Canada Reads 2009 started March off with a bang as five great Canadian fiction books battled for the title of Canada Reads champion. But who made it all the way? Which of the five best sellers won the bragging rights to CanLit’s finest for 2009?
The Contestants:
Canada Reads aired from March 2-6 on CBC Radio. Canada Reads in is it 8th installment and this year packed more punch than ever before. The five celebrity panelists debated and deliberated on which Canadian Fiction book would win the prestigious title. The five books to top the charts and the event this year were:
- The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
- The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant by Michael Tremblay
- Fruit by Brian Francis
- Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
- The Outlander by Gil Adamson
All five of the books are remarkably different and take readers on intriguing journeys into the lives of dynamic and loveable characters.
The Race to the Finish Line:
Canada Reads began with quirky conversation about anything and everything. Listeners met the all-star panelists which included singer-songwriter with a soulful take on CanLit, Sarah Slean; outspoken Quebec talk show host, Anne-Marie Withenshaw; improv actor, Nicholas Campbell; TV veteran with a gift for tackling political subjects, Avi Lewis; and quirky Vancouver author, Jen Sookfong Lee. From body confusion to favorite sex scenes, the five panelists made their cases for their books, and packed plenty of punches against the competitors.
Day two of the event brought more action to the table as the panelists geared in to discuss their books in depth. Day three revealed the first book voted off the island. The Outlander by Gil Adamson was given the axe as this year’s last place finisher.
Day four brought even more curve balls as another book was knocked off the list of potential winners. Amid the “booes” of one of the panelists, The Fat Women Next Door Was Pregnant by Michael Tremblay was given the boot.
And then there were three.
Day five started with a quick elimination of Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards, leaving The Book of Negroes, an epic tale of a woman battling slavery, and Fruit, a funny account of a chubby teenager with talking nipples, to battle to the finish. But only one book can be crowned as the Canada Reads winner.
And the Winner is….
Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes was voted this year’s Canada Reads winner. All five panelists agreed that this captivating story of slavery was definitely worthy of the prestigious title.
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill traces 50 years of slavery. The story takes place on three different continents and follows the life of an unforgettable woman through the journey from slavery to freedom in an attempt to find a place where she belongs. This is Ontarian Lawrence Hill’s third book and was released in 2007.
To learn more about the books, the panelists and the Canada Reads event, check out "Canadian Fiction Goes Head to Head" or CBC
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