Canada Day 2021: As Calls To Cancel Canada Day Grows, Here Are a Few Books To Read on This Day To Remind People on What It Means To Be a Canadian

Canada Day celebrated on July 1st in observance of the day when three separate colonies - Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick - were merged into a single Dominion within the British Empire. Usually Canada Day - formerly known as Dominion Day until  Canadian Constitution was patriated by the Canada Act 1982 - is celebrated with several outdoor activities such as fireworks, parades, concerts, barbeques, festivals, maritime and air shows.  However this year, the celebrations will be fraught with tension amid calls of cancelling the day entirely in the heels of the dark discovery of potentially hundreds of unmarked graves of 215 children at the Marieval Indian Residential School at Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan. While the country tries to come to terms with its dark history, here are a few books that highlight themes of Canadian culture and identity, which might just remind people of what it means to be a Canadian. 

A Whale's World by Nicholas Read

Historically speaking, Whale books fare quite well with readers - case in point: Moby Dick - Thus book gives readers a glimpse into the beautiful creatures on the North Coast of British Columbia.

Papergirl by Melinda McCracken

A book about fortitude at a time of immense crisis, tells a tale of  10-year old Cassie who lives in Winnipeg in 1919 who have survived World War I and the Spanish Flu but are now in grips of long working hours and deplorable working conditions.

Greenwood by Michael Christie

This book chronicles the lives of five people on a remote island off the British Columbia coast. Winner of the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for excellence in Canadian crime writing this book is replete with intrigue that will keep you turning the page without a break.

Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson by Mark Bourrie

A biography of 17th Century French fur trader and explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson, this book illustrates the adventures of the explorer who was captured by the Mohawks found in the company of pirates and also co-founded the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Moccasin Square Gardens by Richard Van Camp

This short story collection chronicles the magic of northern Canada. It's a collection of funny stories on the monsters who have returned to Canada after encountering global warming and other human depravities of the world.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2021 05:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).