Canada Reads 2013 Contenders

The 2013 Canada Reads contenders were announced on the CBC radio program Q on Thursday November 29.  The books and the defenders represent different geographic areas of the country.


(From cbc.ca)
British Columbia and Yukon:
Carol Huynh defends Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Carol Huynh is one of Canada's best wrestlers, with 11 Canadian championships, four world titles and two Olympic medals under her belt.
Indian Horse deals with Saul Indian Horse, an alcoholic Ojibway man who finds himself reflecting on his past when he becomes a reluctant resident of an alcohol treatment centre.
Richard Wagamese is one of Canada's foremost Native authors and storytellers with six novels, a book of poetry and five non-fiction titles to his name.

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Prairies and North:
Ron MacLean defends The Age of Hope by David Bergen

Ron MacLean is one of the most recognizable and beloved broadcasters in the country, having hosted CBC's Hockey Night in Canada for 25 years.
In The Age of Hope, Hope Koop struggles with her safe, steady and predictable life as a wife and mother of four living in small-town Manitoba.
David Bergen is the author of seven novels, including The Time in Between, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2005.

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Ontario:
Charlotte Gray defends Away by Jane Urquhart

Charlotte Gray is one of Canada's best-known biographers and historians and has written eight critically acclaimed books of literary non-fiction.
Away is an epic family saga spread across multiple decades and countries, detailing the history of an Irish family in Canada.
Jane Urquhart is a bestselling novelist, well known for her evocative blending of history with the present day.

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Quebec:
Jay Baruchel defends Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan

Jay Baruchel is an actor, writer and producer known for his work in films like Knocked Up, Million Dollar Baby and Goon.
First published in 1945, Two Solitudes instantly became a symbol for one of Canada's most challenging dichotomies: the divide between French and English.
Hugh MacLennan was the first major English-speaking Canadian writer to attempt to portray the country's national character in fiction.

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Atlantic:
Trent McClellan defends February by Lisa Moore

Trent McClellan is a regular on the comedy festival and club circuit, as well as on Sirius, XM Satellite and CBC Radio and Television, CTV and the Comedy Network.
February is about a subject that touched the life of anyone living in Newfoundland in the 1980s: the tragic sinking of the Ocean Ranger oil rig on Valentine's Day in 1982, with the loss of all 84 aboard.
Lisa Moore is the bestselling author of two award-winning novels and two collections of short stories.