Mattea Roach on why Kate Beaton's graphic memoir Ducks is the one book all of Canada should read
On the final day of Canada Reads 2023, Mattea Roach shared their thoughts on the graphic memoir by Kate Beaton
The final day of Canada Reads 2023 brought thoughtful and spirited discussions, as the panellists considered the strengths of the two remaining books.
Jeopardy! star Mattea Roach is championing the graphic memoir Ducks by Kate Beaton, the second graphic novel ever to compete in Canada Reads. The first was Jeff Lemire's Essex County, which was voted off in round one of the debates after being defended by musician Sara Quin in 2011.
Ducks recounts Beaton's time spent working in the Alberta oil sands between 2005 and 2008. When she was 21 years old and with the goal of paying off her student loans, Beaton leaves her tight-knit seaside Nova Scotia community and heads west, where she encounters harsh realities, including the everyday trauma that no one discusses.
During the portion of the show where the champions make their final 60-second pleas, Roach reflected on this year's theme of "one book to shift your perspective."
Ducks is a graphic memoir that is the first graphic novel that many people I think in Canada are picking up as a direct result of this competition.- Mattea Roach
"First things first — our theme. I know people have mixed feelings about relying on theme. Ducks is a graphic memoir that is the first graphic novel that many people I think in Canada are picking up as a direct result of this competition.
"And I'm reminded of the Bong Joon-ho quote when he won the Oscar for Best Picture for Parasite where he said, 'If you can get over the barrier of the one inch barrier of subtitles to watch foreign films, an entire world of other stories opens up to you.' I think a lot of people — and this is something we've addressed in this competition — feel that there's a barrier to engaging with graphic novels that has perhaps been removed by its inclusion. And I think that that is a perspective shift," said the trivia star.
Roach went on to address each panellist directly, speaking to their individual concerns and criticisms.
"Tasnim, you spoke about genre and how we need to expand the bounds of what we read so eloquently. I think this book does that. Keegan, you spoke about how your perspective on graphic memoir shifted as a result of reading this book and seeing the power of what it can do. Gurdeep, you spoke so powerfully about the idea of isolation and feeling like an outsider and just the idea of displacement from home in Hotline. I think this book has that. Michael, I think the ethical questions you raise are exactly why this book is so important, but I know you won't vote for me anyway."
Meet the Canada Reads 2023 champions and their chosen books are:
- Jeopardy! super-champ Mattea Roach champions Ducks by Kate Beaton
- Actor Keegan Connor Tracy champions Greenwood by Michael Christie
- Bhangra dancer Gurdeep Pandher champions Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah
- TikTok creator Tasnim Geedi champions Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Actor Michael Greyeyes champions Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Here's how you can watch the Canada Reads 2023 debates:
- DAY ONE replays: CBC Books, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook
- DAY TWO replays: CBC Books, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook
- DAY THREE replays: CBC Books, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook
- FINALE replays: CBC Books, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook
PODCAST: Listen to the debates as a podcast on CBC Listen. The episode will be posted each day after the live airing.
WARNING: The books chosen for Canada Reads deal with difficult topics, such as trauma and abuse. These stories may be shared during the broadcast. Click this link to find publicly available resources for support.