Canada Reads, book 3 . "Brother"

author

   

   David Chariandy has written two novels.  His first novel received recognition from 11 literary awards juries.  His second novel, "Brother" has already been included in 8 Best Book of 2017  lists.  It is on the Giller longlist.  So it may be a good choice for Canada Reads when the topic is "One book to move you".
   David grew up in Toronto but now teaches in Vancouver.

   As expected, it is novel about brothers.  Their parents came from Trinidad and their father has disappeared, leaving their mother to work long hours to put food on the table.  The boys are growing up in a housing complex in Scarborough, surrounded by violence and a strong police presence. 
  The boys escape into the Rouge Valley often as young boys, but later begin to frequent Desirea's- where there are many bodies pressed into a small, hot room with loud music and drinking- often ending up with violence.
   The novel is told in the first person and this quote shows the discouragement of the boys: "We were losers and neighbourhood schemers.  We were the children of the help, without futures.  We were, none of us, what our parents wanted us to be. We were not what any other adults wanted us to be.  We were nobodies, or else, somehow, a city." 
  I found this very short, beautifully written book very sad and hopeless.  It didn't move me, it depressed me.  I need a ray of hope in every novel.

Canada Reads, book 2

    What a cover!  A fuzzy picture of a woman - doing what?
  Perhaps this is significant of the fact that the character "Suzanne" was not well-known.  She was elusive.
  She left her daughter when she was three, then 27 years later, she arrived at her granddaughter's birth.
   Ten years later, the granddaughter is watching from a window. 
Quote: 'On the other side (of the street), a woman falters, her long coat no longer enough to protect her.  Some things children can guess, and even though I don't know you, I sense you in this waltz of hesitation.  You cross the street in long strides, your toes barely landing.  A water spider.  You dart, you head toward us, leaving no trace of yourself on the ground.  You slide a small book into the mailbox before slipping off, yet again.  But right before you disappear, you look at me.  I promise myself I will catch up with you one day."

  The author, Anais Barbeau-Lavalette, searched out information about her grandmother and wrote this fictionalized biography.
  Suzanne Barbeau, the grandmother, had left her family and connected with artists in the Automatist Movement in Quebec.
  Anais' writing, in some ways, reflected the non-conformist ways of her grandmother.  But Anais has had more success in her artistic efforts and in her life also, hopefully.  She is a Canadian writer, film director, and screenwriter.  
  Her grandmother's life was extremely sad and chaotic.  I found it hard to read.  The method of storytelling further confused the story for me.

Canada Reads, book 1 "By Chance Alone"

  I decided to start my reading with this book.  I knew that it would be sad, but probably all of them will be sad.
  One of my favourite books is "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl.  Frankl's experience in the holocaust was similar to Max Eisen's- they both lost their whole family.  But Frankl said this: "We can discover the meaning of life by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.  For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one's predicament into a human achievement.  When we cannot change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.  We need to be responsible for our existence."
   I thought that was a powerful message.  And this book also shows the triumph of the human spirit in the face of immense suffering.
  
  Max Eisen was only nine when Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, where Max lived with his Jewish family.  They eventually ended up in Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Max was the only survivor in his family and he ended up in 1946 in a school for orphans in Brandenburg, Germany, where he finished his schooling until age 20.  Then he was able to get passage to Canada, where he lives today.
  The details written in the book are horrendous as you would expect.  But I was riveted to Max's story.  It is a powerful story.
  The last time Max saw his father, his father gave him a blessing and told him to 'tell the story'.  And that is what Max has been doing as he travels and speaks to many groups.  His mission: "telling the story of our collective suffering so it will never be forgotten".  He had great difficulty at first trying to get that story put into a book, but eventually he found an editor to work with him to bring out all the details that were needed to make the story as powerful as it is. 
  His warning to all is "stand on guard against radical ideologies and never be a bystander".

Canada Reads 2019

     It's that time of year again!  The final five books have been chosen for Canada Reads 2019.

     I have followed this debate since it began in 2002 and here is the panel that will be debating this year.

left to right:

Ali Hassan is the host

Yanic Truesdale is defending "Suzanne" by Anais Barbeau- Lavalette

Lisa Ray is defending "Brother" by David Chariandy

Joe Zee is defending "The Woo Woo" by Lindsay Wong

Ziya Tong is defending "By Chance Alone" by Max Eisen

Chuck Comeau is defending "Homes" by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah

As soon as the announcement was made, I searched out the books and began reading.

  A few years ago, a group of my friends decided to have a discussion group for the purpose of discussing Canada Reads books.  We have our own discussions on each book and then we are ready to fully enjoy the three days of discussion - on CBC radio and usually shown on T.V.  The dates this year are March 25-28.

   By the way, the theme this year is: "One book to move you".

"The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiell Hammett

  classic book club choice

   I expect that everyone has heard of this novel, because of all the film adaptations - four in all.
  The protagonist in this novel is Sam Spade and here is Humphrey Bogart playing Sam's role in 1941 with the Maltese Falcon.
   Sam Spade was a private detective in San Francisco, and he was an interesting character- very cool and collected at all times, in spite of the fact that nobody told him the truth and he had to figure out everything by himself.  His partner is the first of several killed, but that didn't bother him any more than the rest of the deaths.
   I am not a mystery fan but I was drawn in by the writing.  One problem that bothered some people is the amount of detail put into the writing- clothing, movement, facial expression, every aspect in great detail.
  One of my book clubs reads a classic every other month.  I have been a member of this group for 20 years, so I have read 120 classic novels.  This may be one of the better ones.
   Here is the author, Dashiell Hammett".  He wrote many, many novels but I wouldn't be surprised if Sam Spade is the best known detective from his novels.