Listen to all 5 of the Canada Reads spotlight episodes now
Given the ongoing developments with COVID-19 and the related travel concerns, Canada Reads was postponed.
To replace the broadcast of the debates in March, CBC Books created Canada Reads spotlight programming, a series of five one-hour programs dedicated to this year's books, authors and panellists.
Canada Reads 2020 will now take place July 20-23.
Listen to all five of the Canada Reads spotlight series below.
We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib, defended by Amanda Brugel
Samra Habib's memoir We Have Always Been Here is an exploration of the ways we disguise and minimize ourselves for the sake of survival. As a child, Habib hid her faith from Islamic extremists in Pakistan and later, as a refugee in Canada, endured racist bullying and the threat of an arranged marriage. In travelling the world and exploring art and sexuality, Habib searches for the truth of her identity.
We Have Always Been Here begins with her childhood in Pakistan, becoming a refugee at age 10 and coming of age in a new hostile land.
The Handmaid's Tale and Kim's Convenience actor Amanda Brugel will defend the book on Canada Reads 2020.
From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle, defended by George Canyon
Jesse Thistle is a Métis-Cree academic specializing in Indigenous homelessness, addiction and inter-generational trauma. For Thistle, these issues are more than just subjects on the page. After a difficult childhood, Thistle spent much of his early adulthood struggling with addiction while living on the streets of Toronto. His memoir, From the Ashes, details how his issues with abandonment and addiction led to homelessness, incarceration and his eventual redemption through higher education.
Country singer George Canyon will defend the book on Canada Reads 2020.
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow, defended by Akil Augustine
Radicalized is a collection of four novellas that explore the quandaries — social, economic and technological — of contemporary America. Cory Doctorow's characters deal with issues around immigration, corrupt police forces, dark web uprisings and more.
Radicalized will be defended by sports broadcaster Akil Augustine on Canada Reads 2020.
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson, defended by Kaniehtiio Horn
Son of a Trickster is a novel about Jared, a compassionate 16-year-old, maker of famous weed cookies, the caretaker of his elderly neighbours, the son of an unreliable father and unhinged, though loving in her way, mother. As Jared ably cares for those around him, in between getting black-out drunk, he shrugs off the magical and strange happenings that follow him around.
Son of a Trickster was on the shortlist for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize. It is being adapted into a TV series set to premiere on CBC in 2020.
Kaniehtiio Horn will be defending Son of a Trickster on Canada Reads 2020.
Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles defended by Alayna Fender
Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club, Megan Gail Coles's debut novel, revolves around a cast of flawed characters all connected to a trendy St. John's restaurant, The Hazel. Over the course of a snowy February day, they are implicated in each other's hopes, dreams and pains as they try to survive harsh economic times in the province.
Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club was shortlisted for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Alayna Fender will defend Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club on Canada Reads 2020.
