From March 27-30, experts debated which new Canadian-written book should be the one book Canadians need now, and it was decided that Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis should be the winner.
And it was, being fervently defended by writer and rapper Humble The Poet.
The contenders and their chosen books were:
Chantal Kreviazuk defending The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Humble The Poet defending Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis
Measha Brueggergosman defending Company Town by Madeline Ashby
Candy Palmater defending The Break by Katherena Vermette
Jody Mitic defending Nostalgia by M.G. Vassanji
He told the CBC, I didn’t pick a book that looks like me, sounds like me, represents any type of minority that I might check off the box… I picked the book that represents me to my core. Everybody in this room has regrets, anxieties. Everybody in this room is struggling with the thoughts in their head, which ones they should believe [and] which ones they should not. Everybody in this room struggles with jealousy, irrespective of their race, their gender, their orientation, their economic background. This is the only book that talks about that over and over again.”
This year’s Canada Reads debates, which were live streamed as well as aired on CBC, were hosted by Ali Hassan from CBC’s Laugh Out Loud. It was the first time he hosted the debates.
Photo: Canada Reads
