Books in Stories of Canada series

Yousuf Karsh emigrated to North America from Turkey in the 1920s, eventually settling in Ottawa. An early interest in photography inspired him to open his own studio. As he became known for the quality of his work, Karsh’s close proximity to powerful leaders in Ottawa led to commissions of portraits of politicians. He became known as the worlds’ finest portrait photographer for his gift of drawing out and capturing a subject’s character in a photograph. Over a seventy plus year career, Karsh photographed many famous musicians, artists, actors, captains of industry and politlcians. He was also a humanitarian who worked with sick children. This is the first children’s biography of the man who immortalized the makers of history.

Short-listed for the 2002 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Norma Fleck Award Norman Bethune was a doctor who devoted his life to helping others and whose story is a remarkable one, cut short by his early death in China in 1938. This biography in our Stories of Canada series traces his life from his childhood spent moving around Ontario as a preacher’s son to his experiences in the First World War and his crusades to find a cure for tuberculosis and to promote health care in Canada. But Bethune is most famous for the time he spent fighting Fascism through his profession of healing in Spain and China during the late 1930s. His story inspires us to believe that we can change the world through our actions.

When Emily Stowe was born in Ontario in 1831, every girl’s life followed a set pattern. Regardless of her personality, intelligence, capabilities or creativity, her future was limited to housework and childcare. Emily Stowe was determined to change that pattern. Sydell Waxman, a writer, researcher and lecturer on women of the 1800s, tells of the events in the life of the young Emily Stowe which caused her to become, not only the first woman school principal and the first woman to practise medicine in Canada, but a pioneer in the fight for women’s rights. With the help of original sketches and archival material, Changing the Pattern also creates a vivid picture of Canada in the late 1800s as it follows Emily’s crusade to create new patterns for girls’ lives.

Portia White, born in 1911, had a dream: to sing on stage. Even as a little girl in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she could imagine an audience before her, clapping as she took her bow. But how could a poor girl growing up in a family with ten siblings make that dream come true? At that time, there were few opera roles available for black singers. To become a recital singer, she would have to go to Europe to study. How could she ever afford that? But Portia was not only a talented contralto, she was determined. With the support of her family and community, she eventually climbed onto stages across Canada, the United States, and Central and South America in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She crossed the colour barrier to enter concert halls and sing before white and black audiences on both continents. Later, she became a teacher and mentor of other well-known and successful singers. When Portia White died in 1968, she left a legacy of living to her belief that "first you dream and then you lace up your boots."

Struggling for Perfection is the story of the famous pianist, an enigmatic figure who made some of the most acclaimed classical recordings of the last century. A former child prodigy and an unpredictable, passionate man, Glenn Gould was known as much for his eccentricities as his vast musical genius. After retiring prematurely from performing, Gould branched out into work in film and radio and helped bring classical music recording technology into a new age. He has became a national icon in Canada. Vladimir Konieczny delivers a sensitive and affectionate portrait of this imposing figure in music history. The book is illustrated with sketches and archival photos.

2013 Information Book Awards ― Long-listed Peace after the First World War inspires hope for a better life that’s crushed by the advent of the Second World War. Beginning with the Treaty of Versailles and the hope for the birth of a better world, Failed Hope follows the postwar rise of fascism, social unrest, Prohibition, the Great Depression, Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, and the wars in Abyssinia, Spain, and China. The general strike in Winnipeg provides a Canadian perspective to the global labour turmoil of the period. The book ends with the failure of appeasement and the outbreak of the Second World War. The information is presented in easily digestible segments, accompanied by photographs. Informative sidebars provide background information or connect world events to activities in Canada. Failed Hope links with John Wilson’s two previous books, Desperate Glory and Bitter Ashes, covering the history of the 20th century from 1914 to 1945 and the effects of its world wars.

This book presents the story and issues of the First World War in a clear, concise and objective manner, accompanied on every page by photographs, original sketches or maps. Focussing on social as well as political issues with a Canadian perspective, Wilson presents the issues of the war with depth and compassion. This book will be a very useful tool for educators in explaining the hows and whys of this most important period.