Canada Books

Though he died, sadly and miserably, before I was even born, the greatness of Canada Lee cast a long shadow over my early life on Long Island (a suburb of New York). Lee was but one of the victims of the tragic blacklist, and the HUAC hearings which tore apart the country, especially the entertainment world in which many well-meaning folks had taken part in various charitable organizations before and during World War II only to find themselves suspected of Communism or merely "premature anti-Fascism." It was a time in which, to paraphrase playwright Lillian Hellman, you had to cut your conscience to suit this year's fashions, and such a time may be coming around again. If so, the Canada Lees of today are going to come to a terrible end.

What a world! And yet, as Mona Smith shows us, there is redemption for even the most miserable of us, and Lee was able again and again to triumph over the ingrown and casual racism of the film world by finding parts that made him more than just a grinning servant a la the underrated Stepin Fetchit. He refused to play a servant and thus suffered many privations and was debied many roles, along with his better known compatriot Paul Robeson, also a famous athlete before turning to acting.

Lee's greatest films included Hitchcock's LIFEBOAT, in which he plays the only sane man in a lifeboat filled with hysterical excuses for human beings. This film, written partially by John Steinbeck, is one of those movies that seem more and more central to Hitch's career as time goes by--to Steinbeck's too.

Mona Smith's account of how she came to write the life of Canada Lee, as set forth in her preface, is heartbreaking. Unbelievably, Canada Lee's widow was still alive and was able to share with Ms. Smith a mountain of personal papers. It is trily one of the miracles of the archival process, and it makes her book not only a showbiz biography, but a study in civil rights and in American history and human endurance.

I recommend this book to everyone, of all ages, who wants to learn about redemption and sacrifice.

The story of Mr. Canada Lee is complex and great to read, I had heard of him growing up and I remember watching "Body and Soul" when it came on tv as a child and my family telling me all the great things he had done, and the fact that history until now has reported very little about him, gets me. He contributed a lot to helping others who were not treated fairly. And he also made it possible for stars today to not have to be limited to certain roles. He was a man of courage and stood firm in what he believed, even when others around him abandoned him, he never gave up. I can only hope I can be that strong in my own life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel Beginning of Was. Author Ania Szado takes the reader on an intensely emotional roller-coaster ride in her gripping, well-crafted story of love remembered, lost and found, of one woman's harsh journey through grief that pushes to the limit, to her eventual salvation from despair, the beginning of healing and reconciliation. For Marta Fett, "was" begins with the death of her five-year-old daughter, Asha, in a car accident which also kills her drinking husband and Asha's father, Kurt. The story is told in a smooth interplay of flashbacks to Marta's own traumatic youth, the cruel, sweet recollections of her Asha, and her life in the present as a homeless desperate charity case helping out in a rectory and a dying old woman's home. Ania Szado is a master craftsman with words. Her sentences are rich in imagery and metaphor, her use of words meticulously accurate and expressive. I admire her clever subtlety and amazing ability to tease, as when Marta writes on a piece of paper which she hides inside the hem of a First Communion gown in the final pages of the novel - on one side is the word "believe," and on the other side, "in despair." Which side is to be read first? I LOVE this book and very strongly recommend it.

This is a lovely, short novel, about a woman who must come to
terms with the grief over the loss of her young daughter. The mysteries
of the novel unravel themselves slowly as you begin to gain a
complete picture of the history that haunts the main character and learn
more about the people around her. And just when you think the
journey is complete, something completely surprising happens
toward the end of the novel that is enlightening and incredibly moving.
The writing style is highly imagistic and lyrical, it took a little getting
used to but this is a book mostly about grief and emotions and the
language of the novel conveys these emotions beautifully. A wonderful
novel about coming to terms with life's greatest pains and losses.
Very strongly recommend.

I live in eastern Canada and I saw John Dalla Costa being interviewed on LIVE AT FIVE by Starr Dobson. I was so impressed I had to read the book immediately. And I'm glad I did. It's like a mini bible of the truth of being generous. Most of us can readily say, "Thank you, I'm so thankful!" but hard to say, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" This is just one of the several things I've learned in this book. Another example: Giving an old coat to Salvation Army is charity. To give your new coat to the Salvation is being generous. Authors Lucinda Vardey & John Dalla Costa co-writes this book and they are also husband and wife. Highly recommend. It's a must book to sit in the bathtub or read anywhere to give you inspiration. Then, of course, act upon what you've learned from the book.

This lovely book, although not overtly "religious" until the last
chapter, explicitly offers to a wide audience a spiritual way of giving,
receiving and circulating. Generosity is a profound attitude
that can percolate the whole of life; Lucinda and John offer real-life cameos of generative generosity and show a myriad practical ways in which we can be generous without our own agenda, and offer ourselves to receive the blessings of the Spirit; how circulation in our communities and in the world happens as a result. Like the Light, it shows us our darkness as well as offering illumination. There are challenges here for us all: to be open-hearted, adventurous, fearless, forgiving: to live with "a thinking heart" . The authors tell us that the most generous words in the world are "Thank you" and "I'm sorry"; on the cover is printed a little "Thank you". How beautiful.
Thank you, Lucinda and John, thank you for this book.

this book is extremally well written and has many, many details i would truely recommend this book for not just beginners but everbody . it does not leave out anything and is definitly thone of the best books ive ever read. you should definitely read this book .

this book is extremally well written and has many, many details i would truely recommend this book for not just beginners but everbody . it does not leave out anything and is definitly thone of the best books ive ever read. you should definitely read this book .

Very informative book in full color.
I lots of anchorages I did not know about.

Probably one of the best guides for anchorges on the lower BC coast.

The only way to safely express the feelings Bill Clinton's conduct produces is the editorial cartoon. The man just defies words. So this was a vintage year for cartoonists - and it shows. The cartoons in this book are just great. They canalise wrath into laughter, but also - on social issues - create the awareness that some matters are too serious to be laughed at.

A very good reason to buy this book: it features some of my own work. Really, this is reason enough to buy this excellent volume. Trust me.

The above review is misplaced and was meant to be a review
for another publication of this author's entitled:
Peter Mills of Windsor, Connecticut.

Helen Ullmann is an experienced genealogist and author. Her research and resources are impeccable. Having several of this author's publications, I'm always assured of accuracy of information. This book is most interesting historical review of northern New England and the life and times of that era.

This is a phenomenal story. The author's 22-year passion of research results in a read that you don't want to put down. The fact that it is all based on reality makes it even more enthralling. This is a wild tale.

This would also be a useful read for anyone researching the history of the Canadian penal code and the 'ticket-of-leave' precursor to modern, more liberal ideas, about the potential for rehabiliation in criminals.

I'm very glad I got into this book - highly recommended.

The Big Red Fox is the story of Canada's most notorious bank robber.Also a fascinating look at the underworld.A behind the scenes look at how we are often manipulated by the media.A brilliant time capsule.And it's all true.This is a must read for all crime ,history or true story fans.Just could not put it down.

If you've read "Row to Alaska By Wind & Oar" by Pete and Nancy Ashenfelter, you will enjoy this book more. It's the same place only in 1937 and rowed by a woman just out of college using a dugout canoe and oars. The book was only recently finished having been a lifetime project for the author. But it's full of really nice B&W photos of the journey and enough detail that if you were planning this trip it would give you an idea about where the dangerous water lies and the kind of things you might want to bring. A great armchair adventure.

In 1937 one Betty Carey embarked on the ultimate adventure, rowing from Puget sound Alaska by dugout canoe but her adventure didn't end there. Her explorations of the Inside Passage and adventures with loggers, lightkeepers, fishermen, missionaries and other residents recounted in Bijaboji: North To Alaska By Oar creates an astounding adventure story armchair readers won't want to miss.

This was such a great addition to "The Best Hikes of Colorado" that I had previously purchased. These "superguides" are my favorite, by far. Everything is spelled out for you, the difficulty, the length of the ride, what you will see along the way and directions on how to get there. They even put maps of each area so you could go off on a different path and change your ride. I LOVE the removable pages and the plastic sleeve so you can take the page with you!

This is a must-have book for anyone who enjoys biking in Colorado! The maps are very well laid out, removable, with a plastic pouch included to store them in on your bike, and every great trail and road for biking is in there.