Canada Books

First of all, the title of the audio book "Canoeing With The Cree" is misleading. This work is not about Cree Indian canoeing style. Nor is it about a trip taken with Cree Indians. It is about two boys, Eric Sevareid (later a famous journalist and TV reporter) and Walter Port aged 17 and 19 respectively, who take the trip of a lifetime canoeing some 2200 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay over the course of one summer. Although they do occasionally paddle with or get assistance from both Indians and whites alike, they are pretty much on their own in the world of 1930- No GPS, no satellite phones and a route with long undeveloped stretches between towns and eventually trading posts. The route was incompletely mapped, and nobody could find record of this route having been used before. A better title might be "A Summer Canoe Adventure; Triumph Over Adversity" or just "From Minneapolis to Hudson Bay By Canoe".

Eric and Walter managed to obtain sponsorship from a local newspaper before they asked their parents for permission to take the trip. The parents reluctantly agreed... The boys quickly obtained a used canoe and christened it "Sans Souci". They packed a non-useful pup tent, mosquito netting, a .22 rifle, fishing gear, food, $5 and some traveler's checks and they were off!

From the beginning, they were doubted by nay-sayers who didn't believe they could do it. Even well into the trip, their final destination raised eyebrows. Indeed, it was a daunting task, and many miles had to be covered before the early winter freeze-up in the north country. In addition to pressure to beat the weather, Walter found out he was offered a college scholarship that would only be valid if he showed up at school in late September. The boys risked their futures and their lives by undertaking this trip.
Along the way they encounter blistering heat, and freezing cold, illness, injuries, doldrums and windy weather, flat water, rapids, and wind-blown whitecaps. At one point, they cheat a little and ride aboard a ship when they were wind-bound on Lake Winnipeg, but the majority of the trip was just the two boys paddling through wilderness, even many miles going upstream! There were many miles of portaging their boat and gear between waterways, only occasionally aided by a friendly passerby. Most meals they cooked themselves- Even a dinner of (ugh) carp! You can almost feel their struggle as the cover mile after mile, hour after hour racing towards the saltwater of Hudson Bay.

Their struggles were not always against the elements. Sometimes they got bad directions, including instructions to run the rapids on the right side of the river, when the safer course was belatedly found to be the left side. They made it through, but it was pointed out that the local Indians sometimes didn't... Another struggle they faced was a result of stress due to the elements arduous journey, when they briefly came to blows. Fortunately, they got past their fight and continued on their journey and remained lifelong friends.

This audio-book is highly recommended, and is worthy of repeated listenings.

The late CBS News Correspondent Eric Sevareid's highly regarded adventure chronicle Canoeing With The Cree has been given new life in an enjoyable audiobook production released by Holton House Audio. The story, as written by the late Mr. Sevareid, is one of an epic journey through the Canadian wilderness during the summer and fall of 1930. Sevareid and his friend Walter Port, both just teenagers, set out from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in an attempt to do what no one else had ever done before: canoe over 2,200 miles north to the Atlantic Ocean.

Holton House Audio chose Mr. John Farrell to record Sevareid's epic tale, and it has chosen well. Mr. Farrell's pleasant baritone displays a wide range of emotion that consistently matches both the intensity and innocence of Mr. Sevareid's story, and Farrell's reading style adds what almost seems like visual and sensory components to the recording. At times, as I listened, I could see and sense the stillness of the Canadian wilderness that Mr. Sevareid experienced, while at other times, the tone in Farrell's voice led me to imagine the deafening roar of crashing rapids. I could sense the perils that Sevareid and his friend faced on many occasions. Also, Mr. Farrell's ability to give characters in the story their own unique voices added yet another enjoyable aspect to this quality recording.

I found it refreshing that Canoeing With The Cree was exciting, and yet profanity-free. The recording would be a great addition to any public library's audio collection, and it would also be appropriate for use in High School English classrooms. I intend to start using it in my own Alternative Education High School class this fall, and will make this wholesome and engaging story a regular part of my curriculum for many years to come.

Eric Sevareid's Canoeing With The Cree is a great story, and it's been well told by Mr. John Farrell. I highly recommend this new Holton House Audio recording.

This story is about two high school boys who decided to take a canoe trip during the summer of 1930. Not only is it an adventurous tale but it is a lesson about survival and the determination to accomplish a goal. It is well written and very descriptive making the journey very realistic. This is a must read especially for teenagers who love the sport of canoeing.

2250 miles in a canoe - a great adventure and a book worth reading. I can't add much that isn't already perfectly described in this book.

At the start of the trip during a brief stay in Fargo, North Dakota, a friend and doctor named Frederick Gronvold sets the boys on their journey in a proper frame of mind. "Don't let anyone, no matter who he is, convince you that your trip can't be completed. You have youth and strength, and courage too, I hope, and with a little common sense you can do it."

When the journey finally ends and the boys share their tale with the adults at York Factory, they are asked why? Bud responds simply, "Oh, for pleasure, I guess." A journey simply for the sake of the adventure. It is an idea lost on some of the adults listening to the boys. "Pleasure! What a jolly funny kind of pleasure!" Better yet, maybe the idea isn't lost. Colonel Reid continues, "Oh well, that's youth. Things look different when you're young, I suppose. My word, I almost believe I envy you."

Enjoy the beginning and the end; enjoy the pineapples and everything in between. Enjoy the journey simply for the journey; it's an adventure that is perfect for any reader of any age!

"Eric Sevareid made his name as a CBS news correspondent. But at a young age, Sevareid experienced an adventure most only dream of. Sevareid detailed the journey in his book "Canoeing with the Cree". Now to mark the 75th anniversary of Sevareid's journey, two Minnesota men plan to make the same trip." Tim Post

In 1930 two young men paddled their way from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in Canada. A trip of 2200 miles. Everyone told them it could not be done. Eric Sevareid, then a 17 year old, fresh graduate of high school, and his best buddy, Walter Port, planned the entire trip. They garnered financial support, collected supplies and a canoe and paddles and off they went. Five months later after trials and tribulations, they made it to Hudson Bay. Their journey is documented by Eric Sevareid, who gathered the weekly diaries he sent to their local Minneapolis paper, and in 1935, he wrote this book.

I stepped back in time to the 1930's when life seemed to be more innocent and the world a safer place to be. Sevareid who went on to become one of the most revered journalists of our time, wrote in an unpretentious manner, and we can feel the excitement of their adventures. They traversed unknown land and water. No one, it seems, had ever accomplished this trek. Even the best canoeists in the country failed. How then, did these two young lads accomplish this journey? Intelligence and good luck, I'd say. They questioned everyone they met, took upon themselves to digest all of the information and made decisions based on their best judgement. And, most of the time they were correct. They had no radio, no maps( this was uncharted country), little preserved food except for hardtack, but they had their ingenuity and the assistance of all of the people they met.

The North Country was mostly woods. Camps, small towns and two larger towns had been established for hunting and trapping. Most of the humans they met were Indians who were kind and generous. As a matter of fact, most of the people they met were in awe of their journey and shared whatever food, equipment and conversation they were capable. The trip was amazing when we look at the obstacles they faced. Water, roaring cold water, sometimes rapids, sometimes falls, no maps, only the word of mouth of strangers, and cold brutal weather at times. Or hot humid weather with flies and gnats. They discovered all sorts of wild animals but were never in real danger. They had their tent, two paddles, food, water, ponchos and several blankets. This seems like a story of new adventurers discovering a new world, and in fact this is what they were. Two 17 year old lads set out on an adventure and one day after another they found one. Extraordinary when you think about it.

Since the time of Eric and Walter, several other duos have made the trip by canoe. However, they had maps, food that could be kept for months and the best of camping equipment. This is not to lessen these young men's courage, but to think 78 years ago, this was accomplished with such primitive arrangments and care.

This was an exciting read and one page after another flew by. The book was difficult to put down. Easy, simplistic writing. but some of the most important writing I have found. The boys parents and friends did not hear from them often and at times, I am sure the parents were worried. But the two lads persevered and the trip was taken.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 06-26-08

Not So Wild a Dream

The Eleanor Roosevelt Story

December 14, 2005

Woonsocket Harris Public Library Board of Trustees
Diane Rivers, Chair
Dorian Parker, Vice-Chair
Lisa Sparks, Secretary
John Pellizzari
Ernest "Buddy" DiSpirito
303 Clinton Street
Woonsocket, RI 02895-3214
Fax: 401-767-4140

Dear Members of the Woonsocket Harris Public Library Board of Trustees,

On behalf of the 2,900 members of PEN American Center, an international organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, we are writing to express our deep concern over the fact that the Woonsocket Public Library Trustees are considering a request to ban It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl written by native Woonsocket author-artist Charleen Touchette.

We understand that a citizen request to ban the book was made at the Library Trustees' September meeting. The Library Trustees removed the book from the Woonsocket Harris Public Library shelves after the September meeting pending a decision.

It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl, the latest work by author-artist Charleen Touchette, invites you into the provincial world of a French Canadian girl in Rhode Island who cannot tell anybody her family secrets. Years later when she has her first daughter she must relive her childhood to heal the future generations of her family. It is a story of survival and triumph as a victim of childhood abuse and was written for an adult audience. The novel tells a realistic story with complex figures. Such books help readers approach sensitive topics and figure out how to deal with them. Even if the novel's themes are too mature for some, they will be meaningful to others. No book is right for everyone, and the role of the library is to allow community members to make choices according to their own interests, experiences, and family values.

Author Charleen Touchette, a member of our colleague organizations PEN USA and the Author's Guild, advocates for the freedom to write worldwide. It Stops with Me has been praised by authors Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Louise Erdrich, Margaret Randall, Ana Pacheco, and Winona LaDuke, and received a Foreword Book of the Year 2004 Finalist Award.

PEN American Center respectfully asks you to deny the request to ban It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl and to return it to library shelves. By doing so, you will be upholding a fundamental principle of freedom: the right of all Americans to read, inquire, question, and think for themselves.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Hannah Pakula

Larry Siems
Chair, Freedom to Write Committee Director, Freedom to Write
and International Programs

An autobiography of a spunky Franco-American woman from Woonsocket, Rhode Island gives cultural storytelling multi-generational appeal. Too many Franco-Americans (with ancestral roots in French-Canada) are quickly amalgamating into the mainstream of American culture without writing their special family stories. Fortunately, Charleen Touchette, a Woonsocket, Rhode Island writer and artist now living in New Mexico, puts both of her pleasingly creative talents together in "It Stops With Me: Memoir of a Cannuck Girl".
Touchette writes about her Franco-American roots by relating simple, often bittersweet and even brutal experiences growing up as a typical French Catholic girl in Woonsocket and later as an accomplished artist.
Moreover, Touchette energizes her autobiography's prose with a series of original black, and white and color print blocks. In other words, "It Stops With Me" expresses Touchette's Franco-American creativity using prose accentuated by her surprisingly cutting edge original art describing absorbing coming of age experiences. Her journey from a parochial Franco-American into her adult life is fraught with opportunities, along with unexpected harsh challenges. Her life is ordinary in some ways but hardly a nostalgic cake walk.
"It Stops With Me" is at its best when Touchette looks back and elevates normal Franco-American experiences to familiarities we can identify with. For example, she describes cooking with her "Ma Tantes" or getting ready to receive First Holy Communion at Woonsocket's Eglise Précieux-Sang (Church of Precious Blood).
Discord arises at a young age. Growing up as a French Roman Catholic girl is an underlying theme. Touchette's typical childhood is without the benefit of feeling safe at home, as she depicts in one of her portraits of a "Not a Picture Perfect Family".
Rather, Touchette's absorbing life story endures familial stress, social and personal conflicts, even leading to physical ailments, which haunt her into adult years.
Touchette's hard hitting narrative is set apart from others of the modern autobiographic genre by the intimate and complicated relationships she shares with her family. Delving even deeper into her private spiral are the intense personal investigations Touchette undertakes with regard to her sad relationship with her father.
Nevertheless, in spite of the particular circumstances, it's typical of Franco-Americans to harbor deep attachments for their relatives and parents regardless of obvious flaws, shortcomings or even family violence. Female family role models are especially strong in Touchette's life. "Although my Maman was a devout Catholic, she was a strong supporter of my right to freedom of expression," writes Touchette. In fact, her female relatives were outraged when Touchette even considered not going to college after high school. In her Woonsocket Franco-Americans world, Touchette writes about how curious it was to be singled out for college when no other woman in her family ever went beyond a high school education.
Throughout the autobiography, her French heritage is front and center, even when she embraces the peace of Judaism.
Many of the book's chapters are charmingly led by simple French titles.
Touchette's talent as a creative writer moves the reader beyond the dark side of her autobiography. Using the power of words, she inspires us to learn more about her as an individual woman with a spellbinding story to tell. Touchette does a good job explaining the pros and cons of the personal contrasts she inherited from her religious and ethnic roots. This is a well written autobiography, nominated for book awards, with a progressive social focus.

"This book is incredible." Louise Erdrich
"beautiful book." Lawrence Ferlinghetti
"Tough, evocative, border-crossing, honest, unflinching...large enough so it can embrace its readers. Margaret Randall, Author. PEN NM Lifetime Achievement Awardee 2005
"An emotion-charged story of initial struggle and ultimate success...a must in any library collection." Book Wire
"magnificent in its courage and decency." Sam Ballen Author Without Reservations.

Great Reads - New Mexico Magazine, April 2005 p. 45.
Personal Journeys: More Than Just Survival by Michelle Miller Allen
"Our girlhood years, formed in various cultures and family configurations-from the most abusive to the most loving-and tempered by the social prejudices and taboos of one's time-are where we begin our journeys into adulthood. These factors have much to do with whether we will just survive or become empowered by the most demanding, even devastating, events on our individual paths.
It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl by Charleen Touchette (TouchArt Books 2004) Touchette's memoir opens the doors into the lives of women who shaped her childhood into adulthood-the healers, storytellers, homemakers, and artists. This most compelling book includes fascinating color and black and white reproductions of the author's artwork over three decades. The book charts Touchette's journey from a French Canadian/RhodeIsland childhood at the hands of an abusive alcoholic father, to Wellesley College, to New York City's culture of arts, to Minnesota and Indian Country.
Touchette combines the voice of the reminiscing adult writer/artist with that of a child obsessed with "making things" as a survival mechanism. Abusive parents seem to bank on the false assumption that their children, as adults, will not remember abuse. Yet anyone who doubts the intelligence and level of awareness in a young, abused human being should read the end of Chapter "Forsythia Blossoms": "I do not know when I started fighting back. I do not have a memory of when Daddy started hitting me. I was too young. But I do remember clearly the moment when I looked up at my dad's face, and realized he was a fool. I was seven."

Reviewer Jennifer Lefkowitz chose "It Stops with Me" as the Book Special for "Girlfriends Magazine" November 2005 issue, p. 58 with two color photos of Touchette's art.

"It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Cannuck Girl"

"Charleen Touchette's memoir is healing and cathartic, a story of survival and triumph as a victim of childhood abuse. The author is an artist, and throughout the book she showcases her paintings, which resemble the work of painter Frida Kahlo. Like Kahlo, Touchette survived vehicle collisions; after a spine injury she is able to connect her past to her present. This compelling memoir dives into the dark trenches of that past, confronting memories with ancient practices. "I learned it is the task of all human beings to cut through the fog and illusion of maya, and reconnect with the light." A - Jennifer Lefkowitz

"Water Illumination" (top) and "Boom Boom Boom" are two of the many paintings which illustrate the author's journey."

Charleen Touchette's story "The Pie Religion" is online in the May issue of Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

"What a loving, touching article! I could see, smell, hear everything, thanks to your beautiful descriptions. And what memories of my own childhood you brought back; we, too, had a pie religion among the women in our large family. My mother even had a modest business of making pies for the restaurants and the hotel in our little Northern Vermont town.
Indeed, the secret to pie-making is passed on from mother to daughter to daughter as a sacred tradition.
Thanks for a great read!
I've recommended your article to several people, with my comment that if I could write as well as you, I'd give up quilting and stitching...and making pies!"
Louise Dubrule

This product was shipped to me quickly and was in good shape when it arrived.

As a digital citizen and knowledge worker, I found this book valuable in explaining how, more than ever, corporations and their executives are being held more accountable by the public. And because information is instantaneous due to the internet, this book advises that corporations should have transparency plans built into their organizational strategies, lest they fall victim to bad press at some point. What is surprising, is unlike what companies want people to think, the average worker is now more empowered then ever to make companies have more integrity. The book also provides suggestions to planning around transparency and they site the companies who have come back after bad press. This book is complimentary to the books written by Peter Drucker and by John C. Bogle. Excellent!

This is from my blog (which is why it is written this way)

On the Flight to Fremont, I read "The Naked Corporation - How the age of transparency will revolutionize business". You likely think I must have issues since I always read about "naked" (Like "Naked Conversations") but don't worry - its not like that. In this age of Search Engine Optimization, I wonder if the authors thought they might get more hits but that is another topic.

The Naked Corporation talks about the transparency needed in todays post Enron, post Worldcom environment. The basic thesis of the book is that this transparency is good. I agree. It talks about the benefits to the company for being transparent and how it saves money and builds support for the company.

If I have a counter view, it is not to transparency it is to Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) which attempts to legislate ethics and in doing so imparts a huge cost and overhead which ironically might hurt the very shareholders they seek to protect. In some cases, SOX is like buying a safe for $1000 to protect $500 worth of valuables.

The book actually did make the point that often companies are not transparent because the law requires them to complicate things. Just look at the filings and annual reports of many companies. Warren Buffet says "you should be able to understand the financial statements of a company in a few minutes".

One part of the book I found interesting was the story of poor ethics and no transparency at Chiquita Bananas. Fortunately, they have moved to high transparency and appear to have mended their ways. (Fortunate because I like bananas).

One quote which I love (and will use) is by Warren Buffet "If you lose dollars for the firm by bad decisions, I will be very understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless." I have believed for a long time the reputation is far more important than money. I like many of Warren Buffets' philosophies and in a article some years ago, EMJ was cited as being a perfect Warren Buffet company. I am not sure when it comes to ethics though that selling sugar water (Coke - on of Warren Buffets' companies) would count as good ethics. So as with everything, I need to filter what I like about someone from what I do not. Learn from the good.

Authors Don Tapscott and David Ticoll examine the managerial implications of the age of transparency. Now that the Internet has enabled employees, suppliers, consumers, gadflies, critics and casual lookers to get and swap previously confidential information about companies, the business environment will never be its old self again. Companies have no confidentiality, no privacy and no way to dodge the truth. Those with nowhere to hide must to get accustomed to life in the open. It's not so bad. But to prosper in this wide-open world, managers need to understand that the new way of life has different demands than the old one. Although many of this book's recommendations have become fairly well known, we find plenty of insights that remain fresh and worth reading.

This is a very good book which has opened my eyes into looking for companies that are honest and transparent with their customers, shareholders and employees. This book calls companies to stop hidding behind secrets that destroy corporations (Enron and others) and start being transparent, by providing informaiton to your customers, shareholders and employees. Companies need to show that they are responsible to the environment, to their stakeholders and other corporations. This book is calling companies to be ethical in their daily transactions and gives example after example of corporations who have fallen because they tried to hide the truth. This book shows that we need strong ethical people to run todays corporations and we as investors need to reward companies who are starting to become transparent. At the same time we need to punish companies who are not taking responsibility for their actions and wrong doings. This book also points out that most investors are blind with their investments and don't even realize what their largest investment is invested in (for most people their largest investment is their pension plan, and I admit I don't know what mine is invested in). This is a very good book and has opened my eyes to at least see what's going on out there and provided me with the tools to do some research and make sure I reward companies that are making an effort to save our environment and be honest with employee's, investors, stakeholders, and customers. The one question I have is are we raising a generation that will be able to have the
qualities needed to run the corporations of tomorrow... Great book...

this book is my favorite, ive read it 3 times becaue i cant let any of that wonder book escape my mind because i want to remember it forever.if you are thinking about buying this book, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!! you will love it and catch yourself wanting to read it over and over again.

this book is my favorite, ive read it 3 times becaue i cant let any of that wonder book escape my mind because i want to remember it forever.if you are thinking about buying this book, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!! you will love it and catch yourself wanting to read it over and over again.

No Small Thing
By: Natale Ghent

Twelve-year-old Nathaniel and his sisters, Cid and Queenie, find an ad for a free pony, and they just can't believe their luck when their single mom says yes they can get it. But how will they afford to take care of it and where will they keep it? Well Nat has money he's been saving in a box his dad gave him. He has $95.36 from his paper route. He uses that money to feed and clean Smokey. But when they are on the way home from getting Smokey, (Queenie's riding) they get attacked by a big dog, which spooks Smokey and Queenie falls off and breaks her collarbone. They were all scared. But they make it through it, all the fighting and tears and form a special bond. -Smokey. Well one day the barn Smokey stays at, catches fire. It destroys the barn completely, so where will they keep Smokey? Nat sells him. It hurts to sell Smokey, but he knows it's the right thing to do.

i really liked this book at first i thought it was going to be about some sappy horse story but it wasn't it was a tale of the hardships the characters face and in the middle of it all is the horse the end

I absolutly love this book. It is a MUST read! If you want to find out more about this book take a look at the other reviews on this page.


I LOVED IT!!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!

from a fellow horses lover

Peter Jennings was taken from us at the pinnacle of his
career. He shaped the news in many areas like the
ABC Nightly News. The book provides many specifics about
his life and career. There are memorable pictures
contained throughout the book. i.e.
o The Miss Canada Pageant of 1965
o various political conventions
o the Munich Olympics
o the Clinton Presidential Inaugural of 1997
o a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991

The acquisition would be perfect for persons interested
in journalism, politics and government.

This book is purchased for our Book Club for next year's books. Several of our members had read it to be sure it was okay. It was difficult to purchase - first we had to wait till it was published (you know how THat goes!) and then the price was exhorbitant (that was overcome) and finally it joined the other books we purchased for the Club. Oh, and say, did I mention that this is a book for next year's selections? and that it will be much like "saving it for dessert?" I haven't read it yet either - just scanned through it, and therefore I know it to be the "icing on the cake."

I was never a regular viewer of Peter Jennings' news broadcast or any of his documentaries, but now I wish I was.

This book pointed out all the great time, effort and blood, sweat and tears that Peter Jennings put into all segments of his broadcast and documentaries. He did not take his anchor position lightly and wanted all viewers to share his same passion and understanding of the subjects he was speaking.

It also went into great depth to speak of the man that none of us saw on his nightly newscasts. One who was such a humanitarian and lover off people from all different walks of life.

This book kept my attention and made me feel sad that I did not pay closer attention to his newscast while he was still with us.

If you loved Peter Jennings you will love this book. It was written in an innovative style by way of an amalgam interviews with his colleagues. If you are looking for dirt on Peter skip this book, but if you want to relive the hundreds of wonderful hours you spent with him on your TV, this book does the trick. Your memory might also be jogged when you read the many adjectives describing him in the book: charming, distinctive, exuberant, thoughtful, reflective, gracious, caring, sincere, whimsical, questioning, authentic, direct, gentle of spirit, warm, great sense of humor, intelligent.

I loved the insight many of the contributors gave, as well as the quotes from Peter: "He connected with every person he met. He didn't use them." "He had this life force that seemed to surround him--his enthusiasms, his boundless energy and curiosity. He was one of those people that was just a great sense of nirvana to be around." "And when he was faced with the actual test, he instantly did the right thing." Peter: "Be spare, be precise, take your time, and don't say too much. Let each work carry the weight of the story....communicate in a concise way."

Peter would ask, "What are we going to do today what will distinguish us?" He despised predictability, mediocrity of any kind, laziness." "Listening to Peter was...riveting." Peter WAS riveting, and so is this book!

Bill Kizorek, CEO, Two Parrot Productions

When ABC newsman Peter Jennings died from lung cancer in 2005, he left a void in the industry that has yet to be filled. Along with the likes of Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, Jennings helped revolutionize television news, sitting on both sides of the desk, transforming the genre from a 15-minute afterthought to a major component of network broadcasting.

The editors of PETER JENNINGS: A REPORTER'S LIFE, including his wife, have collected the thoughts and memories of scores of family, friends and colleagues who are universal in their praise and turned these stories into an oral biography. It seems as if Jennings was almost predisposed to the profession. As the son of one of Canada's most respected radio broadcasters, he got an early start, hosting his own children's show as a nine-year-old. Formal education held little interest for Jennings; these days he might have been diagnosed with ADD. His success, despite dropping out of high school, was truly remarkable.

Jennings was just 26 when he was handed the anchor assignment for ABC News in 1965, a job to which he admitted he was not suited at the time. He earned his stripes by going out into the field --- far, far afield to Europe and the Middle East where he thrived on the exotic surroundings and the action.

The entries in A REPORTER'S LIFE reveal a man in a hurry, ever curious and always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even when that meant putting himself in harm's way. Jennings was no "Scud-stud," a term used to describe reporters who made a name for themselves during the first war in Iraq; he didn't even like to fly. But he impressed everyone, from his sound men to heads of state, with his ability to soak up information and present it to his audience.

When he stepped down as an active reporter to once again take over the anchor desk for ABC News, he brought that same restlessness with him. He was a demanding boss, always expecting the reporters to do the same thorough job he did. But his humanity was always evident. During the coverage on 9/11, he wanted the audience to see the devastation of the World Trade Center rather than in-studio shots of him. And he was never afraid to defer to experts or admit he did not know every issue involved.

Many of those interviewed said that Jennings never wanted to be the center of attention, which made his on-air revelation of his illness all the more conflicting. For him, it served as an abject lesson, another chance to educate his viewers.

The format of A REPORTER'S LIFE both works and doesn't work. Since it's not a straightforward biography, it appears choppy at times, a series of mini-monologues interspersed with Jennings's own words. It is also understandably biased; you won't find too many speaking ill of him. On the other hand, these are the people who knew Jennings best, and the book serves as their final chance to pay him tribute.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

I have enjoyed Carly Milne's writing since her days blogging, through "Naked Ambition" and now including her honest, heartbreaking, insightful, cathartic and also funny "Sexology". It deals with very tough, personal topics but I appreciate that Ms Milne has shared so much of her past, through the terrible, the joyous and the sublime. Admittedly, the abuse she endures, verbal, emotionally and physical, can be difficult to learn about and make one aghast in anger at her abusers, but again I appreciated being allowed along on her journey from start to present, to see how these events affected her different at different times, how they were incorporated into her total person and how she emerged as victorious... I often read several books at once and switch off every other day but with "Sexology" it was the first time in awhile that I could not put the book down and didn't want to be diverted by another book on my shelves!

When I picked up my copy of Sexography, the store clerk said to me that she had read it and had met the author, and was "proud of her"... I thought that was a funny thing to say so I asked her what she meant -- did she know Carly? She said no, but "I just think she's so brave." I wasn't sure what to make of that, until I read the book for myself.

Time for some full disclosure: I've known Carly for several years and have always known her to take a more or less "open book" approach in her writing. So I wasn't surprised to find the same quality in Sexography. But I do think it's a brave book, for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, I think it takes courage to talk about sexual abuse and rape when one has had the experience (as Carly did) of being disbelieved by your parents. But the other place her courage really shines through is in her remarkable resilience. This book tells the story of a woman who comes through some pretty intense emotional stuff, and who isn't content to just stop feeling bad -- she pushes well beyond that to a place of real wholeness and health. It's inspiring, and a story well worth telling.

Before reading this book, I knew Carly well enough to know that she had some battle scars from her past; but I didn't know quite what a survivor she is. Actually, survivor is the wrong word -- she's a thriver.

Carly's book left a strong and lasting impression on me. I found it to be a journey that every woman should travel, as I felt myself grow in strength and resolve as she does, overcoming the odds to find her voice--and one with an amazingly discerning eye and superior sense of humor.

It's an inch, by inch description of how one young girl, then woman searched and earned her own sense of self, and self esteem. There are no short cuts or platitudes that can erase an abusive past--the secret to healing really lies in hard work and perseverance. Struggling to create your own anchor, (one's sense of self, and a grid of values of your own making) is a universal, coming-of-age-and-beyond struggle. What makes this book so intriguing is that the subject matter, a "Sexography" throws in sharp relief many of the issues women face, from wanting and needing a man who is not good for them, to how to fathom and take advantage of the great experience sex can be. But basically, this book is about LIFE, how to make peace with the one you've got, and embrace all the possibilities it has to offer in the midst of sacrifice, pain and disappointments...this should be required reading for every young woman.

I found Carly Milne's powerful memoir almost impossible to put down. It is profoundly moving, at times humorous and often heartbreaking, but just as the author comes to feel gratitude for the strength she's gained from her life's challenges, the reader too will feel thankful for the courage and honesty of this book. Even if you haven't personally experienced sexual abuse, every woman (and man) will recognize the issues raised here--the struggle to move from sexual object to sexual agent, to find nourishing intimacy with others, and to love and respect ourselves and in a society that is often hostile to these goals. Milne reminds us that when we write thoughtfully about sex, we're also writing about all of the deep, dark, scary and beautiful reasons we do it. Popular magazines these days are full of broken promises to reveal the secrets of sex to readers hungry for the truth--Sexography actually delivers some genuine answers. Highly recommended.

With a title like SEXOGRAPHY and a cover image so enticing, if one is to judge this book by its cover, one might guess that this book is filled with lurid, shocking, and downright naughty stories about sex, sex, sex!

And while there are some very naughty stories indeed, notice line underneath the title of the book: One Woman's Journey from Ignorance to Bliss!

This is not just a book about sex; it's an honest account of Carly's sexual journey through her first three decades of life... the good, the bad, and the ugly... set in the context of how her sexuality affected her life in the larger picture. Instead of a one-sided analysis of her sex life, Carly delves deep into the various aspects of all the emotions, behaviors, life-changing decisions, and other ways that sex gets wrapped in our lives.

I hope that in another 30 years, Carly will consider a follow-up sex memoir book to tell all about her next 3 decades!

Another weird book by Munsch.

Kristen's clueless parents drive to the zoo instead of the hospital when her mom is in labor. Three times, they ignore their daughter's warnings that their son is another's, and three times they get whapped in the face by the not-a-people-baby.

Finally, Kristen has to save the day, which she does in a quick and admirable way (the illustrations in the zoo are funny in and of themselves, by the way). Everybody gets their own baby back, and we're told that everything is fine from then on... until Kristen's mom had twins. (Uh-oh.)

This book is so absurd, you can't not love it. I really recommend it to anybody having a second child. It's a wonderful change of pace from standard "new baby" books.

My 20 month old daughter loves it. I'm not sure that she connects it to her 2 month old brother, but she sure enjoys having us read it to her. She pulls it out again and again and screams along!

I read Alligator Baby. I liked this book because it has funny pictures. In the book I read that the "gorilla grabbed her mom's ear and the father's ear and they both yelled Aaaaaaahhhhhaaaaa!" This helped convince me that it was a good book.

I love Robert Munsch and this is one of his books that the kids in my 2nd grade class loved the most!

This is a good book for when bringing home baby. We bought it for our toddler as a fun way to explain that we are bringing him a baby brother from the hospital.

I flew through this book because I could not stop reading it. The details of life growing up in the Bronx were truly mind blowing, especially for someone who grew up in a super sheltered environment.

However, the best part of this book is how Canada relates how the gun culture has doomed inner city children to an adolescence of violence and how something must be done to change this.

This is the most powerful anti-gun books I have ever read, and the message isn't shoved down your throat, it's told through the author's own life experience which makes it that more powerful.

A must read.

This is hands down one of the best books I have read. Not only does Geoffrey Canada explain in gritty detail the inner workings of ghetto society, he also lists solid well-thought solutions, which would enable inner city youth and residents to rise above poverty and despair. We, the people, have turned a cheek for much too long. Something really can be done. This book should be required reading for high school and college-level coursework.

Dr. Canada presents an emotive argument for gun control through story and eclecticism. He makes an interesting case for the slide from Fist to Gun without ever dealing with the reason for the violence of fist and/or gun. One might argue with his conclusions though one cannot argue with his heart's concern as to the results caused by the increased violence. Overall, a good read for thought and/or argument.

I personally have had the opportunity to hear Geoffrey Canada speak at my college twice, he an alumni of Bowdoin College. Not only is his book inspiring, he spoke to my class about joining the "losing team", and making a difference in the lives of others, like those of the South Bronx and Harlem, NY. Not only has he lived to tell, he has taken his experiences and turned them into something very positive, by developing and running the Harlem Children Zone, making a difference to those children there. The book is a great read for anybody who is an urban educator, or involved in social services.

Canada grew up poor in the South Bronx in the '50s. Violence, then, as now, was a way of life. All boys fought - life was worse for those who refused. Violence and the rituals surrounding it established the social pecking order. In the preface to his memoir Canada says, "The difference is that we never had so many guns in our inner cities."

Canada's first memory of street violence came at age 4, when his two older brothers had a jacket stolen at the playground. The boys' mother sent them right back to fetch it, promising them a beating "ten times as bad as what that little thief could do to you," if they failed.

They left the house in tears and returned triumphant, with the jacket. Their mother sat them down and told them it was a lesson in not becoming a victim. The author, her youngest, was unconvinced.

Then a neighborhood boy who habitually refused to fight was "stretched" over a car and savagely beaten by a group of boys. "The lesson was brutal and unmistakable. No matter who you fought, he could never beat you that bad."

Canada's memoir is a thoughtful, moving portrayal of social behavior in a culture of violence. A quick study, Canada learned to use posturing, attitude and negotiation as well as his fists to minimize the number and severity of violent encounters.

But he is absolutely convinced that violence is a learned response, not innate. He and the other small boys, says Canada, were aghast at the prospect of fighting. Only fear of worse violence and a life of cowering in corners spurred them to fight.

Today, says Canada, the same imperatives operate. But guns have shattered the rituaized formality of the pecking order. Toughness is no longer determined by fighting skills or "heart" but by willingness to pull the trigger.
This is the book's most chilling precept. The streets are now ruled by those whose most important attribute is a lack of compunction about killing.

Canada's own experience as a gun carrier is a perfect illustration. Home from college he found a nearby street ruled by a gang of toughs so intimidating he would take a circuitous route to avoid them. So he bought a gun. Carrying it, he found his whole personality changed.

Instead of avoiding the block or even crossing the street he would swagger through the gang, his whole attitude provoking a challenge. But back at school in bucolic Maine he saw his behavior in a different light. Appalled at how close he'd come to shooting someone, he threw away the gun.

Those who don't leave the ghetto don't have the luxury of contemplation.

Canada has devoted his life to helping poor children and reducing street violence. Today he runs a program which offers classes and recreational activities which involve the whole community. The Rheedlen Center uses public school buildings, open 17 hours a day, in an effort to provide children and families with safety.

At the end of the book, Canada offers a program for solving the problems of violence in the inner cities. Chief among them is getting handguns off the streets by using buyback programs, registration at the place of manufacture (so any gun can be traced) and registration of ammunition.

Whether the reader agrees with his solutions or not, Canada's memoir is powerful testimony of a future of little hope without major change. It is also a riveting and convincing personal history.

I remember reading this book way back in Grade 12. Its not so way back considering that it was probably two or three years ago. This book ranks among the best war books I have ever read. In some places, I laughed so hard I nearly dropped a lung. In other places, I remember being so sombre and imaging the horror experienced by Mowat and his band of Hasty Ps.

This is a must read for any Canadian even remotely interested in the Canadian role in World War II.

I didn't really want to read another war book, but a friend convinced me he thought this was the best one ever written. However, I came away from it thinking it wasn't as good as "The Forgotten Soldier". The last chapter about the battle over the Moro river was just as good. However, the depth of the first three chapters I felt was diminished by the author's sense of humor and his tendency to exaggerate. For example, the dying of the inscrutable A K Long - taking out his pipe for a smoke and a book to read when he was so seriously wounded, calm in the midst of terror - struck me as unrealistic. In sum, this was a good book but I would say, not really memorable.

I bought this book almost in a state of doubt. I had seen the name Farley Mowat and automatically assumed it was a good piece of writing as is most if not all of his other pieces of work. He is perhaps one if not the best Canadian writer ever to pick up a pen and paper. And after reading this book, i quickly realized why.

I had been searching for a book that could possibly inform and educate me on a Canadian's standpoint of the second world war. I quickly realized that I had picked out a good book. It puts you in the mind of a young man reaching adulthood and as had every other young man at the time, had his mind set in joining his fellow Canadians and Allies in the battle. This mindframe had been to be fairly excited and actually happy to go to the frontlines. As it had obviously not been programmed to the unfortunate reality of the war itself. Farley Mowat tells a great and wonderful story of his life before and during the timeline of the Canadian military's part in the war itself. Whether it was the obvious anxiety of waiting to be shipped overseas to the frontlines, or the brutal and graphic reality of the battle itself, Mowat unveils a true and dramtically emotional story of World War II.

Myself I was seaching for a book such as this one. It retold the historically correct graphic and terrifying nature of war, more specifically that of the Second World War. I know that one such as myself will never know and hopefully never experience the reality of war but, I can honestly say that I have infinite gratitude and thanks for those who fought for our freedom. All in all, a WONDERFUL book and I highly recommend it to any Farley Mowat fans or anyone who likes great historical literature. I just cannot seem to express how great of a book this really was. Hope you like it too!

Undeniably the best war memoir written by a Canadian who served in the Second World War. The book chronicles Mowat's experiences in 1943 as a participant in the invasion of Sicily and Italy, and in classic Mowat style captures both the stark reality and lighter side of his experiences. Mowat also wrote a history of his unit--one of the first books he published, and which was later revised (and is somewhat difficult to find at the moment)--entitled The Regiment.

This book was a great surprise for me. I picked it up at a local library because I saw the name Mowat and thought, "Funny, Isn't he a Canadian naturalist? What's he doing in the History section?" What followed was a fascinating voyage of war,adventure,hilarity and,ultimately,tragedy and pain. Walking into the experience of WWII with a completely innocent demeanor, anxious to get into a fight, this brilliant writer has many funny and almost fatal false starts. When the fighting gets serious, the glib descriptions of his units treacherous challenges are positively riveting. I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. If you like your war personal, exciting and honest, get this book to a comfortable chair and be prepared to not move for a night and a day. A brilliant book by a Canadian national treasure.

I read this book and thought, yes this Frenchman makes many derogatory and embarassingly insensitive remarks about the Inuit. However, contrary to what one reviewer said below in "Good descriptions, bad insights, July 27, 2005", the author slowly develops a great respect for the intelligence, culture and abilities of these people so much so that he begins to emulate them. It is a subtle conversion story wrapped in a fabulous adventure; thoroughly enjoyable and well worth reading.

My good friend and I were talking a while back after I had watched the movie The Fast Runner, which he had recommended. Talk got around to my deciding to send him my old childhood copy (out of print, I believe) of Peter Freuchen's Book of the Eskimos, and his deciding to send me his old childhood copy of Kabloona. Neither of us had ever heard of the other's book. I must say, as much as I've always liked Freuchen, I got the better of the deal!

What a wonderful book. So well written, such nice storytelling, so enjoyable, refreshingly honest, and unexpectedly insightful. It is haunting. It really is in a class by itself, although I have trouble putting my finger on exactly why this is so. All I know is that I did not want it to end, as I'm sure the author did not want his time in the North to end. And, like him, I don't think it will be the same if I go back and try it again. And I know I also had a strange feeling throughout which only later I identified as a form of envy, envy for the experiences this man had and for his ability to experience them so deeply. I've seldom felt envy mixed with awe and admiration like this before.

Of all the book, I was most deeply moved by his account of the priest out in the middle of nowhere who had survived and kept warm in incredible cold merely through the power of faith and prayer. Humbling.

A man comes out of nowhere, lives these experiences, writes this incredible book, and disappears back into nowhere. Amazing. Read it.

The audio CD is outstanding...indeed the best I have ever listened to. For one thing, the narrator is marvelous in recreating both the 1930's world of France and Frozen Canada. I can't think of any other book or audio that so successfully transported me into an alien culture. Considering that there are quite a few films and books about Eskimos, why buy this one written 70 years ago? Answer: the literary quality of this work surpasses the prose of the last quarter century. When you listen to the narrator weave his tale, it mirrors the experience of hearing a tobacco chewing explorer slowly recounting his adventures in the wild. The story dives deep into the interior life of the author as much as it details an ethnographic examination of (primitive) Inuit life. The myths and values of the Eskimos contrast sharply with the borgeouis morals of a gentleman of Paris. For example, in Eskimo culture, there is little concept of private property...that's why an Eskimo man will let you borrow his wife or a snow knife. Language in the arctic is far more concrete. A polar bear is HE WHO HAS NO SHADOW. Far away, in the cold Arctic, author Grontran De Poncins learns what it means to be human, a man preeminently. This is a romance, a classic reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe. If you buy the audio CD, you will not be disappointed.

This is a magical book which I first read when I was young. It inspired in me dreams of adventure which I did not follow, but which became a part of my inner life. Now that I am old, I am reading Kabloona again so that I can remember that I once was young.

I looked up at the bookshelf over my computer and spotted the battered 1941 edition of Kabloona that has been in my family for 40 years since I first read it in the village of Coppermine (now Kugluktuk) when I was a 12 year old boy in 1961. I decided to do an AMAZON.com search to see if anyone else knew of this marvel that had so enchanted me as a child, and found the site you are now visiting.

We were much more civilized in the Coppermine of 1961 than the same village the author had visited 20 years earlier. We had electricity, and communication with the outside world by a Morse code key at the Department of Transport office, plus we had a scheduled visit by a single-engine Otter every two weeks. It was a magical time for me (adults found it a difficult time, but they simply did not understand things)

The book Kabloona gave me insight into the minds of the people around me. We were a community of 200 Inuit (Eskimos) and 35 whites. The whites had as many of the amenities of civilization as they could garner, but the Inuit lived much as described in De Poncin's book.

I was enthralled by the awesome hunters with their dog sleds and their magnificent huskies, not show dogs or racing dogs, but working dogs that made the difference between life and death. The men would bring back the carcasses of seal and caribou, and the furs they had trapped. The women sewed the furs into beautiful garments that kept man, woman and child warm in intolerably hard winters. It was also the women's job to butcher the carcasses, which they did with incredible speed and skill using only the ulu, or woman's knife. I regularly witnessed the activities of this way of life. De Poncin described all this in his book, but he also gave me insight into the underlying culture I was immersed in.

You can't live the life I led 40 years ago as a boy in the high Canadian arctic, but you can vicariously journey there to an even more primitive time, and enter into the incredible peace and stillness of an arctic winter night in an igloo, or the warmth and safety of a house made of snow as an unbelievable storm rages outside around you.

I recently spoke by satellite telephone to a man in Coppermine from my home in Missouri where I now live, and found that the village I once knew is now a very different place. But you can go back to an earlier era with De Poncin. I assure you, you won't regret your wonderful voyage with him.

I don't know if I'm permitted to speak of it here, but I have described my life in those years in the Arctic in a book, The Boy Who Fell To Earth. It is available at Amazon.com for those would like to buy a hard copy, or can be read for free on my warmbooks.com web site.