Canada Books

This is a great read, even for those who know nothing about the exploits of Dr Gerry Bull. Dr Bull was a flawed genius - a passionate and driven ballistics visionary responsible for the design of many of the worlds deadliest artillery cannons, and yet he was politically naive, inspirational to his colleagues, and a practical joker. He provoked both deep loyalty in his friends and deep hatred in his enemies. The latter would lead to his assassination. He died during his work on Project Babylon - a cannon several hundred metres long!

This book delivers on many fronts: it is well researched and provides in depth information about the superguns that Dr Bull hoped could send small satelites into space, it also delves into his personal life, and takes the reader into the shady and nervous underworld of illegal arms dealings that Gerald Bull wound up in by circumstance.

William Lowther has written with great passion and produced a book that will captivate you and make you want to tell Dr Bull's story to everyone you meet.

This is a fascinating look at the life of a true genius whose path took him, inevitably, to Saddam's door. His dream of producing a gun capable of putting a satellite into orbit was twisted into a weapon for the Iraqi regime. Reads like an espionage novel, although it slows down a bit when talking about the businesses and fronts used to get the weapon's parts into Iraq. Otherwise, a really good read!

This is a must for anyone who loves the Lake Superior region.

Very well researched and written, the books begins with a series of articles on several themes pertinent to the Lake, such as the history of lumbering, mining, and the tales of the Native People.

Then in logical sequential fasion, we are led on a tour around the lake stopping at many interesting parks, monuments, towns, etc.

This is not so much a standard guide book as a historical and natural tour. Many current and archival photos are included.

There are perhaps a half dozen Lake Superior books I would own rather than borrow and this is definitely one of them.

This is a clearly written guidebook which covers the past and the present. It is most handy if you are taking the Lake Superior circle tour. Very well organized with some great pictures.

Dave Bidini is a wonderful writer. I don't know much about his music, but his books are a joy. I read most of this book one day while I was sitting at a tire shop getting new tires put on my vehicle, and I was snickering in a roomful of people. Particularly enjoyable to me was the part of the book about Finland. He was dead on about the Finns as I know them. If you wonder what life is like on the road for some of the people whose careers have been in rock music, this answers some of the questions. A good read.

If you are not a fan of the Rheostatics, you should be. If you are not a fan of Dave Bidini's writing, you really should be. In this, his most current work, Dave is travelling the world and sharing his experiences after he learns that his band, the wonderful Rheostatics, are calling it quits after 20+ years and, it seems, his musical career will be a solo venture from now on. Dave's writing is honest, engaging and, usually, funny as hell. Chalk full of stories of his adventures with tons of pop culture references thrown in as well, the book builds up the final chapter describing the Rheos farewell concert at storied Massey Hall in Toronto. The book was very powerful to me as I was lucky enough to be at that show and even got to talk to Dave afterwards. Lucky me! But again, even if you weren't at Massey Hall on March 30th, 2007 or have never heard of the Rheostatics, Dave Bidini's writing still makes the trip around the world with him a joyous literary adventure.

A well written and informative book...of intrest to forensic specialists, amateurs and the merely intrested. Lets hear more from this author!

This book was an excellent source of information pertaining to forensic science. It got my interest up again and I am now entering university with the hopes of becoming a forensic pathologist. I liked how Barrett used real cases and real people to explain forensics. I could not put this book down and although it was disturbing in places I thought it was great. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in forensics and who has a strong stomach!

This is a wonderfully written book and a fascinating look into the debate of nature versus nurture in the area of gender assignment. Intelligent and insightful, the author draws a compassionate portrait of a family who, faced with a decision in the wake of a tragedy, relies upon the advice of a well-respected doctor, which reliance turned out to be misplaced. The book details the aftermath of the family's fateful decision and the impact it was to have on them all.

In August 1965, Canadians Janet and Ron Reimer gave birth to identical twin boys, whom they named Brian and Bruce. When they were about eight months old, they arranged to have them circumcised due to a medical condition that caused them pain during urination. Circumcision was to remedy the problem. Little did they know that the circumcision for Bruce would be botched, resulting in the loss of his penis.

A plastic surgeon with whom the Reimers had consulted in connection with the catastrophe that had struck Bruce had spoken to a sex researcher who had recommended that they raise Bruce as a girl. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic had suggested that they ought to get a second opinion with regards to that suggestion. The parents then consulted with a doctor affiliated with John Hopkins Hospital, Dr. John Money, a renowned doctor in the area of gender transformation, who had been the driving force behind the then controversial surgical gender re-assignment procedure for which the hospital was becoming known.

In 1967, the distraught parents met with Dr. Money and shortly after, Bruce became Brenda and clinical castration followed. Thus, their child, who genetically and anatomically had been born a boy, was for all extent and purposes now deemed to be a girl. Brian was now on the other side of the gender divide of his identical twin brother, the twin formerly known as Bruce.

Moreover, Dr. Money now had a dream scientific experiment, because he had a set of twins for which the unafflicted twin could act as a control by which to measure the afflicted one. In 1972, Dr. Money disclosed his "twins case" to the medical world, giving a slanted version of the experiment that made it appear to be an unqualified success. Unfortunately, his analysis of the situation did not disclose the difficulties that Brenda was having and her seeming inability to adjust to being a girl.

Apparently, though Brenda had no idea as she was growing up that she had originally been born a boy, she never felt that she was a girl. Years of follow-up visits with Dr. Money for both twins proved to be unsettling for them, as Dr. Money employed somewhat bizarre methods and procedures. Moreover, as Brenda grew older, she would resist additional surgeries and initially resisted the hormone therapy that was introduced on the eve of puberty. Even when confronted with a totally rebellious Brenda, Dr. Money, however, remained in denial about the failure of his experiment. He would continue to tout his treatment of Brenda as an unqualified success.

It was not until March of 1980 that Brenda was finally informed by her father about what had happened to her years ago and what had been decided in light of the circumstances. It was a revelation that was to dramatically change Brenda's life. What followed was a repudiation of Dr. Money's assertions with respect to his treatment. The book details the changes that Brenda was to make in her life, changes that would find her living the life she was originally meant to lead. Brenda would now become David and live the life of a male. Unfortunately, happiness would continue to elude him.

This is a simply wonderful, intimate look at a family that survived a hideous tragedy. It also sympathetically and sensitively details the personal journey of one family through the labyrinthine differences in opinion surrounding the age old debate over nature versus nature. I would certainly assert that nature, and not nurture, controls. This is a very well thought out book on the issue, grounded in the experience of one family. Bravo!

This is a wonderfully written book and a fascinating look into the debate of nature versus nurture in the area of gender assignment. Intelligent and insightful, the author draws a compassionate portrait of a family who, faced with a decision in the wake of a tragedy, relies upon the advice of a well-respected doctor, which reliance turned out to be misplaced. The book details the aftermath of the family's fateful decision and the impact it was to have on them all.

In August 1965, Canadians Janet and Ron Reimer gave birth to identical twin boys, whom they named Brian and Bruce. When they were about eight months old, they arranged to have them circumcised due to a medical condition that caused them pain during urination. Circumcision was to remedy the problem. Little did they know that the circumcision for Bruce would be botched, resulting in the loss of his penis.

A plastic surgeon with whom the Reimers had consulted in connection with the catastrophe that had struck Bruce had spoken to a sex researcher who had recommended that they raise Bruce as a girl. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic had suggested that they ought to get a second opinion with regards to that suggestion. The parents then consulted with a doctor affiliated with John Hopkins Hospital, Dr. John Money, a renowned doctor in the area of gender transformation, who had been the driving force behind the then controversial surgical gender re-assignment procedure for which the hospital was becoming known.

In 1967, the distraught parents met with Dr. Money and shortly after, Bruce became Brenda and clinical castration followed. Thus, their child, who genetically and anatomically had been born a boy, was for all extent and purposes now deemed to be a girl. Brian was now on the other side of the gender divide of his identical twin brother, the twin formerly known as Bruce.

Moreover, Dr. Money now had a dream scientific experiment, because he had a set of twins for which the unafflicted twin could act as a control by which to measure the afflicted one. In 1972, Dr. Money disclosed his "twins case" to the medical world, giving a slanted version of the experiment that made it appear to be an unqualified success. Unfortunately, his analysis of the situation did not disclose the difficulties that Brenda was having and her seeming inability to adjust to being a girl.

Apparently, though Brenda had no idea as she was growing up that she had originally been born a boy, she never felt that she was a girl. Years of follow-up visits with Dr. Money for both twins proved to be unsettling for them, as Dr. Money employed somewhat bizarre methods and procedures. Moreover, as Brenda grew older, she would resist additional surgeries and initially resisted the hormone therapy that was introduced on the eve of puberty. Even when confronted with a totally rebellious Brenda, Dr. Money, however, remained in denial about the failure of his experiment. He would continue to tout his treatment of Brenda as an unqualified success.

It was not until March of 1980 that Brenda was finally informed by her father about what had happened to her years ago and what had been decided in light of the circumstances. It was a revelation that was to dramatically change Brenda's life. What followed was a repudiation of Dr. Money's assertions with respect to his treatment. The book details the changes that Brenda was to make in her life, changes that would find her living the life she was originally meant to lead. Brenda would now become David and live the life of a male. Unfortunately, happiness would continue to elude him.

This is a simply wonderful, intimate look at a family that survived a hideous tragedy. It also sympathetically and sensitively details the personal journey of one family through the labyrinthine differences in opinion surrounding the age old debate over nature versus nature. I would certainly assert that nature, and not nurture, controls. This is a very well thought out book on the issue, grounded in the tragic experience of one family. Bravo!

This is an incredibly poignant and painful book to read--in my case being read to by my husband, sometimes with his voice choking. We both missed the story when it was making the news and neither of us had heard of the book when it first came out. So for us, it read almost as a mystery adventure. I did go online just before we finished the book and learned that David (the subject of the book) tragically took his own life in 2004.

I offer the title of this review "As GOD made him" because this is a more acceptable term for my fellow Christians than "nature" (or Mother Nature) as is used in the actual title of the book. But I'm certainly not challenging the author on this point. Nor do I challenge the author on any of his points---an unusual stance for me to take.

I would highly recommend this book for everyone. It's truly a DAVID and GOLIATH tale, in this case a "freek" kid throwing his smooth little stones at the giant medical establishment. For fellow Christians who so often see matters of sex and gender in black and white absolutes, the book also has a profound message. We are WAY too judgmental on such issues.

This is a heart-wrenching book. All along the way, year after year, I kept pleading for someone--for anybody--to hear the cry of "Brenda" the boy who had been unsuccessfully refashioned as a girl. But no one really listens. To parents and counselors, this is a striking message to listen to the voice that is not always clearly articulated.

The book has been a New York TIMES bestseller, and I hope it keeps on selling. David, bless his soul, performed an incredible service to medicine and psychiatry and the general public.

This is a wonderfully written book and a fascinating look into the debate of nature versus nurture in the area of gender assignment. Intelligent and insightful, the author draws a compassionate portrait of a family who, faced with a decision in the wake of a tragedy, relies upon the advice of a well-respected doctor, which reliance turned out to be misplaced. The book details the aftermath of the family's fateful decision and the impact it was to have on them all.

In August 1965, Canadians Janet and Ron Reimer gave birth to identical twin boys, whom they named Brian and Bruce. When they were about eight months old, they arranged to have them circumcised due to a medical condition that caused them pain during urination. Circumcision was to remedy the problem. Little did they know that the circumcision for Bruce would be botched, resulting in the loss of his penis.

A plastic surgeon with whom the Reimers had consulted in connection with the catastrophe that had struck Bruce had spoken to a sex researcher who had recommended that they raise Bruce as a girl. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic had suggested that they ought to get a second opinion with regards to that suggestion. The parents then consulted with a doctor affiliated with John Hopkins Hospital, Dr. John Money, a renowned doctor in the area of gender transformation, who had been the driving force behind the then controversial surgical gender re-assignment procedure for which the hospital was becoming known.

In 1967, the distraught parents met with Dr. Money and shortly after, Bruce became Brenda and clinical castration followed. Thus, their child, who genetically and anatomically had been born a boy, was for all extent and purposes now deemed to be a girl. Brian was now on the other side of the gender divide of his identical twin brother, the twin formerly known as Bruce.

Moreover, Dr. Money now had a dream scientific experiment, because he had a set of twins for which the unafflicted twin could act as a control by which to measure the afflicted one. In 1972, Dr. Money disclosed his "twins case" to the medical world, giving a slanted version of the experiment that made it appear to be an unqualified success. Unfortunately, his analysis of the situation did not disclose the difficulties that Brenda was having and her seeming inability to adjust to being a girl.

Apparently, though Brenda had no idea as she was growing up that she had originally been born a boy, she never felt that she was a girl. Years of follow-up visits with Dr. Money for both twins proved to be unsettling for them, as Dr. Money employed somewhat bizarre methods and procedures. Moreover, as Brenda grew older, she would resist additional surgeries and initially resisted the hormone therapy that was introduced on the eve of puberty. Even when confronted with a totally rebellious Brenda, Dr. Money, however, remained in denial about the failure of his experiment. He would continue to tout his treatment of Brenda as an unqualified success.

It was not until March of 1980 that Brenda was finally informed by her father about what had happened to her years ago and what had been decided in light of the circumstances. It was a revelation that was to dramatically change Brenda's life. What followed was a repudiation of Dr. Money's assertions with respect to his treatment. The book details the changes that Brenda was to make in her life, changes that would find her living the life she was originally meant to lead. Brenda would now become David and live the life of a male. Unfortunately, happiness would continue to elude him.

This is a simply wonderful, intimate look at a family that survived a hideous tragedy. It also sympathetically and sensitively details the personal journey of one family through the labyrinthine differences in opinion surrounding the age old debate over nature versus nature. I would certainly assert that nature, and not nurture, controls. This is a very well thought out book on the issue, grounded in the tragic experience of one family. Bravo!

You can not longer build and live so close to the water's edge but these beauties are grandfathered in on beautiful Muskoka and Rousseau, et. al. I thought of my boyhood days on a lake in Northern Minnesota. I remember smaller and less grand boathouses where the sundappled water reflected off the rafters inside. You were really one with the water. This book captures the essence of it all--I could almost smell the water, wood, paint, varnish, canvas, wet rattan and wicker--

At the water's edge

Muskokaá Boathouses.

This book gives the reeder a chance of dreaming back to the early yaers of the 20th century and experiance how the riche and famuose people spent there weekends and holidays. If you are intrested in old houses, especially bothouses, and architect designs this book is a must.

This book is my best inspiration ever.

Peter Östlund Stockholm Sweden

This book covers US transportation tokens as completely as is humanely possible. Although tokens are not illustrated, descriptions are clearly written and well-organized, and a comprehesive index is provided, so finding a token is easy. However, a more recent edition (5th, 1996) is available for about the same price. AVA members receive periodic updates.

The Atwood-Coffee Catalogue of United States and Canadian Tranportation Tokens is actually a three volume set. Volume I (The Listing) is in its fifth edition (published in 1996). However, Volume 2 (History and Encyclopedia of Transporation Tokens) and Volume 3 (Minor Die Varieties) are both still current in the fourth edition (1985 & 1986 respectively). Published by the American Vecturist Association, this set is THE definitive reference for Transportation Tokens in the U.S. and Canada. Supplements to the listing are published periodically. Membership in the AVA is currently $22 per year and open to all, subject to the AVA constitution, bylaws and code of ethics. See the AVA website for an application.

Au Naturel provides a look at the naturist movement in Canada. From the viewpoint of an American, I found the book fascinating. Dr. James Woycke spares no detail in his unblinking look at Canadian nudism/naturism. He covers nudism (then - now the term "naturism" has been adopted) from its humble beginnings in Canada, province by province, following its growth up to the present. Not only is the writing meticulous in its detail, expected from someone with Ph.D. after his name, it's also quite readable.

The growth of nudism/naturism in Canada wasn't an easy one, to be sure. Similar to the trials and tribulations of American nudists, Canadians faced their share of legal and societal hassles. Dr. Woycke also notes the connection with America that Canadian parks often adopted and the movement to separate from that association.

At times, Canadian nudists/naturists themselves were part of the problem. Some of the incidents Dr. Woycke recounts in Au Naturel read like soap opera material! However, naturism eventually became established, paid its dues, and has become part of the fabric of Canadian society. In some ways, Canadians are more open about their naturism. The Four Seasons resort in Toronto has a sign on the highway that stats, "FOUR SEASONS NUDIST RESORT" in letters 61 centimetres high!

It's interesting to follow nudism/naturism's development in a country with roughly the same culture as America (except, perhaps, in Quebec), but with one-tenth the population.

I even give major points to the cover photo, for it shows a nude man (Dr. Woycke, I suspect) standing, with his back to the camera, surveying icebergs floating past his rocky vantagepoint. Now, that's bold - eh?

Woycke's book is the only developed discussion of the history of Canadian nudism available in English. He provides a detailed account of the development of nudist clubs and clothing-optional beaches across Canada. Not a naturist himself, he has no particular agenda, other than to present a scholarly and readable history of non-sexualized social nudity in Canada. The footnotes took up nearly half of the original manuscript, so the publisher decided to place them online free of charge, rather than to include them with the text. "Au Naturel: The History of Nudism in Canada" is on a par with Cec Cinder's "The Nudist Idea" from Ultraviolet Press. Together, they give an accurate and informative portrayal of the quirkly world of nudism in North America.

Although geared towards young adults, I think that everyone who is a hockey fan can benefit from reading this book. It is an inspirational story of someone who despite daily facing unjust restrictions and attitudes, persisted in pursuing a career in the game that he loved most: hockey.

I liked this book because I play hockey and I am African-American. Willie O'Ree was a great guy and I never heard of him before reading this book.