Canada Reads is an annual literary competition organized by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), first broadcast in 2002. During the competition five personalities each champion a book they feel Canadians should pick up.
The series is broadcast over five episodes, with panellists voting out a book at the end of each episode. The final book still in the competition is the one deemed the book Canadians should read.
The five books in this year’s competition are The Right To Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis, Company Town by Madeline Ashby, The Break by Katherena Vermette, and Nostalgia by M.G. Vassanji.
Three residents attended the meeting, but that was no deterrent from talking about the book they think Canadians need to read this year.
Some feel the competition is a great way to get Canadians reading, no matter the format, be it hard cover, soft cover, or e-reader.
“I think we need to get more people reading books,” said Brian Kennelly. “If it helps to do that then it’s worthwhile.”
Two books stood out for the group, The Break, and The Right To Be Cold.
The Break tells the story of a young Metis mother who witnesses a crime on a barren field in front of her home. A series of shifting narratives from people connected with the victim tell their personal stories leading up to the incident.
The Right To Be Cold chronicles the impact of climate change on northern communities, making the case that the environmental issue is also a human rights issue.
While it was agreed the two books were the ones most relevant to the theme of what book Canadians need to read this year, it was also agreed they were the hardest of the five to get through.
Though some of the reading may be difficult, many feel the Canada Reads competition is a great to encourage support for national authors.
“I think it’s a really good way to connect Canadians to Canadian issues and Canadian books, and to connect small places like Nakusp to CBC books,” said Patty Riley, a casual librarian at the Nakusp Public Library. “I think it’s an important way to get Canadian literature out there.”
Canada Reads is broadcast on CBC Radio One from March 27 to March 30 at 11:05 a.m. Pacific Time.
