Carmen Aguirre wins CBC Canada Reads

Carmen Aguirre came out victorious at this year’s CBC Canada Reads. The B.C.-based author and playwright’s memoir, Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter (Douglas & McIntyre), about growing up in the underground among South American revolutionaries during the 1970s, beat out Ken Dryden’s The Game (Wiley Canada), the former Habs goalie’s recollections of pro hockey and a very different version of the ’70s.

Something Fierce defender Shad had his work cut out for him, winning three votes to two against The Game’s champion, Alan Thicke, Thursday morning at the CBC studios in Toronto. The hip-hop artist was backed by Arlene Dickinson and Anne-France Goldwater (one of the rare instances when these two panelists agreed), while Thicke was seconded by Stacey McKenzie. The final showdown proved to be one of the tamest panels yet in a contest that included allegations of lying, bullying, terrorism, and lots of tears (we’re looking at you, Stacey).

Aguirre, who is currently touring her one-woman show, Blue Box, called into the studio from Ottawa after she heard the news. “It was a very interesting week for me because I’m alone in Ottawa right now,” she said. “I’d had to go every night to do my 80-minute monologue and then not sleep at night because I was waiting to see what will happen the next morning, but I’ve had a lot of virtual support.”

The Game and Something Fierce (a Q&Q Book of the Year for 2011), were the last titles standing after one by one panelists voted off Dave Bidini’s On a Cold Road (McClelland & Stewart), John Vaillant’s The Tiger (Vintage Canada), and Marina Nemat’s Prisoner of Tehran (Penguin Canada).

D&M is preparing for the expected increase in sales, often referred to as the “Canada Reads effect,” with a reprint of the book. As part of its participation in the contest, the publisher will make a financial donation to Frontier College’s Aboriginal Literacy Program.

Something Fierce will be released in the U.S. in August.

Canada Reads day three: On a Cold Road is frozen out, more protests

Canada Reads author Dave Bidini performs with the BidiniBand at the Toronto Reference Library (Photo: Tanja-Tiziana Burdi)

Dave Bidini’s rock memoir, On a Cold Road, is the latest title to be voted off CBC’s Canada Reads.

Although the book was overshadowed all week by discussion about the other four titles, On a Cold Road’s demise was met with an emotional response. During a post-show Q&A, celebrity defender Stacey McKenzie broke down while reading a passage from the book in which Bidini’s hardworking band, the Rheostatics, fulfills a dream of performing at Maple Leaf Gardens.

While the panelists were on their best behaviour today, this morning Q&Q received a press release from Gabriel Fritzen, a German-Canadian who is demanding an apology from panelist Anne-France Goldwater and the CBC for “libelling survivors of Iran’s holocaust,” after Goldwater suggested on Monday’s show that Marina Nemat’s memoir, The Prisoner of Tehran, was not a truthful account of her experiences in an Iranian prison.

Fritzen, who lives near the Bergen-Belsen concentration camps in Northern Germany, is supporting Nemat by inviting a group of high school students and teaching staff from Aurora, Ontario, to attend a live taping of Canada Reads at his expense, and by attending the event himself carrying a poster of Nemat. “I owe it to the memory of those who were brutally murdered an hour’s drive from my home to show tangible support to the victims of the ongoing holocaust in Iran like Ms. Nemat,” Fritzen writes.

Tomorrow is the final day of what has become the most controversial edition of Canada Reads, which has been airing annually since 2002. Actor Alan Thicke will play defense for Ken Dryden’s The Game against hip-hop artist Shad, who is representing Carmen Aguirre’s Something Fierce.

Marina Nemat: “Bullying hurts and it’s a crime”

Although CBC Canada Reads celebrity defender Stacey McKenzie shed a few tears, day two of the book contest was a more civilized affair than yesterday’s bloody match. But the fisticuffs are ongoing outside of the CBC studio.

Yesterday on Facebook, Prisoner of Tehran author Marina Nemat asked panelist Anne-France Goldwater to apologize for calling her book untruthful. Goldwater, who was no less animated today (even as the book she was defending, John Vaillant’s The Tiger, was put down), didn’t respond to Nemat’s demand.

This afternoon, Nemat posted a new profile photo on Facebook. She doesn’t mention Goldwater or Canada Reads, but the photo speaks for itself:

The photo was taken from a shoot Nemat did for Calgary photographer Catherine Oshanek’s anti-bullying website. Although it was taken before Goldwater’s accusation, Nemat has made her point.

Marina Nemat demands public apology from Anne-France Goldwater

Jian Ghomeshi, Marina Nemat, and Arlene Dickinson during happier times at the Canada Reads launch event in November

When Canada Reads resident blogger Terry Fallis (who won last year for his novel The Best Laid Plans) accidentally posted a spoiler on Twitter that Marina Nemat’s Prisoner of Tehran was the first book to be voted off the 2012 competition, little did he know the drama was just beginning.

Selected earlier as the readers’ favourite in an online poll, Prisoner of Tehran was voted off in a tie-breaker by model Stacey McKenzie, and actor Alan Thicke dismissed the memoir for not being Canadian enough (“This is not called Tehran Reads”). Still, it was Quebec judge Anne-France Goldwater who was quickly vilified on social media by Nemat supporters. Goldwater suggested that while she believes books about human rights are important, she would have “preferred truer stories” that are “better representative of the people.” (She also referred to Something Fierce author Carmen Aguirre as a terrorist).

The drama continued on Facebook, where Nemat posted a defence of her book:

Prisoner of Tehran was just voted off Canada Reads simply because it is the most popular in Canada according to the polls. Thank you Canada for your vote of confidence, which is what really matters to me. The judges seemed to be interested in winning only and not in which book actually has more merit. Very disappointing and irresponsible I think, but I will survive and continue speaking out. Thank [sic] again for your support!

In the comments following her message, Nemat says her supporters will attend the rest of the debate, which ends on Feb. 9, and will hold up copies of her book in protest.

Later in the afternoon, Nemat posted a second Facebook message, this time asking for a public apology from Goldwater:

Please let me be clear that I have no problems with being eliminated from Canada Reads. What I have a problem with though is that Ms. Goldwater, one of the panelists, called me a liar and called Carmen Aguirre a terrorist! That is not okay. I hope she can produce evidence to back up her claims. If not, I would like to receive a public apology from her.

But regardless of what was said during the competition or how high the books are held, nobody can argue that Prisoner of Tehran is not on this week’s Canadian nonfiction bestsellers’ list.

Here are just some of the reactions from Twitter about today’s show:

BookNet bestsellers: Canadian non-fiction

Even though Marina Nemat’s Prisoner of Tehran was voted off CBC Canada Reads today, it still charts on this week’s Canadian non-fiction bestsellers’ list. For the two weeks ending Jan. 29:

1. The Looneyspoons Collection, Janet and Greta Podleski
(Granet Publishing, $34.95 pa, 9780968063156)

2. The Wealthy Barber Returns, David Chilton
(Financial Awareness Corporation, $19.95 pa, 9780968394748)

3. Meals that Heal Inflammation, Julie Daniluk
(Random House Canada, $29.95 pa, 9780307359988)

4. Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming
(Whitecap, $29.95 pa, 9781552859940)

5. Retirement’s Harsh New Realities, Gordon Pape
(Penguin Canada, $24 pa, 9780143179221)

6. It’s Your Money, Gail Vaz-Oxlade
(HarperCollins Canada, $21.99 pa, 9781554688678)

7. Debt-Free Forever, Gail Vaz-Oxlade
(HarperCollins Canada, $21.99 pa, 9781554685912)

8. The Book of Awesome, Neil Pasricha
(Berkley/Penguin $17.50 pa, 9780425238905)

9. Maya, Justin Jennings
(Royal Ontario Museum Press, $5.05 pa, 9780888544872)

10. The Supercharged Hormone Diet, Natasha Turner
(Random House Canada, $32 cl, 9780307356512)

11. Lynn Crawford’s Pitchin’ In, Lynn Crawford
(Viking Canada, $37 cl, 9780670065936)

12. Canadian Living: The One-Dish Collection
(Trancontinental Books, $26.95 pa, 9780981393896)

13. The Tiger, John Vaillant
(Vintage Canada, $22 pa, 9780307397157)

14. Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen, Michael Smith
(Penguin Canada, $32 pa, 9780143177630)

15. Prisoner of Tehran, Marina Nemat
(Penguin Canada, $18 pa, 9780143052173)

16. Money-Smart Kids, Gail Vaz-Oxlade
(HarperCollins Canada, $6.99 pa, 978-1443412292)

17. Cold Hard Truth, Kevin O’Leary
(Doubleday Canada, $29.95 cl, 9780385671743)

18. The Ice Pilots, Michael Vlessides
(Douglas & McIntyre, $21.95 pa, 9781553659396)

19. Never Too Late, Gail Vaz-Oxlade
(HarperCollins Canada, $21.99 pa, 9781554688685)

20. Persuasion, Arlene Dickinson
(HarperCollins Canada, $32.99 cl, 9781443405966)

Canadian literary event roundup: Feb. 3-9

It’s another busy week for literary events. Here’s a sample of what’s going on across the country:

• Dinner and reading with Pico Iyer, Grano, Toronto (Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m., $100)
• Ron Stevens signs Much Ado About Squat, McNally Robinson, Winnipeg (Feb. 4, 2:00 p.m., free)
• Debbie Hanlon and Grant Boland sign The Adventures of Gus & Isaac: Backyard Bullies, Chapters, St. John’s (Feb. 4, 1 p.m., free) and Coles (Feb. 5, 1.p.m., free)
• Lorenzo Reading Series presents an evening with Alexander MacLeod, University of New Brunswick, Saint John (Feb. 6, 7 p.m., free)
• Sue Goyette reads from her poetry collection Outskirts, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax (Feb. 7, 7 p.m., free)
• Kathy Dobson, author of With a Closed Fist, speaks about poverty, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie (Feb. 9, 7 p.m., free)
• CBC Canada Reads: True Stories, CBC Broadcast Centre, Toronto (Feb. 6-9, 9a.m., free)
• Susan Dodd discusses her new book, The Ocean Ranger: Remaking the Promise of Oil City, University of King’s College, Halifax (Feb 9., 7 p.m., free)
• David Rotenberg launches his new book, The Placebo Effects, Runnymede Library, Toronto (Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m., free)
• Pivot Readings presents readings with Meira Cook, Dani Couture, and Sarah Pinder, Press Club, Toronto (Feb. 8., 8 p.m.)

Quillblog is looking for photos from literary events across Canada. Send your photos to scflinn@quillandquire.com.

Book events slideshow: Canada Reads, Ottawa’s first all-women’s poetry slam championship, and more

Every Tuesday Quillblog rounds up photos of book-related events across Canada. If you would like your event photos to be considered for our weekly feature, email scflinn@quillandquire.com.

Click on the thumbnails to see what’s been happening around the country:

Canadian literary event roundup: Jan. 20-26

It’s a busy week for literary events. Here’s a sample of what’s going on across the country:

• Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild presents “Writing North: Writing the Extraordinary,” University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon (Jan. 20–21, free, www.skwriter.com)
• Poet Tanya Davis leads Stanzas in the Stacks: Poetry in the Library after Dark, Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library, Halifax (Jan. 20, 8 p.m., free)
• Dragnet literary magazine launches its fourth issue, Academy of the Impossible, Toronto (Jan. 21, 9 p.m., pay what you can)
• Third annual Sparks Literary Festival, Memorial University, St. John’s (Jan. 22, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free)
• William Gibson discusses his new book, Distrust that Particular Flavor, Bolen Books, Victoria (Jan. 23, 7 p.m., free)
• Robbie Burns marathon poetry reading with haggis and shortbread, Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre, Vancouver (Jan. 25, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., free)
• CBC Radio and McNally Robinson host 5 Readers, 5 Writers, 5 Minutes, Winnipeg (Jan. 25, 8 p.m., free)
• Brian Brennan, author of Writing My Way From Ireland to Canada, and Frances Hern, author of Yip Sang and the First Chinese Canadians, read from their work and discuss the Canadian immigrant experience, Central branch, Calgary Public Library (Jan. 26, 12 to 1 p.m., free. Call 403-260-2620 to register)
• Ottawa Independent Writers presents “How to Write a Winning ‘How-To’ Book” with business author Dr. Denis Cauvier, Library & Archives Canada (Jan. 26, 7 p.m., $10, www.oiw.ca)
• Reading and book signing with UPEI writer-in-residence Michael Crummey, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown (Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m., free)

Quillblog is looking for photos from literary events across Canada. Send your photos to scflinn@quillandquire.com.

Slideshow: Introducing the 2012 Canada Reads finalists

If yesterday’s CBC Canada Reads public meet-and-greet in Toronto was any indication, the non-fiction contest, which airs in February 2012, will be a battle fuelled by strong personalities.

Canada Reads host Jian Ghomeshi introduced the five finalists and their defenders to a large lunch-hour crowd in the CBC’s Barbara Frum atrium.

The event ranged from sweet – Marina Nemat’s enthusiastic greeting to her defender Arlene Dickinson (“It’s like meeting a fictional character [from] Jane Austen”) – to the intense, with celebrity lawyer Anne-France Goldwater’s threats to “bust the balls” of her competitors.

Click on the photos for event highlights.

Canada Reads announces non-fiction nominees

The first ever non-fiction edition of CBC Canada Reads features five titles that chronicle everything from a cross-Canada musical tour, a woman’s harrowing experience in an Iranian prison, the hunt for a Siberian tiger, a coming-of-age story steeped in South American radical politics, and Canada’s national pastime, hockey.

Three of five nominees are titles published in the past five years; the most recently published title is Carmen Aguirre’s Something Fierce (Douglas & McIntyre), a Q&Q 2011 book of the year.

The finalists, with their celebrity defenders, are as follows.

• Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat (Penguin Canada), defended by Arlene Dickinson
• Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre (Douglas & McIntyre), defended by Shad
• The Tiger by John Vaillant (Vintage Canada), defended by Anne-France Goldwater
• On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini (McClelland & Stewart), defended by Stacey McKenzie
• The Game by Ken Dryden (Wiley Canada), defended by Alan Thicke