Happy Canada Day!
Not only is today a celebration of the day we officially became a country, but it is Canada's 150th birthday!
To say the least, the whole country is celebrating. Which is saying something; we are a really big country!
In honour of the awesomeness of this land I am fortunate enough to call home, I have come up with the quintessential 10 most Canadian books. It was really hard to narrow down this list, so I am sure that I will have another Canadian-Lit list in the future. Therefore, make sure you leave your suggestions for what I should include next time!
In no particular order:
Maybe the most Canadian book ever, I know that I have included this book in other lists, but I absolutely have to include it here, too. The entire series is worth a read, but you have to start with the first one, where we first meet spunky Anne Shirley.
Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors. A Handmaid's Tale is my favourite, but Alias Grace is a second, and this one is inspired by the true story of a woman held for the murders of her employer and his mistress. Atwood is a Canadian icon, so I have to include at least one of her books on this list.
Is there a more Canadian book experience than the CBC Canada Reads annual competition? This one was a finalist in 2015. It concerns itself with two aging men, who have elected to live out their remaining days hidden in a remote forest. One year, though, their solitude is disrupted by the arrival of two women, one of whom is researching the fires that swept Northern Ontario in the early 1900s.
I love the Anne books. But before I ever read about spunky Anne Shirley, I devoured the Emily books. This first one introduces us to lonely, dreamy Emily Starr, who moves to New Moon to live with her relatives after the death of her father. If you love L.M. Montgomery, you should definitely give the Emily books a try; it is even supposedly reported that she said she loved these books most!
CBC Radio had an ongoing series called Vinyl Cafe. The stories were all told by Stuart McLean, featuring Dave, Morley, and their two children. The stories are all heartwarming and hilarious. No matter which Vinyl Cafe book you pick up, you will enjoy yourself. I particularly love the recordings of the stories - they are my favourite thing to listen to on road trips, and it has become tradition to listen to on our way to Christmas with my family. Each of the stories about the Vinyl Cafe are light, and lovely.
A favourite children's picture book, this tells the story of Roch growing up in a village where his winter days were spent emulating Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens. But when he outgrows his Richard sweater, he is horrified to discover he has been sent a Toronto Maple Leafs replacement. A picture book centering on the importance of hockey and rivalries between two iconic teams? Yeah, that's pretty Canadian.
(Even though I happen to love the Leafs... but anyway.)
I had never read a book like this before I picked this up. I had never read one of those beautifully meandering, slowly building books that rely on intriguing, eccentric characters and incredible writing instead of intense plot development. This book takes you into the Canadian north, Yellowknife specifically, in 1975. The North is the centre of this novel, and the characters who call it home, make it beautiful and decidedly Canadian.
A book about Canadian politics should not be funny. It should not have me literally laughing out loud. But this book does not seem particularly concerned with what it should and shouldn't do, because it really is hilarious. The writing is irreverent and tongue-in-cheek, and the characters are memorable and just damn entertaining. I also really, really want to meet Angus McLintock.
I have to include a Thomas King book on this list, and I elected to include the first full novel I read by him. This story follows two young cousins, Tecumseh and Lum, teenagers on the Bright Water reserve in Canada and the town of Truth across the river in the United States. It takes place over a handful of days one summer, as a handful of characters swirl around Tecumseh. It considers what it means to be First Nations, and Canadian, on the prairies in the present day, but it also looks at identity, and family, and how stories tell us who we are.
Again, I have to include a Mowat book. I chose this one because I taught it for a few years when I was teaching upper elementary school. This is Mowat's funniest book, about growing up in the Saskatchewan prairies. A boy, Billy, loves animals, but when he adds two owls to his pet collection, chaos ensues. This is a charming peak at growing up in the prairies in times gone by, when kids ran through bluffs, organized neighborhood parades, and swam in sloughs all summer. Oh yeah, and raised owls.
I have tried to give a cross-section of Canadian themes, writers, and motifs in this list, but I know I have missed countless Canadian books. What do you think should have made the list?
Comment below with the books that made you feel Canadian, or make you think of Canada. And have a wonderful Canada Day!
Happy birthday, Canada!