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Showing 1 - 20 of 9310 items
By Jane Poulson. 2002
Autobiography of Dr. Jane Poulson, the first blind person in Canada to become a practising doctor. Poulson suffered from diabetes…
and because of the disease, lost her sight and then experienced severe heart problems. Nonetheless she was an extremely accomplished doctor, published widely in leading medical journals, and showed great courage and endurance to all who knew her. She wrote this book during the last two years of her life. 2002.By Taras Grescoe. 2003
Taras Grescoe plunges into the ruts where the tourists are thickest, starting at the tip of Spain's Land's End and…
finishing, nine months later, on the soldier-patrolled beaches of China's End of the Earth. Along the way, he crosses the entire Eurasian landmass, experiencing all sorts of travel such as all-inclusive resorts, pilgrimages, and bus tours. Some descriptions of sex and violence, some strong language. 2003.By Wade Davis. 1998
Davis examines the link between the diversity of our biological landscape and cultural diversity. He argues that the more we…
destroy the biological landscapes of the Earth, the more we cause diverse cultures to assimilate with the more mainstream cultures. Davis uses his travels around the world to illustrate his argument and shares stories of his time spent with a variety of peoples throughout the world. c1998.By Sylvia Fraser. 2003
Sylvia Fraser recounts her journey to Peru to learn about shamans and ancient practices. The centre of her journey revolves…
around learning about ayahuasca, a plant medicine that is said to transport a person from this plane of reality into another one. 2003.By James Chatto. 2005
They arrived as tourists in Corfu, Wendy from Canada and James from England. They enjoyed the sun, an idyllic beach,…
olives, fresh apricots and marinated lamb, and long evenings of storytelling at the local taverna. But what captivated James and Wendy was the way the islanders embraced them, and how their deep connection to Corfu and its people sustained them through tragedy just as it had carried them into love. Some strong language. 2005.By Charles Wilkins. 1998
The author travelled over three-thousand kilometres in Canada in order to get the inside story on life with a travelling…
circus. He vividly describes the seductive freedoms and horrific risks of traditional circus life. He also shares the lives of the circus performers and their motivations for becoming a member of a travelling troupe. 1998.By Joe Fiorito. 1999
Fiorito recalls his life growing as a poor, Italian boy in 1950s Fort William, Ontario. He shares memories of his…
father, and of the stories his father told about his own family. Strong language. c1999.By Joan Bodger. 2000
Gestalt therapist, story-teller, teacher, writer, children's book editor, director of the first Headstart Program in New York State, Joan Bodger…
is a woman whose life has always been intertwined with stories. Her biography depicts how a life -- and a century -- can be shaped and given meaning by personal mythology, how the power of stories can repair a shattered life. While describing her own life she also includes sharp observations of the nuances of class, racial prejudice, and regional and national differences. Some strong language. 2000.By Åsne Seierstad. 2003
Two weeks after September 11th, award-winning journalist Asne Seierstad went to Afghanistan to report on the conflict there. In the…
following spring she returned to live with an Afghan family for several months. For more than 20 years Sultan Khan defied the authorities - be they Communist or Taliban - in order to supply books to the people of Kabul. He was arrested, interrogated and imprisoned by the Communists, and watched illiterate Taliban soldiers burn piles of his books in the street. But while Khan is passionate in his love of books and hatred of censorship, he is also a committed Muslim with strict views on family life. 2003.By Maria Tippett. 1998
This biography of the Group of Seven painter, Fred Varley, examines both his personal and professional lives. The effects of…
his drinking and womanizing on his family and his work are closely examined.By Jill Frayne. 2002
After Jill Frayne's long-term relationship with her lover ended and her daughter left home, she packed up her life and…
headed for the Yukon. Sleeping in her car or pitching a tent by the road, she became a solitary traveller and lived close to the natural world. What started out as a three-month trip became a personal journey that lasted several years. 2002.By Pamela Wallin. 1998
Canadian media personality Pamela Wallin tells her story, from her birth in Wadena, Saskatchewan, to her role as host and…
producer of her television show. This book is her answer to the many questions asked about her life, as well as an examination of her own influences and aspirations. 1998.By Rosemary Sullivan. 1995
Using the personal impressions of the poet's intimate friends, Rosemary Sullivan builds a composite portrait of Gwendolyn MacEwan, the Toronto…
poet who died in 1987 at the age of 46. The daughter of an alcoholic father and mentally ill mother, MacEwen's story is a painful one, yet the richness of her art and inner life redeemed the pain. Winner of the 1995 Governor General's Award for Non-fiction.By Marq De Villiers, Sheila Hirtle. 2003
Description of the world's largest desert landscape and its inhabitants. Discusses the geography, natural cycles, and resilient life-forms of the…
sandy wilderness stretching across the broadest part of Africa. Covers the history of the Sahara's indigenous people--Berbers, Moors, and Tuareg--and the ancient kingdoms of past civilizations. 2003.By Gary Geddes. 2001
Poet, writer, and critic, Gary Geddes, sets out to discover his roots in a 31-foot British sailing sloop called the…
Groais. Sailing up British Columbia's famed Inside Passage, an ancient sea route of nearly one thousand miles and an often turbulent waterscape, Geddes discovers a vibrant history, livelihoods come and gone, dramatic scenery, and ghosts of the past. 2001.By Tom Allen. 2001
Tom Allen travels with his family and alone, from Halifax to the interior of British Columbia, riding everything from a…
two-car dayliner held together with duct tape to a luxury rail cruiser through the Rockies that is packed with wealthy tourists. Along the way, he meets honeymooners and abandoned spouses, ordinary folk and deranged passengers, and veteran railwaymen who sustain pride in their work despite the massive cuts to their industry. Allen weaves his own memories of railroad travel with a family narrative past and present, all the while conjuring the drama, the disappointments, and the magic of Canada's railway history. 2001.By Edna Barker. 2002
This book is a celebration of Peter Gzowski's life and of the enormous role he played in Canadian life. It…
collects tributes from friends and colleagues, and from grieving strangers who had been touched by him in one of the roles that provide us with the chapters in this book: as a writer in newspapers, magazines, or books; as a radio broadcaster; on camera; as a lover of Canada; and as a father, relative, or trusted friend. 2002.By Jan Wong. 1996
Born in Canada, Jan Wong began a rocky six-year romance with Maoism when she went to China in 1972. In…
this memoir, she describes leaving China as she became aware of the harsh realities of the communist system, and returning to China in the late 1980s as a reporter. She covered the crackdown in Tiananmen Square and the capitalist reforms of Deng Xiaoping. 1996.By Edna Arseneault-McGrath. 2005
Acadian-born, fifth in a family of thirteen, and born blind, Jean-Paul Losier has overcome many obstacles to achieve success. Attaining…
Bachelors of Arts and Education degrees and a law degree, known as 'the man who knew the books by heart', Losier spent 24 years teaching while also cultivating the family farm. He is known as a tireless volunteer in his community and on behalf of the blind and deaf-blind, and as a man who is dedicated to the betterment of all mankind. 2005.By John Gray. 2003
Traces the course of Paul Martin's early life and his success in business, as well as the partnership and split…
between him and Jean Chrétien. Six months after he left business for politics, he announced that he would be a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal party. His reach for the leadership in 1990 was a failure, but Martin still appears destined to be the 21st prime minister of Canada. 2003.