Canada Reads

Here's how to find the Canada Reads books in accessible formats

The shortlist is available in a variety of formats for those with print disabilities. Canada Reads will air March 4-7.

The shortlist is available in a variety of formats for those with print disabilities

A stack of five books in various shades of black, pink and red sitting on a bright blue bookshelf.
Bad Cree, Denison Avenue, Shut Up You're Pretty, Meet Me At The Lake and The Future are the Canada Reads 2024 books. (CBC)

Looking to read the Canada Reads 2024 shortlist in accessible formats? The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) and the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) has made the shortlist available for readers with print disabilities. 

Both CELA and NNELS provide books in audio, braille, print braille and text formats.

Readers with print disabilities can access the Canada Reads shortlist through their membership with their public library.

You can find out which formats are available for each of the five books here for CELA and here for NNELS. 

The 2024 contenders are:

"It's estimated that as many as one in five people have a print disability in Canada," wrote CELA executive director Laurie Davidson to CBC Books in an email.

"Accessible books help give them the same access to information and allow them to participate in important collective conversations with their neighbours, like the ones that Canada Reads sparks."

"Sharing stories and perspectives is crucial to understanding ourselves and our world. We are encouraged by the work of the publishing community to prioritize born-accessible books as this in turn helps organizations like CELA and NNELS provide more accessible content to people with print disabilities in Canada."

The Canada Reads shortlisted titles are also available commercially as physical, audio and digital copies. You can get them at the library or bookstore of your choice.

The debates will take place March 4-7, 2024. They will be hosted by Ali Hassan and will be broadcast on CBC Radio OneCBC TVCBC GemCBC Listen and on CBC Books

The debates will take place live at 10:05 a.m. ET. You can tune in live or catch a replay on the platform of your choice. Check out all the broadcast details here.

Canada Reads 2024 will be available as audio, video and described video, with closed captions and transcripts of the show available each day.

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