3 books that influenced Canada Reads panellist Greg Johnson
Greg Johnson is one of North America's top storm chasers and severe weather experts. He's an accomplished photographer, speaker and workshop leader, he has turned his passion for capturing nature's most beautiful and deadly displays of severe weather into a full-time career, and is best known for his work on the show, Tornado Hunters.
Johnson is defending Precious Cargo by Craig Davidson on Canada Reads 2018.
The debates, which will be hosted by Ali Hassan, take place March 26-29, 2018.
Below, Johnson shares three books that have shaped his life and work.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
"My favourite author is definitely Malcolm Gladwell. Outliers is a book that arrived on the scene in an important time in my life. It made people question the idea of giftedness and special talent being innate. Everyone knows the whole 10,000 hours thing now, but what I took away from Outliers is this idea that our success is, in a lot of ways, beyond our control."
Made To Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
"This book changed my view of how we perceive things, whether it's in media or on the news or how people tell stories. It's about how they make those stories memorable. I've used the lessons from that book to inform my own storytelling. I still have that book beside my bed and every once in a while I go back to it, like a reference guide."
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
"Growing up, my family would go camping. My brother and I would be in the back seat, and my mother would read books to us. The ones that stood out to me were L.M. Montgomery's stories."
Greg Johnson's comments have been edited and condensed.