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Showing 5381 - 5400 of 10812 items
By Sarah Krasnostein. 2018
A fascinating, incredible true story about the person who spends her life cleaning up after traumas."Absolutely stunning."—PopSugarBefore she was a…
trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife. . . But as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. A woman who sleeps among garbage she has not put out for forty years. A man who bled quietly to death in his living room. A woman who lives with rats, random debris and terrified delusion. The still life of a home vacated by accidental overdose. Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead—and the book she has written is equally extraordinary. Not just the compelling story of a fascinating life among lives of desperation, but an affirmation that, as isolated as we may feel, we are all in this together.By Margaret Conrad, Ellen Louks Fairclough. 1995
Ellen Fairclough is perhaps best known as the first woman in Canada to become a federal cabinet minister. John Diefenbaker…
appointed her Secretary of State in 1957. In the course of her career she also served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister responsible for Indian Affairs, and was in charge of the National Gallery, the National Film Board, the Dominion Archives, and the National Library. She was also a chartered accountant, a business woman, a local politician in Hamilton, and a wife and mother. At a time when many people believed that a woman's place was in the home, she successfully balanced family obligations with a career in the largely male world of federal politics. Writing with the style and wit for which she was famous as a politician, Ellen Fairclough, now ninety, tells her story. Her reminiscences describe her early life, her efforts to become a business woman, and her experiences as a Progressive Conservative member for the constituency of Hamilton West (1950-63). Fairclough discusses the political factors that led to her appointment to the Diefenbaker cabinet, as well as other factors, including family values and the opportunities available in the bustling industrial city of Hamilton, that served as the context for her successes. While her story focuses on the politics involved, Fairclough also writes extensively about family life, friendships, and domestic detail. She attributes her success to the fact that she was a 'Saturday's child' who worked hard for what she achieved. The source of much media attention during her political career, Ellen Fairclough was often the only woman in a room full of men and, on one occasion, was asked to leave a cabinet meeting because the topic of discussion – sexual assault – might be too rough for her sensitive ears. Having no female role models to follow, Fairclough made her own rules and charted her own course. These memoirs make a fascinating contribution to the history of women and politics in this country.By Naomi Klein, Arthur Manuel, Grand Chief Grand Chief Derrickson. 2015
Unsettling Canada is built on a unique collaboration between two First Nations leaders, Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ron Derrickson.Both…
men have served as chiefs of their bands in the B.C. interior and both have gone on to establish important national and international reputations. But the differences between them are in many ways even more interesting. Arthur Manuel is one of the most forceful advocates for Aboriginal title and rights in Canada and comes from the activist wing of the movement. Grand Chief Ron Derrickson is one of the most successful Indigenous businessmen in the country.Together the Secwepemc activist intellectual and the Syilx (Okanagan) businessman bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to Canada’s most glaring piece of unfinished business: the place of Indigenous peoples within the country’s political and economic space. The story is told through Arthur’s voice but he traces both of their individual struggles against the colonialist and often racist structures that have been erected to keep Indigenous peoples in their place in Canada.In the final chapters and in the Grand Chief’s afterword, they not only set out a plan for a new sustainable indigenous economy, but lay out a roadmap for getting there.By Claudia Radmore, Leonard Budgell. 2008
Leonard Budgell saw the Canadian North like nobody else. He put his observations into words as few others ever could.As…
a "Servant of the Bay" Budgell ran Hudson’s Bay Company trading posts for decades in isolated communities up the Labrador coast and across the Arctic. Living among aboriginal Canadians he witnessed episodes and heard stories that would never again be repeated - except he wrote them down. His pen memorably portrays everything from dancing northern lights and hunting practices of birds to astonishing human adventures and predicaments.Northern ways intact for centuries changed with rifles and motorboats, radios and electric generators, new foods and different medicines. Most often, it was Budgell who bridged the aboriginal and southern cultures, building and operating remote radio stations at places like Hebron, taking an RCMP officer into a settlement where a choice had to be made between two different codes of law and behaviour in a murder case. In Arctic Twilight, Budgell chronicles, in an outpouring of letters to a much younger female friend, a traditional way of life that was changing forever.Claudia Coutu Radmore, a teacher, writer, and artist, first met Len Budgell in Winnipeg when she was a fine arts student and he had retired from the Company. Their friendship grew stronger when he began writing remarkable letters after she returned to Queen’s University. Now edited and organized by her, this unique memoir is available to the public for the first time.By Katharine Taylor Brennan, Elizabeth Parsons Kirchner. 1995
An ordinary person, Katharine Brennan calls herself. An ordinary person perhaps, but with an extraordinary gift for turning the prosaic…
into poetry, and for distilling the moments of joy in he often painful days. I write from the inside of myself; I save the spoken word for acquaintances. We are privileged to share Katharine’s very personal journal; she teaches us as much about the meaning of courage, and poignantly reminds us of all that life holds. Interspersed with her own writings are brief sayings that appealed to Katharine, words of wit and wisdom from such thinkers as Dolly Parton, George Gurdjieff, William Blake, her mother, her husband, Carl Jung, and a novel called Dudley found lying in the washroom. Losing her sigh, she sees the beauty of life clearly. Confined to a wheelchair and with her leg amputated, her world opens. In facing her approaching death, Katharine finds pleasure in the ordinary; sunrises and summer storms, conversation with friends and strangers, the satisfaction of chores and crafts. Through pain and depression her joie de vivre shines.By Joyce Spring. 2006
The women pilots profiled in this book have flown from British Columbia to Newfoundland and in the Northwest Territories and…
Nunavut. Right from the beginning of her interviews and research, the author found herself constantly amazed by the achievements of the women involved. Within the book are the stories of early Canadian women bush pilots from the late 1940s onwards. Their stories are exciting, occasionally funny, and always absorbing. Ranging from aerial surveys, water bombing of fires, flying fish, canoes and northern dogs, to the operation of a float-plane flying school, these women have left little undone. One pilot, Judy Cameron, was the first Canadian woman to be hired by an airline. Flying north of Superior, Elizabeth Wieben recalls the time that she flew naked. In pilot Suzanne Pettigrew’s own words, "We sure have come a long way and the ride was an awful lot of fun."By Merna Forster. 1831
In this special two-book bundle you’ll meet remarkable women in science, sport, preaching and teaching, politics, war and peace, arts…
and entertainment, etc. The book is full of amazing facts and fascinating trivia about intriguing figures. Discover some of the many heroines Canada can be proud of. Find out how we’re remembering them. Or not! Augmented by great quotes and photos, this inspiring collection profiles remarkable women — heroines in science, sport, preaching and teaching, politics, war and peace, arts and entertainment, and more. Profiles include mountaineer Phyllis Munday, activist Hide Shimizu, unionist Lea Roback, movie mogul Mary Pickford, the original Degrassi kids, Captain Kool, hockey star Hilda Ranscombe, and the woman dubbed "the atomic mosquito." Includes 100 Canadian Heroines 100 More Canadian HeroinesBy Mazo De La Roche, Heather Kirk, Michael Gnarowski. 2015
First published in 1957, Mazo de la Roche’s last autobiography is a vivid look at her life in Ontario, and…
a parting shot at her critics. Mazo de la Roche was once Canada’s best-known writer, loved by millions of readers around the world. Her Jalna series is filled with unforgettable characters who come to life for her readers, but she herself was secretive about her own life and tried to escape the public attention fame brought. In this memoir, de la Roche describes her childhood and her relationship with her cousin and life-long companion, Caroline Clement. She confesses her personal connection with her troubled character Finch Whiteoak and details her romantic struggles. Ringing the Changes is the closest view we have of Mazo de la Roche’s innermost thoughts and the private life she usually kept hidden.By Eric Zweig, Ron Maclean. 2015
The first authorized biography of Art Ross, Hockey Hall of Famer, NHL founding father, and long-time member of the Boston…
Bruins. Though he last played the game nearly one hundred years ago, Art Ross remains connected with the greatest stars in hockey. Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Sidney Crosby have all won the award that bears his name, the trophy given annually to the NHL’s top scorer. Ross himself managed just one goal during his NHL career; however, in the dozen years leading up to the formation of the NHL in 1917, he was one of the biggest stars in the game. After his playing career ended, Ross became one of the founding fathers of the Boston Bruins, holding the positions of coach, general manager, and vice president. He was one of the men most responsible for making the NHL a success in the United States, and was integral to the modernization of hockey. All these accomplishments led to him being one of the first players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hockey historian Eric Zweig brings to life the early days of hockey. From the mining towns of Northern Ontario to the hallowed halls of Boston Garden, Art Ross was one of the biggest names in hockey over his six decades in the game.By Doug Lennox. 2008
As Canadians, we all think we know hockey inside and out, but Doug Lennox, the head referee of Q&A, delivers…
the score on everything from All-Stars to Zambonis and stickhandles the skinny on who wore the first mask in hockey, how the term hat trick originated, and just where hockey was invented. Along the way, you’ll discover all sorts of fascinating things about the giants of the game, from Jean Beliveau and Sidney Crosby to Gordie Howe and Alexander Ovechkin.Who was the first black player in the NHL?Where did the word deke come from?What was the greatest women’s hockey team of all time?How did the Rocket Richard riot start?Who was the first Russian to play in the NHL?When was the Stanley Cup not awarded?What team beat Canada for the gold medal in the 1936 Winter Olympics?By Zahava Hanan. 2001
Zahava Hanan’s struggle to save her ranch in Alberta from the threat of industrial pollution makes Heading for Home a…
modern tale on an epic scale. For twenty years she fought for her rights in Western Canada. Heading for Home gives a very warm account of her companions throughout those years from cowhands to lovable animals; from concerned neighbours to the formality of the company man, some of whom too, eventually became firm friends. Aided at times in her struggle by her friend the author and tracker Andy Russell, Heading for Home tells the tale of how one woman’s strength and willpower contributed to our heightened sense of mutual awareness.In the course of her long struggle to save everything she held most dear, Zahava Hanan stood squarely up to a "David and Goliath" confrontation with the corporations. During that time, however, she came to understand that by daring to care for our environment we inherit a common ground, goal and home. This book is also the story of that spiritual quest and challenge. And it is in this sense that Zahava Hanan has been "heading for home," and helping others get there, ever since.This is a masterpiece of its kind, and truly original, since nobody of her sensibility has written on the subject at all. There are countless travel books about wild places and countless cozy books about life in the town. This happens to be unique both in the handling of her environment and in her ability to feel and write about it.By J Patrick Boyer, Donna M Ivey. 2004
This is the story of Rene M. Caisse of Bracebridge, Canada and describes her extraordinary perseverance to obtain official recognition…
of her herbal cancer remedy she called Essiac, her name spelled backwards. Rene Caisse was thrust into a life-long medical-legal-political controversy that still persists since her death in 1978. Rene wrestled with the Hepburn government of Ontario over the operation of her Bracebridge cancer clinic during 1935 to 1941 and her use of Essiac. She refused to reveal her secret formula and legislation demanding the recipe forced the closing of her clinic. The government was embroiled in the dilemma of ensuring their public favour and appeasing cancer patients. This documented research presents a biography of a remarkable woman and her struggle to help "suffering humanity."By Susanna Sonnenberg. 2013
The New York Times called Susanna Sonnenberg "immensely gifted," and Vogue, "scrupulously unsentimental." Entertainment Weekly described Sonnenberg's Her Last Death…
as "a bracing memoir about growing up rich and glamorous with a savagely inappropriate mother." Now, Sonnenberg, with her unflinching eye and uncanny wisdom, has written a compulsively readable book about female friendship. T he best friend who broke up with you. The older girl at school you worshipped. The beloved college friend who changed. The friend you slept with. The friend who betrayed you. The friend you betrayed. Companions in travel, in discovery, in motherhood, in grief; the mentor, the model, the rescuer, the guide, the little sister. These have been the women in Susanna Sonnenberg's life, friends tender, dominant, and crucial after her reckless mother gave her early lessons in womanhood. Searing and superbly written, Sonnenberg's She Matters: A Life in Friendships illuminates the friendships that have influenced, nourished, inspired, and haunted her--and sometimes torn her apart. Each has its own lessons that Sonnenberg seeks to understand. Her method is investigative and ruminative; her result, fearlessly observed portraits of friendships that will inspire all readers to consider the complexities of their own relationships. This electric book is testimony to the emotional significance of the intense bonds between women, whether shattered, shaky, or unbreakable.By Leslie Marmon Silko. 1996
Bold and impassioned, sharp and defiant, Leslie Marmon Silko's essays evoke the spirit and voice of Native Americans. Whether she…
is exploring the vital importance literature and language play in Native American heritage, illuminating the inseparability of the land and the Native American people, enlivening the ways and wisdom of the old-time people, or exploding in outrage over the government's long-standing, racist treatment of Native Americans, Silko does so with eloquence and power, born from her profound devotion to all that is Native American. Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit is written with the fire of necessity. Silko's call to be heard is unmistakable; there are stories to remember, injustices to redress, ways of life to preserve. It is a work of major importance, filled with indispensable truths--a work by an author with an original voice and a unique access to both worlds.By Andrea Davis Pinkney. 2013
They were each born with the gift of gospel. Martin's voice kept people in their seats, but also sent their…
praises soaring. Mahalia's voice was brass-and-butter - strong and smooth at the same time. With Martin's sermons and Mahalia's songs, folks were free to shout, to sing their joy. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever. Told through Andrea Davis Pinkney's poetic prose and Brian Pinkney's evocative illustration, the stories of these two powerful voices and lives are told side-by-side -- as they would one day walk -- following the journey from their youth to a culmination at this historical event when they united as one and inspiring kids to find their own voices and speak up for what is right. Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. To explore further access options with us, please contact us through the Book Quality link on the right sidebar. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.By Yvonne Johnson, Rudy Wiebe. 1998
"Written with primal intensity, touched with redeeming compassion, Rudy Wiebe--has explored our history, our roots and the secrets of our…
hearts with moral seriousness and great feeling." - Governor General's Award for Fiction Citation, l994A powerful, major work of non-fiction, beautifully written, with the impact of Mikal Gilmore's Shot in the Heart, from the twice winner of the Governor General's Award for Fiction and the great-great-granddaughter of Big Bear. This is a story about justice, and terrible injustices, a story about a murder, and a courtroom drama as compelling as any thriller as it unravels the events that put Yvonne Johnson behind bars for life, first in Kingston's Federal Prison for Women until the riot that closed it, and presently in the Okimaw Ochi Healing Lodge in the Cypress Hills. But above all it is the unforgettable true story of the life of a Native woman who has decided to speak out and break the silence, written with the redeeming compassion that marks all Rudy Wiebe's writing, and informed throughout by Yvonne Johnson's own intelligence and poetic eloquence.Characters and events spring to life with the vividness of fiction. The story is told sometimes in the first person by Rudy Wiebe, sometimes by Yvonne herself. He tracks down the details of Yvonne's early life in Butte, Montana, as a child with a double-cleft palate, unable to speak until the kindness of one man provided the necessary operations; the murder of her beloved brother while in police custody; her life of sexual abuse at the hands of another brother, grandfather and others; her escape to Canada - to Winnipeg and Wetaskiwin; the traumas of her life that led to alcoholism, and her slow descent into hell despite the love she found with her husband and three children.He reveals how she participated, with three others, in the murder of the man she believed to be a child abuser; he unravels the police story, taking us step by step, with jail-taped transcripts, through the police attempts to set one member of the group against the others in their search for a conviction - and the courtroom drama that followed. And Yvonne openly examines her life and, through her grandmother, comes to understand the legacy she has inherited from her ancestor Big Bear; having been led through pain to wisdom, she brings us with her to the point where she finds spiritual strength in passing on the lessons and understandings of her life. How the great-great-granddaughter of Big Bear reached out to the author of The Temptations of Big Bear to help her tell her story is itself an extraordinary tale. The co-authorship between one of Canada's foremost writers and the only Native woman in Canada serving life imprisonment for murder has produced a deeply moving, raw and honest book that speaks to all of us, and gives us new insight into the society we live in, while offering a deeply moving affirmation of spiritual healing.From the Hardcover edition.By Gordon Churchwell. 2000
Gordon Churchwell his a problem he's never faced before--his wife, Julie, is pregnant. "What is happening to me? It's 6:30…
A.M. My Wife is peeing on what looks like a scale model of the spaceship from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's an early pregnancy test called something like First Alert, or Early Response, some name that sounds like a smoke detector or a piece of EMS equipment." From this unavoidable physiological fact follows the greatest psychological crisis of his life, a story that eventually illuminates the journey of all men and women as they make the passage to becoming parents. What really goes through a "pregnant" man's mind? Combining his personal story with interviews with doctors, midwives, evolutionary scientists, and other fathers-to-be, Gordon Churchwell delivers the gritty, intimate details, as well as important new information, in an irreverent style that mixes poignancy, wit, and laugh-out-loud humor. He covers all the issues without flinching. On relationships: "There are moments when you are not just individuals trying to solve a personal problem, but representatives of your gender, acting out some social drama. Over Julie's shoulder I see a chorus of angry women. . . ." On sex: "While the party line is that Julie remains 'my beautiful partner to whom I am devoted,' to Mr. Weenie, she is beginning to look like Danny DeVito in Batman Returns. . . ." On why men find change difficult: "Why do I feel like a bystander in the most important 280 days of my life? Where are the stories that make a man feel like he's in it, and not out of it? The answer is simple. When it comes to the stories of fatherhood, our culture has discarded them." When he starts having morning sickness, Churchwell turns science detective and makes some startling discoveries: He finds out that male pregnancy symptoms are extremely common and uncovers evidence of a physiological paternal response-men have hormonal changes, too, which help prepare them emotionally for fatherhood. Does nature make fathers out of men? Working with a leading evolutionary psychologist, Churchwell argues for a revolutionary new perspective on a man's role in reproduction. Parental investment on both sides is not automatic. Pregnancy behavior is part of a continual process of negotiation about parental commitment. A man's response to pregnancy, including sympathetic symptoms, may signal his plans about investing in the child. His behavior can directly affect the mother's own response, including the quality of her maternal care. By showing that men have a physiological transformation of their own that integrates them into the biology of the family, Churchwell restores men to the story of reproduction. Expecting is an important contribution to the new literature of fatherhood that will amuse and inspire men and women as they transform themselves into parents. This personal story ends where it began, with him and his wife, Julie, struggling-this time as a team-through a harrowing thirty-five-hour birth ordeal, and welcoming their daughter, Olivia, into the world.By Carol Ross Joynt. 2011
What would you do if, just weeks after your spouse's sudden death, you found out he was keeping secrets? Big…
secrets. Secrets that could cost you millions of dollars--and brand you as a criminal. Innocent Spouse is an eye-opening memoir that asks a provocative and disturbing question: Is it possible to really know and trust someone, even your spouse? Carol Ross Joynt was a successful television producer in Washington, D.C. Her husband, Howard, owned Nathans, a legendary restaurant in Georgetown. From an outsider's perspective, Carol and Howard lived a fairy-tale life--spending weekends at their Chesapeake Bay estate, rubbing shoulders with New York's and Washington's elite, and raising their beloved son, Spencer. But everything changed with Howard's sudden death when Spencer was only five years old. Like any widow, Carol was devastated because she lost the love of her life and her son's father. But soon Carol had much more to cope with than her grief and new life as a single parent. As she was forced to take over her family's legal and financial responsibilities, as well as run Howard's restaurant on her own, Carol discovered that her husband had secrets, and one of them, an almost $3 million debt to the IRS, threatened to derail her entire life. And even though Carol didn't know anything about the tax fraud--finances had always been Howard's department--no one cared. As his surviving spouse, legally, Carol was responsible. In Innocent Spouse, Carol shares her harrowing struggles with the IRS, as manipulative business colleagues and lawyers assumed the worst of her and friends turned their backs when her name became associated with scandal. Fighting to maintain a stable life for her son, Carol had to figure out how to preserve Spencer's happy memories of his father, even as their lives were shattered by his deceptions and lies. But as Carol picks up the pieces of her fractured life and copes with her sadness and anger, she learns to become something she'd never been before: self-sufficient. Poignant, eye-opening, and at times heartbreaking, Innocent Spouse is ultimately an inspiring story of strength and newfound independence in the face of loss and betrayal.By Lisa Robertson, Beth Clark, Korie Robertson, Kay Robertson, Missy Robertson, Jessica Robertson. 2014
An Inside Look at the Robertson Women In the pages of this book, you'll find both fun and inspirational stories…
. . . Kay shares the honest story of her relationship with Phil--and his wild and philandering years--and the challenges of being a teenage mother. Even more amazing, she shares the forgiveness she offered Phil and how they have now celebrated forty-eight years of marriage. Korie tells of her first encounter with Phil when she was in just the fifth grade. At that first meeting Phil came right out and told her what good husbands his boys would make and that she should keep an eye on them. She also shares the reaction her parents had when she told them that she and Willie were getting married when she was only eighteen. Missy tells the story of their daughter, Mia, who was born with a cleft palate, and their adjustments to this condition and Mia's joyful spirit that inspires them all. Jessica recounts her first conversation with Jep and how unimpressed she was when Jep bragged that his dad was the Duck Commander Phil Robertson. She told him she'd heard of Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, and Duck, Duck, Goose-- but not the Duck Commander. Lisa reveals the serious marriage problems she and Al had--problems that almost ended their marriage for good--and how they worked through those issues to have a more stable and loving marriage than she ever imagined possible.By Hoda Kotb. 2010
SHE'S JUST LIKE THE REST OF US : overstuffed purse, always losing keys, high-maintenance hair, snack guilt after an evening…
binge. But she's something different, too. Hoda Kotb grew up in two cultures--one where summers meant playing at the foot of the ancient pyramids and another where she had to meet her junior prom date at the local 7-Eleven to spare them both the wrath of her conservative Egyptian parents. She's traveled the globe for network television, smuggling videotapes in her shoes and stepping along roads riddled with land mines. She's weathered the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and a personal Category 5 as well: divorce and breast cancer in the same year. And if that's not scary enough, she then began cohosting the fourth hour of Today with Kathie Lee Gifford. (Oh, c'mon, KLG! That's funny . . . put down the huge pour of Chardonnay and laugh with us.) HODA reads just like Hoda--light, funny, positive, and positively inspiring.