Election Reads

The election is over. Did your vote count?

CBC has compiled a list of 10 ‘must read’ political books that they felt should have been read before the federal election. The Muskoka Lakes Public Library in Port Carling has five of the books included in the list.

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis was the CBC Canada Reads 2011 champion and winner of the Leacock Award. The story presents a candidate no one ever dreamed of: a man who puts the national interest ahead of his career, and does what’s best for the country, not what’s best for his popularity. If you’re tired of “politics as usual,” Terry Fallis’s refreshing send-up of the political scene is the perfect antidote.

Wayne Johnston creatively and vividly re-imagines Joey Smallwood’s journey from a small-town Newfoundland newspaper apprentice to an iconic political figure. By adding drama, intrigue and unforgettable companions to the life of one of Canada’s most beloved figures, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams became one of the best fictional renderings of Canadian politics ever written.

Richard Gwyn’s 2009 biography of Canada’s first prime minister won the Charles Taylor Prize for non-fiction and it’s easy to see why. John A: The Man Who Made Us is a riveting and humanizing account of the man who helped Canada achieve confederation, and offers insight into the circumstances that led him to become so politically driven.

The 1960s ushered in a wave of change for North America, and with it came new social values and new ideas about government. Brian Lee Crowley explores this shift in Fearful Symmetry: the fall and rise of Canada’s founding values and makes a persuasive argument for why returning to a pre-1960s mentality would benefit our country. Readers may not agree with Crowley’s findings, but this is a book that will have everyone thinking about what Canada is becoming — and what kind of country Canada should be.

Dennis Gruending has put together a collection of the most influential speeches in Canadian history. From Nellie McClung arguing for women’s right to vote to David Suzuki discussing climate change, Great Canadian Speeches offers a first-hand look at the words that changed Canada, and the people brave enough to speak them.

Wednesday morning story and craft time has wrapped up until next autumn. It was a great season of stories, crafts, songs, and activities. Watch the website and signs for other library programs offered throughout the summer and fall seasons.