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Showing 1 - 20 of 8454 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 Ross A Slotten. 2004
Physician traces the life of nineteenth-century British naturalist and explorer Alfred Wallace (1823-1913), a colleague of Charles Darwin. Examines Wallace's…
lower-class background, self-education, and socialist views. Discusses his acceptance of spiritualism, environmentalism, and other ideologies scientists typically avoided. Also covers his research travels into dangerous tropical jungles. 2004.By Lisa Appignanesi, Ma Yan, Pierre Haski. 2005
Ma Yan is a teenager from Ningxia, China, a drought-stricken rural area. Education can be the difference between a life…
of crushing poverty and a better future, but money is scarce. Ma Yan's diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship and bring prosperity to her family, through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling. Grades 4-7 and older readers. 2002, 2004. Uniform title: Journal de Ma Yan.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 Maxine Trottier. 2005
Terry Fox was a typical Canadian kid who liked to play basketball and soccer, but whose 'ordinary' life was changed…
suddenly at age 18 when his leg was amputated because of cancer. This biography covers the life of Terry Fox and his reasons for running across Canada. Traces his progress from the run's beginning on April 12, 1980 in St. John's until its premature conclusion in Thunder Bay on September 1, 1980. Grades 2-4. 2005.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 Charlotte Gray. 1999
Sisters Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill came to Canada with their husbands in the early 1800s. Both women recorded…
their experiences as pioneers in the new country in books that would later be held up as early examples of Canadian literature. Here, Gray sheds light on what their lives were like in relation to each other, in relation to their families, and in relation to the harsh environment that surrounded them every day. 1999.By Beth Powning. 2005
Like many young women, Beth Powning faced decisions of whether and when to start a family. At age twenty-four she…
became pregnant, but eleven days past her due date, she delivered a perfect, stillborn son. In this exploration of motherhood and loss, we're taken on a powerful journey into the heart of grief and renewal. National Bestseller. 2005.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 Michael Chorost. 2005
Science writer recounts his decision to get a cochlear implant, or a computer surgically imbedded in the skull, to artificially…
restore hearing after he became totally deaf in 2001. Describes his physical and mental changes and reflects on the implications of technological advances on the deaf community and on humanity. 2005.By Marina Nemat. 2007
The author recalls her life as a Christian in Iran. Discusses her childhood, her two-year internment in Ayatollah Khomeini's prison…
from age sixteen, and her rescue by her interrogator, Ali. Covers her marriage to Ali, his death, and Nemat's emigration to Canada. Some descriptions of sex. Descriptions of violence. Some strong language. Canada Reads 2012. 2007.By Barbara Hodgson. 2002
The adventures of both celebrated and unknown women travelers in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries who suffered from Russian…
bed bugs, unveiled the secrets of Turkish harems, endured Africa's scorching heat, destructive thunderstorms, and plagues of scorpions, or traversed raging Tibetan rivers. 2002.By Deborah Grey. 2004
Starting as a teacher in rural Alberta, Deborah Grey eventually became the first elected MP of the Reform party, with…
a no-nonsense style, a willingness to praise or criticize her parliamentary colleagues as she saw fit, and a taste for one-liners. In looking back, she discusses her family and faith, while remaining unapologetic in her criticisms of Stockwell Day as Alliance leader and defending the party against accusations of racism. 2004.By Sheila Munro. 2001
An intimate biography of Alice Munro. It describes in a way that only a close relative could, the details of…
her family background, from the Laidlaws who left Scotland in the early 19th century, to Alice Munro's birth in 1931, her early years and marriage all the way to the current family. The constant echoes of settings, situations, and characters that occur in her fiction make this an informative commentary to Munro's works.By Patricia Simpson. 1997
Marguerite Bourgeoys is one of the most important figures in Quebec's religious and social history. In 1658 she founded the…
first school in the city of Montreal. From there she went on to establish a community of uncloistered women to assist in the education of women and children in New France. Bourgeoys was beatified in 1950 and canonized in 1982. She is still revered by many today. 1997.L. M. Montgomery, the creator of Anne of Green Gables and author of more than 20 books, is a household…
name the world over. "Anne of Green Gables" has been translated into 40 different languages and immortalized on film. Montgomery was determined to be a writer, despite the loss of her mother at an early age, her strict and lonely upbringing, and years of doubt and rejection. 2004.By Jennifer Rothschild. 2002
At the age of fifteen, Jennifer Rothschild confronted two unshakable realities: blindness is inevitable, and God is enough. The popular…
author, speaker, and recording artist offers poignant lessons that illuminate a path to freedom and fulfillment. With warmth, humour, and insight, Jennifer shares the guiding principles she walks by, and shows you how to walk forward by faith into God's marvellous light. 2002.By Victoria Beckham. 2002
By W. A Paddon. 2002
Driving dog teams through the icy heart of a northern winter, bracing against the flimsy bulkhead of a frail ship…
battered by storms, removing an appendix on a heaving vessel while bluebottle flies buzz overhead - hard training for a future Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Tony Paddon here recounts his life, from his Labrador childhood to his time in the RCN during World War II, to his service as a Grenfell doctor operating out of St. Anthony, Newfoundland and North West River, Labrador. 1989.By Anne Dublin. 2004
Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld was born in the Ukraine in 1903 or 1904, and immigrated with her Jewish family to Canada…
in 1905. She became a star player in ice hockey, basketball, and softball and excelled in tennis and track and field, leading the Canadian women's relay team to an Olympic gold medal and winning a silver one in the 100-meter event in 1928. By greeting obstacles with courage, hard work, and humour, and always putting the team ahead of herself, Bobbie set an example as a true athletic hero. Includes a time line, source notes, and a bibliography. Grades 3-6. 2004.