11 books you heard about on CBC Radio recently

Check out some of the books discussed on national CBC Radio programs between July 16-23.

Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer

Heard on: The Next Chapter

In Where Wolves Don't Die, we're introduced to a 15-year-old Ojibway boy named Ezra who is trying to figure out his place in the world.

When Ezra finally decides to fight back against the local bully who's been harassing him, the bully's house burns to the ground that same night. Worried that Ezra might be falsely accused of being involved, his father whisks him back to their family reservation across the border in Canada.

• 'A human story set in an Indigenous context:' Where Wolves Don't Die is a YA mystery about finding connection

Author Anton Treuer is a professor at Bemidji State University. He's an officiant at Ojibway tribal ceremonies and has written and contributed to numerous nonfiction books, including the acclaimed Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask. Where Wolves Don't Die is Treuer's first novel. 

LISTEN | Anton Treuer discusses his debut novel on The Next Chapter: 

The Next Chapter12:40Anton Treuer’s debut YA novel Where Wolves Don't Die is a suspenseful thriller that moves between Minneapolis and the Canadian traplines

Christa Couture talks to the author about reimagining masculinity and Indigenous identity through the eyes of an Ojibway boy who’s sent to live in the Canadian wilderness after being wrongfully accused of a crime.

Roaming by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Heard on: The Next Chapter

In their third graphic novel collaboration, Roaming, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki travel us back in time to a world of limited cell phone use and formative moments of young adulthood.

Set on a trip to New York City in 2009, Roaming is a graphic novel that follows best friends Zoe and Dani during their first year of college. As a queer romance blossoms between Zoe and Dani's classmate Fiona — who tags along — friendships get put to the test and all three girls learn more about who they are set against the backdrop of the big city.  

• Mariko and Jillian Tamaki discuss the make-or-break experiences of travelling with friends

Mariko Tamaki is a writer based in California. Her other books include the YA novels (you) Set Me On Fire and Saving Montgomery Sole. She's also the author of many superhero comics for DC Comics, Darkhorse and Marvel.  

Jillian Tamaki is a Toronto-based cartoonist, illustrator and educator. With her cousin Mariko Tamaki, she co-created the YA graphic novel Skim, which was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award. Another collaboration, This One Summer, won the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustration. 

LISTEN | The Tamakis reflect on travelling with friends as a young adult: 

The Next Chapter18:14Mariko and Jillian Tamaki on Roaming and exploring New York City with college friends

The Canadian cousins and creative collaborators' new graphic novel Roaming explores college friends getting a taste of adulthood in the Big Apple.

Songs of Irie by Asha Ashanti Bromfield

Heard on: The Next Chapter

After learning of stories her parents lived through during a tumultuous time in Jamaica's history, Asha Ashanti Bromfield was inspired to write her newest novel, Songs of Irie. The historical coming-of-age YA novel is set amidst the Jamaican civil unrest of the 1970s. Irie and Jilly are from completely different worlds — Jilly lives safe in a mansion in the hills, while Irie is from the heart of Kingston, where fighting on the streets is common. 

As tension rises on the streets in the lead-up to an important election, so does the budding romance between the two girls. As they bond at Irie's dad's record store over their love of Reggae music, they must fight for their friendship and romance to survive.  

• 'I write for my inner child': Asha Ashanti Bromfield tells stories to explore family, culture & coming-of-age

Bromfield is a Black Canadian writer, actress, singer and producer from Toronto. She is best known for her role as Melody Valentine, drummer of Josie and the Pussycats in the television show Riverdale and as the Netflix show Locke & Key's Zadie Wells. The actress is also the author of the YA novel Hurricane Summer.

LISTEN | Asha Ashanti Bromfield on her novel Songs of Irie: 

The Next Chapter13:55Riverdale's Asha Ashanti Bromfield talks about her new career in writing

The Canadian actress and author talks with Ryan B. Patrick about her new novel Songs of Irie, which takes place in 1970s Jamaica.

Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar

Heard on: Writers & Company

Amitava Kumar's writing often explores immigrant life and the feelings of guilt, loss and discovery that can come with relocating. Blending fiction and autobiography, his novel Immigrant, Montana is a coming-of-age story about a young Indian man who goes to the United States for graduate school and engages in a series of failed romantic relationships. It's an exploration of home, memory and desire, the thirst for knowledge and the pursuit of love.

• Amitava Kumar on India, the U.S. and the indelible imprint of the immigrant experience

Born in 1963, Amitava Kumar grew up in the Indian city of Patna. His nonfiction writing includes a short 'biography' of his hometown, A Matter of Rats; and his essay collections Husband of a Fanatic: A Personal Journey Through India, Pakistan, Love, and Hate and Lunch with a Bigot: The Writer in the World.

LISTEN | Amitava Kumar on writing a coming-of-age story: 

Writers and Company52:11Amitava Kumar on India, the U.S. and the indelible imprint of the immigrant experience

The Indian journalist and novelist writes stories that are autobiographical and revealing. Kumar joined Eleanor Wachtel in 2018 to talk about his book Immigrant, Montana - a mix of fiction, memory, politics and the pursuit of romance. Kumar's new novel is called My Beloved Life.

Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler

Heard on: Commotion

Banal Nightmare follows Margaret, a woman in her thirties living in Chicago when she breaks up with her boyfriend of 10 years. She flees the city for the summer following the split and returns to her hometown, in an effort to ignore the feeling that she may have already failed at life.

• Is Banal Nightmare the novel millennials have been waiting for?

Halle Butler is an American author and screenwriter. Banal Nightmare is her third novel, along with Jillian and The New Me.

LISTEN | Culture critic Amil Niazi on the millennial midlife crisis: 

Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud26:57Twisters makes Glen Powell a star, and the millennial midlife crisis

Elamin is joined by film critic Rad Simonpillai and culture critic Anne T. Donahue to discuss ‘Twisters’, the standalone sequel to the original film ‘Twister’ and how this blockbuster follow up fares at a time when real climate change continues to be a hot button topic. Plus, culture critic Amil Niazi talks about Halle Butler’s latest book “Banal Nightmare,” which is getting a lot of buzz for its depiction of millennial midlife.

Bridges Instead of Walls by Mavis Staples with Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Steffi Walthall

Heard on: Day 6

From the early days of singing in the family gospel band The Staple Singers to standing alongside Martin Luther King, Jr, at civil rights rallies, Mavis Staples has become a gospel and soul music institution. Now, a new children's book called Bridges Instead of Walls tells the story of Mavis Staples overcoming hardship — and discovering the power of her voice. 

• Translating Mavis Staples' music and activism into a children's book

Mavis Staples is an American gospel and soul singer and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of the gospel band the Staple Singers before embarking on her solo career.

Carole Boston Weatherford is an American children's book author. She has written over 70 books and has won numerous awards including two NAACP Image Awards.

Steffi Walthall is an American illustrator and comic artist based in Virginia.

LISTEN | Carole Boston Weatherford on creating Bridges Instead of Walls: 

Day 67:55Translating Mavis Staples’ music and activism into a children’s book

From the early days of singing in the family gospel band The Staple Singers to standing alongside Martin Luther King, Jr, at civil rights rallies, Mavis Staples has become a gospel and soul music institution. Now, a new children’s book tells the story of Mavis Staples overcoming hardship – and discovering the power of her voice. Author Carole Boston Weatherford tells us what it was like to work with Staples on the book, and what she hopes younger generations will take away from it.

I Will Never See The World Again by Ahmet Altan

Heard on: Ideas

In 2016, Ahmet Altan was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. In a small, shared prison cell, only four metres long, Turkish novelist and journalist Ahmet Altan wrote his memoir, I Will Never See The World Again. The manuscript was smuggled out of jail, bit by bit, on small pieces of paper passed to his lawyer. 

After nearly five years in jail, he was released on April 14, 2021, the day after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that his right to liberty and freedom of expression had been violated. 

• How novelist Ahmet Altan's imagination kept him free in a prison cell

Ahmet Altan is a Turkish novelist and journalist. The 71-year-old former editor-in-chief of the liberal Taraf daily newspaper was one of thousands of writers, journalists, academics, lawyers and other political prisoners jailed under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.

LISTEN | Ahmet Altan on fear, resilience and the power of literature to inspire: 

Ideas53:59The Emancipation of Ahmet Altan

For nearly five years, Turkey imprisoned one of its most significant writers. Fifty-one Nobel laureates called for his release. Now free, the resilient Ahmet Altan reflects on the meaning of freedom, inside and out.

Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarankin

Heard on: The Story From Here

In Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder Julia Zarakin recounts how she took up birdwatching during a stressful career transition following a divorce. Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder explores how finding meaning in midlife can often happen in unexpected ways.

• How birdwatching inspired CBC Short Story Prize finalist Julia Zarankin's first book

Julia Zarankin is a writer and lecturer based in Toronto. She made the 2020 CBC Short Story Prize shortlist for Black-legged Kittiwake. Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder is her first book.

LISTEN | Julie Zarankin on her debut book: 

27:28Dragon boat team gets new boat, unintentional birder, federal dental plan and seniors and Murphy the cat

North Bay Ontario retires beloved boat Jane, Julia Zarankin author of Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder, seniors and new federal dental health care program and Murphy the Cat poses for tourists

Thick Skin by Hilary Peach

Heard on: Ideas

Hilary Peach spent more than 20 years as a unionized welder, travelling across Canada and the United States. She worked in "pulp mills, chemical plants, refineries, and generating stations," and was often the only woman in an all-male, industrial working environment. Those years led her to write a poetic, humorous, and honest memoir, Thick Skin: Field Notes from a Sister in the Brotherhood. 

• Why are women still outsiders in the trades?

Hilary Peach is a writer, recording artist, and producer. Her books include Bolt and Thick Skin, which won the 2023 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont.   

LISTEN | Hilary Peach on thriving in traditionally male spaces: 

Ideas53:59An Outsider Inside the Trades: Hilary Peach

You can’t pay rent with experimental poetry, so Hilary Peach trained as a welder. Twenty-plus years on, she’s now a boiler inspector, poet, and author of an award-winning memoir, Thick Skin: Field Notes from a Sister in the Brotherhood. Peach talks about the joys and contradictions of being an outsider inside the trades. *This episode originally aired on May 1, 2024.

Warming Up by Madeleine Orr

Heard on: The Sunday Magazine

The Paris Olympics are forecast to be the hottest on record. As temperatures climb, so too do concerns about the impacts of climate change on sports – but the challenges go beyond heat. Wildfires and flooding are also forcing adaptations to how some sports are played. Meanwhile, the sports world must also navigate how to reduce its own emissions, lest it remain part of the problem.

Sports ecologist Madeleine Orr explores how our changing planet is changing sports, in her book Warming Up.

• How climate change is changing sports

Madeleine Orr is a sports ecologist, author and professor at the University of British Columbia.

LISTEN | Madeleine Orr on how climate change is changing sports: 

The Sunday Magazine25:38How climate change is changing sports

The Paris Olympics are forecast to be the hottest on record. As temperatures climb, so too do concerns about the impacts of climate change on sports – but the challenges go beyond heat. Wildfires and flooding are also forcing adaptations to how some sports are played. Meanwhile, the sports world must also navigate how to reduce its own emissions, lest it remain part of the problem. Sports ecologist Madeleine Orr joins Megan Williams to walk through how our changing planet is changing sports, as explored in her book Warming Up.

A Twist in the Tail by Christopher Beckman

Heard on: The Sunday Magazine

Anchovies have long been beloved in many Asian cultures. But they've fallen in and out of favour in Western ones since the Roman Empire. Archaeologist Christopher Beckman says the divisive fish is now having a moment, thanks to renewed interest in its umami taste, health benefits and sustainability. A Twist in the Tail explores the anchovy's history, and how the tiny fish reveals bigger ideas about class and status through the ages.

• A slippery history of anchovies, from Caesar to Caesar salad

Christopher Beckman is a American archeologist based in Geneva. A Twist in the Tail is his first book.

LISTEN | Christopher Beckman on the history of anchovies: 

The Sunday Magazine19:27A slippery history of anchovies, from Caesar to Caesar salad

Anchovies have long been beloved in many Asian cultures. But they've fallen in and out of favour in Western ones since the Roman Empire. Archaeologist Christopher Beckman says the divisive fish is now having a moment, thanks to renewed interest in its umami taste, health benefits and sustainability. The author of A Twist in the Tail: How the Humble Anchovy Flavoured Western Cuisine joins Megan Williams to explore the anchovy's history, and how the tiny fish reveals bigger ideas about class and status through the ages.