These are stories with strong narratives, political undertones (and overtones), and environmental issues at the heart. We live in a beautiful province, and the stories produced here reflect how passionately we feel about nature and the environment. These books would be a thoughtful choice for the friend who is angry about Site C, dispirited by the wildfires, and enraged by Kinder Morgan.
Beckoned by the Sea: Women at Work on the Cascadia Coast by Sylvia Taylor (Heritage House Publishing) is a stunning collection of voices, narratives, skills, and talents of women up and down the coastal Pacific Northwest who devote their lives and careers to the sea. Sylvia Taylor interviewed 24 intriguing women, offering glimpses into the passions, struggles, and lives of Harvesters, Travellers, Creators, History Keepers, Teachers, and Protectors of the Cascadia coast. These profiles allow readers tight on time (or who prefer something they can pick up and put down) to take a quick dip in the ocean of stories.
On Mockingbird Hill: Memories of Dharma Bums, Madcaps, and Fire Lookouts by Mary Theresa Kelly (Caitlin Press) is an account of the idealized lookout lifestyle made popular by Jack Kerouac. It is also a story of couple’s search for meaningful work. Mary Theresa Kelly’s reflections look humorously on gender, and how sometimes, our lives mysteriously and briefly intersect with others, leaving an imprint and forcing us to look inward.
Just Cool It!: The Climate Crisis and What We Can Do by David Suzuki and Ian Hanington (Greystone Books) is a post–Paris Agreement wake-up call about the urgency of the climate crisis that offers a range of practical solutions—and above all, hope. David Suzuki, well known for his environmental activism, offers a comprehensive look at the barriers to resolving global warming and a wide range of solutions—from shifting to clean energy to planting trees to reforming agricultural practices. Just Cool It! offers practical solutions and a call to arms for those gift recipients who want tangible options.
The Promise of Paradise: Utopian Communities in British Columbia by Andrew Scott (Harbour Publishing) delves into the dramatic stories of the fascinating but often doomed idealistic settlements in British Columbia. With careful research and engaging first-person accounts, Scott sifts through the practices and philosophies as well as the astounding misadventures of the utopia-seekers’ dreams. From Doukhobor farmers to Finnish coal miners, Quakers and hippies, many groups have struggled in the search for paradise.
Landfall by Joe Denham (Nightwood Editions) revisits the plaguing environmental issues in the poetic journey he began ten years ago with his second collection, Windstorm. Governor General’s Award–nominated poet Joe Denham writes in long elegy form, using a voice harnessed by concern, pathos, anger and empathy. Landfall is a frustrated call to arms, told with directness and compassion.
On Island: Life Among the Coast Dwellers by Pat Carney (TouchWood Editions) is a collection of stories chronicling the characters and dramas that capture life in small coastal communities, following the rhythms of day-to-day life. Carney writes evocatively of the magical landscape of the coast but also addresses the less-idyllic moments that can also characterize coastal life—power outages, winter storms, isolation. With a witty and perceptive voice, On Island gives readers—islanders and mainland dwellers alike—a taste of what it means to be “on island.”
Raven Walks Around the World: Life of a Wandering Activist by Thom Henley (Harbour Publishing) is the colourful autobiography of an environmentalist, human rights advocate and co-founder of the Rediscovery wilderness program for youth. Thom Henley was formally adopted by the Haida and bestowed with the new name “Yaahl Hlaagaay Gwii Kaas” (Raven Walks Around the World).
The Promise of Water: Stories by Judy LeBlanc (Oolichan Books) is a collection of short fiction where water inundates the lives of these Vancouver Island characters. The ephemeral quality of life, like that of water, is revealed; people die, dreams are shattered, love and redemption are found in letting go. Judy LeBlanc’s short fiction has been published in numerous literary journals and won the Antigonish Review’s 2012 Sheldon Currie Fiction contest and was longlisted for the CBC short story prize.
The Hard Work of Hope: Climate Change in the Age of Trump by Robert William Sandford & Dr. Jon O’Riordan (Rocky Mountain Books) builds on events that have transpired since December 2015, including initial implementation of the UN’s 2030 Transforming our World global sustainable development agenda; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; the commitment of the Canadian federal government to establish a climate action plan; and the UN Climate Summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, which aimed to advance the goals of the Paris Agreement. The latest RMB Manifesto, The Hard Work of Hope explores the economic and social realities facing the world with climate change and seeks to develop effective solutions to the growing urgency for global action.
Unbuilt Environments: Tracing Postwar Development in Northwest British Columbia by Jonathan Peyton (UBC Press) takes a long hard look at the many unfinished and failed resource projects from late 20th-century industrial pioneers. Although many of their projects never materialized or were simply abandoned midstream—such as an abandoned rail grade (the Dease Lake Extension), a failed LNG export facility (Dome Petroleum), and the much-debated Northwest Transmission Line—they still had lasting effects on the natural and human environment and continue to shape contemporary resource conflicts in this region. Unbuilt Environments is not a light read, but it could shed an interesting light on the recent Site C approval.
Chasing Smoke: A Wildfire Memoir by Aaron Williams (Harbour Publishing) is a gritty, exhilarating and danger-filled memoir of fighting forest fires from an experienced firefighter in BC, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Idaho from 2006 to 2014. Williams chronicles what it’s like to work 16-hour days in an apocalyptic landscape, the seasonal existence of a firefighter, and examines the wider world of firefighting–interweaving the history, mechanics and politics. Chasing Smoke is incredibly timely considering the wildfire season BC had this summer and with fires currently raging in California.
Whale In The Door: A Community Unites to Protect BC’s Howe Sound by Pauline Le Bel (Caitlin Press) invites readers into a story of biological resilience as a community struggles to shape a vision for its future. Once a natural haven of food and shelter for the Squamish Nation, Howe Sound was horrendously polluted after a century of industrial contamination. Through major efforts by the Squamish Nation, governments, and industry, the Sound has seen a dramatic revival, but it is still fragile. Pauline Le Bel, a resident of Howe Sound, embarks on a journey of discovery to find out what is special about the Sound, its wild nature and its people, to witness the cultural and spiritual revivals taking place.