theBookmark Book Club
Blog your faves or new discoveries!
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Canada Reads-Book of Negroes wins..
Canadian author Lawrence Hill has won yet another accolade for his much-celebrated novel The Book of Negroes,( ) which on Friday was named the winner in CBC's annual Canada Reads competition.
The Book of Negroes, which recounts the tale of Aminata Diallo's journey from enslavement in Africa and North America to liberation and return home, was championed during the week-long competition by journalist Avi Lewis.
Hailing the book "a riveting historical tale," Lewis said The Book of Negroes is "much more than that. It's a soaring literary accomplishment — a book in which the pages seem to turn themselves. I'm delighted that the other panellists embraced this work and that many more Canadians will now share in its richness."
"I'm feeling humbled," Lewis admitted shortly after The Book of Negroes knocked out its final competitor: Fruit, a gay coming-of-age story by Brian Francis and championed by Vancouver author Jen Sookfong Lee.
Lee received praise from rival panelist actor Nicholas Campbell for her passionate defence of Fruit, which had helped eliminate his own book — Gil Adamson's The Outlander — during Friday's broadcast on CBC Radio.
Though Lee acknowledged having the impression from the beginning that The Book of Negros was destined to be the "book to beat," she said she felt "pleased as hell" that Fruit — Francis's debut novel — made it to the final.
"I feel like we've won in so many ways because [Francis's] book had the most to gain in this process, because it was the least known."
Other competitors this year included Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards, defended by singer Sarah Slean, and The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant (La grosse femme d'à côté est enceinte) by Michel Tremblay, translated by Sheila Fischman and championed by TV host Anne-Marie Withenshaw...
More at CBC.
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2009/03/06/canadareads-bookofnegroes.html?ref=rss
Read more..Novelist:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=158589&site=novp-live
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http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=1051850759
Heather Reisman on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
Our nation's biggest bookworm heads up Canada's largest bookstore chain Chapters-Indigo. Watch the interview.
"...Wow George, did Reisman just say that functional illiteracy is easily fixed? By putting more books in little-used school libraries? If kids don't care to read, it doesn't matter how many books are in the library; kids aren't taking out books. I don't believe this is the root cause of the problem. Sure it would be nice to have more books but that's not the main issue. It is not at all easy to "fix" the attitudes of a huge number of Canadian parents who don't make reading a priority for their children or actively encourage their kids to read. The real issue here is parenting and class sizes. Where parenting may fail, individual teacher attention might be able to pick up the slack, but with classes of 28 children, 10 of which have identified special needs, teacher's are spread too thin. Increasing the number of books in libraries is a great idea but certainly won't go far to teach kids how to read or foster a love of reading in today's youth. Parents are the most important factor in that equation. But of course, we always look to schools and more money...." Posted by Todd Fox on March 04, 2009 at 08:31 PM
Read more at George's blog
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New CBC Radio Literature Program-'On the Next Chapter'.
On The Next Chapter, veteran broadcast journalist Shelagh Rogers talks to Canada's best-known authors and the literary stars of tomorrow. It's the destination show for anyone who wants to know about Canadian books and writing. http://www.cbc.ca/thenextchapter/
November 22, 2008: Rebecca Eckler, Rotten Apple
Here current broadcast was with author Rebecca Eckler . She discusses her new release Rotten Apple.
Listen:
Product Description
Apple is the opposite of her outspoken
mother and gossipy, chatty best friends; she’s always been the cool,
calm, and collected one. But her life is about to spiral out of
control. Apple’s super-sized, secret crush on her friend Zen leads her
into major trouble. And she’s realizing it might not have been such a
good idea to pose as her mother–the famous talk show host and self-help
guru, Dr. Bee Berg–and send out fake advice emails to keep her
(devastatingly beautiful) friend Happy away from Zen. Before she knows
it, her best friend hates her, the whole school knows about her crush,
and she is humiliated on national TV. How much more will it take for
Apple to learn that taking advice is just as important as giving it?
| CBC Radio One | Saturday | 3 pm (CBC) |
About the Author
Rebecca Eckler is one of Canada’s most popular journalists and writers. She has been a columnist for The Globe and Mail and the National Post. Her work has also appeared in such publications as Elle, Fashion, Chatelaine, House and Home, Mademoiselle, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times.
November 15, 2008: Native Life, Aboriginal Thought
Richard Wagamese and John Ralston Saul visit the show to speak about their books. Richard's memoir, One Native Life
tells how he rediscovered Ojibway culture after a tough childhood.
Saul's book argues that Canada owes much of its identity to Aboriginal
ideas.
Listen:
Subscribe to Podcast: iTunes or CBC
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Recommended by Al Smith, October 2008.
Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen. New Riders. 2008. 0-321-52565-5
This book has changed how I work. It has changed how I design lessons and presentations. It focuses on Powerpoint tactics but includes such evocative ideas it transfers to any opportunity when you 'present' content. Includes referecnes, free images, and amazing innovative methods for communicating. This title is now on my MUST READ list.- Al SmithLearn More...
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Recommended by Bonnie Chapman. April 26, 2008.
Whole New Mind, Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. by Daniel Pink.ISBN-10: 1594481717 ISBN-13: 978-1594481710
Wired magazine contributor and industrial thinker. Daniel H. Pink is a writer for "Wired magazine and author of Free Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind. His career includes work as Vice President Al Gore's chief speechwriter from 1995-97, and later as an aide to Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.“…Pink's last big idea (Free Agent Nation)has crafted a profound read packed with an abundance of references to books, seminars, Web sites, and such to guide your adjustment to expanding your right brain if you plan to survive and prosper in the Western world....
"...He has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations. Pink is more concerned with how certain skill sets can be harnessed effectively in the dawning "Conceptual Age.” ( Amazon.ca)
"...Lawyers. Accountants. Radiologists. Software engineers. That's what our parents encouraged us to become when we grew up. But Mom and Dad were wrong. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind. The era of "left brain" dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which "right brain" qualities-inventiveness, empathy, meaning-predominate. That's the argument at the center of this provocative and original book, which uses the two sides of our brains as a metaphor for understanding the contours of our times.( danpink.com)Learn More:
Concepts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Whole_New_Mind
Podcast from Pink- "Dan Pink on How Half Your Brain Can Save Your Job"
Right Brain Theory- case in point "Volvo wants your right brain"-(Ebsco)
MFA the New MBA-by Daniel Pink.( Ebsco) (Download pinkinterview.pdf )
The Left Brain-Right Brain Teacher, Instructor, Sep2002. ( Ebsco)Reviews and Thoughts:
Al Smith says....
At our last Spring Chapter Council, one of our new Executive members, Bonnie Chapman of Surrey suggested a advoacy plan. Her idea centered around the promotion of the book A Whole New Mind- Why right brainers will rule the future. Well, I don't know about the plan but I do have some views on the book. This book is amazing snapshot of the complex social changes that have a direct impact on our goals as educators. It has affirmed for me that we need to embrace the pedagogical adaptations that will make students think more as independent people. Example after example of Pink's book echoes in so many other thinkers and writers, I am convinced tha this general thesis is true. The concept is not brand new. The notion has been debated by Tofler and written about in the BC Learner 2000 Commission. I have already had many people ask about it. It has generated so much valuable educational discussion and it is only a week ago since I read it. As Bonnie indicated in April, this is a must read for every teacher-librarian who wants to understand why he/she works so hard. I am so convinced of Pink's 'conceptual work', I am going to study more and follow his concept of 'design' to adapt my collaborative lessons in 2008-2009.
ps
I found another article in Teacher Librarian 2006 that similarly touches on the need for less technical skills and greater conceptual building. Download knowledgeworker242.pdf see link below
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind. Berkley Publishing TRD
(288 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00) ISBN-10: 1594481717 . ISBN-13: 978-1594481710February 23, 2006.
- Pink, best-selling author of Free Agent Nation (2001) and also former chief speechwriter for former vice-president Al Gore, has crafted a profound read packed with an abundance of references to books, seminars, Web sites, and such to guide your adjustment to expanding your right brain if you plan to survive and prosper in the Western world. According to Pink, the keys to success are in developing and cultivating six senses: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Pink compares this upcoming "Conceptual Age" to past periods of intense change, such as the Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance, as a way of emphasizing its importance.
-Booklist.Ed Dwyer. Copyright © American Library Association.Johnson, Doug. "skills for the knowledge worker." Teacher Librarian 34.1 (Oct. 2006): 8-13. Professional Development Collection. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 12 May 2008 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=22627954&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live.
Persistent link to this record: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=22627954&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live
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Recommended by Al Smith. May 29, 2008.
Digital Game-Based Learning. by Marc Prensky
ISBN-: 1557788634
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/literateowl&tag=digital%2Blearning
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Publish your book selection here...submit text and summary
Recommend a title to Blog. Send us your blurb or post below.
regards, Angie MacRitchie or Al Smith. virtualbookmark@gmail.com
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I am part way through Pink's book and will reserve comment until I
have finished it. In the meantime I'll play devil's advocate and
offer this review of the book by Gary Stager (http://
www.districtadministration.com/pulse/commentpost.aspx?news=no&postid=...)
The Worst Book of the 21st Century: a review
http://www.districtadministration.com/pulse/commentpost.aspx?news=no&...
Posted by: Lesley Edwards | May 30, 2008 at 02:44 PM
Some further suggestions for summer reading posted by Ryan Bretag in his Metanoia blog post:
Summer of Reading and Learning
http://www.bretagdesigns.com/technologist/?p=552
Posted by: Lesley Edwards | May 30, 2008 at 02:53 PM
Blogs are so informative where we get lots of information on any topic. Nice job keep it up!!
Posted by: Marketing Dissertation | October 13, 2009 at 06:04 AM