C’mon Papa
Dispatches from a Dad in the Dark
By Ryan Knighton, Vintage Canada, 247 pages, $22
Ryan Knighton, who was diagnosed with retinosa pigmentosa at 18 and is now totally blind, offers his unique take on fatherhood. His memoir of his relationship with his first child is thoughtful, informative and unexpectedly funny.
Who Killed Janet Smith?
By Ed Starkins, Anvil Press, 404 pages, $24
Ed Starkins doesn’t actually answer the question posed by the title -- the death of the Scottish nanny has never been solved -- but his deeply researched book, first published in 1984, is both a gripping historical detective story and a first-rate social history of high-society 1920s Vancouver.
What Disturbs Our Blood
A Son’s Quest to Redeem the Past
By James FitzGerald, Vintage Canada, 497 pages, $22
Toronto writer James FitzGerald looks into his own family’s past, focusing especially on the lives of his father and his grandfather, successful doctors who suffered from dark veins of suicidal depression. The result is a mesmerizing portrait of a driven family and a demanding society.
A Wrinkle in Time
By Madeleine L’Engle, Square Fish, 236 pages, $10.99
This is the 50th-anniversary edition of Madeleine L’Engle’s groundbreaking young adult novel, a story of time travel, love and the triumph of good over evil. This edition includes a new introduction by Newbery Medalist Katherine Paterson, never-before-published photographs and L’Engle’s Newbery Medal acceptance speech.
A New Leaf
Growing With My Garden
By Merilyn Simonds, Anchor Canada, 268 pages, $19.95
In a series of essays, Merilyn Simonds writes of her soul-feeding experiences across an entire gardening year, people and plants, from clean-up through harvest, including memories of gardens and people past.
The Imaginary Indian
The Image of the Indian in Canadian Culture
By Daniel Francis, Arsenal Pulp, 285 pages, $23.95
In this work, published in 1992, wide-ranging historian Daniel Francis traces nearly 200 years of Indian imagery, as seen and expressed in popular Canadian culture: friend and foe, noble savage and bloodthirsty warrior, stumbling drunk and wise sage. Includes a new preface and new afterword by Francis.
