some tough competition! Usually the book that has the timeliest content or most powerful message will be the victor, but this round all of the books could easily fit the bill. Read ahead to see what I mean…

The Boat People by Sharon Bala is a timely, compassionate novel based on a real-life refugee “crisis” that occurred few years back when a cargo ship full of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka was intercepted off the coast of Vancouver. The possibility that some of the people aboard could be Tamil Tigers had many Canadians believing that these refugees posed a threat to national security. An unnecessarily lengthy legal battle ensued. This novel takes an interesting, well-rounded approach. It offers three main perspectives: Mahindan, a widower who fled the violence of Sri Lanka with his young son only to be stuck in detention for months and months; Priya, a second-generation Sri Lankan and aspiring corporate lawyer who is reluctantly roped into representing some of the refugees; and Grace, an adjudicator who takes a hardline stance in spite of the fact that her family was victims of the Japanese internment. I might be in the minority of readers when I say that I enjoyed Grace’s storyline the most – her struggle of conscience added an interesting element.

American War by Omar El Akkad is set in a near-future United States, which has been ravaged by climate change and war. In 2074, after the passage of a bill that bans the use of fossil fuels anywhere in the United States of America, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas secede from the Union, beginning the "Second American Civil War." South Carolina is quickly incapacitated by a virus meanwhile Texas is invaded and occupied by Mexico. The other "Free Southern States" continue to fight. The novel is told from the point of view of Sarat Chestnut and her nephew Benjamin Chestnut, who experience the horrors first hand. Considering all of the climate worries that remain at forefront of modern political discourse, this is an especially chilling addition to the dystopian genre.

Precious Cargo is a chronicle of the year Craig Davidson, now an acclaimed novelist, operated a school bus for a group of handicapped children in suburban Calgary. He was down on his luck as a writer, sadly single, and was definitely unenthusiastic about the prospect of being a bus driver. Plus, he was admittedly uncomfortable around people with disabilities. Naturally, the kids on the bus teach him an array of life lessons that change his world view fundamentally.

Forgiveness by Mark Sakamoto is a memoir that delves into family history. It tells of WWII experiences from of both sides of the author’s family. While his grandfather from eastern Canada was captured by the Japanese and lived out the war as a POW, his grandmother from Vancouver (of Japanese heritage), had her life was turned upside-down in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Not only does this memoir outline the horrific conditions faced by WWII soldiers but also discusses the terrible ways Canadians have treated fellow Canadians. It’s a personal journey but it covers a wide range of macro topics: war, domestic violence, discrimination and, perhaps most notably, the concept of forgiveness.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline is a plot-driven and emotionally gripping dystopian YA novel that finds Indigenous Canadians fighting for survival in a future Canada. The story is told in the first person from a young Anishinaabe man, Frenchie, who meets up with a rag tag group of kids and two elders as they attempt their escape to the north. They are being hunted down for their bone marrow by the Canadian government because it is believed that the marrow of Indigenous people can bring back the dreams other people have lost. The way this novel weaves Indigenous culture and history into an unsettling dystopian setting makes it a very interesting, thought-provoking read.

The CBC Canada Reads debates take place March 26-29th. If you are interested in following along they will air on CBC Radio One at 11 a.m., will be livestreamed on CBC Books at 11 a.m. and can be seen on CBC Television at 4 p.m. There are compelling arguments that could be made for any of these five books in contention, so it’s anyone’s guess which one will be the winner. Personally, my money is on The Boat People.

Reserve any of these books at your branch of the County of Lennox & Addington Libraries or by clicking on any of the titles above. 

This article was originally published in the March edition of Cover to Cover in The Napanee Guide.