The New Normal: The Canadian Prairies in a Changing Climate

The New Normal: The Canadian Prairies in a Changing Climate by David Sauchyn, Harry P. Diaz and Suren Kulshreshtha Published by the Canadian Plains Research Center Review by Sandy Bonny $ 75.00 ISBN-13 987-0-921104-27-8 Don Gayton got it right years ago when he wrote ‘Average in this country is meaningless; it is a mere summation of profound extremes.’ Cold winters, dry summers, winters without snow, floods among sand dunes; these are all historical facts of life on the Canadian Prairies. How then do we assess ‘climate change’ in such a variable geography? How do we respond and adapt when wildcard years are increasingly the norm? These questions are addressed in the most recent publication of the Canadian Plains Research Center, The New Normal: The Canadian Prairies in a Changing Climate. Acknowledging that we are in the midst of climatic instability tied to human activity, this book brings together the work of 24 scientists and sociologists to paint a locally-focused portrait of the challenges we are likely to face in the coming century. The book can be read as a Prairie climate tour-de-force, or chapter descriptions in the introduction can guide readers to areas of particular interest. The New Normal moves…

In the Embrace of the Alligator: Fictions from Cuba
Thistledown Press / 19 October 2011

In the Embrace of the Alligator: Fictions from Cuba by Amanda Hale Published by Thistledown Press Review by Kris Brandhagen $18.95 CAD 987-1-897235-87-4 Amanda Hale’s 2011 book of short stories, In the Embrace of the Alligator: Fictions from Cuba, is a gripping celebration of mystery unraveled using beautiful language. Hale launches in with a story called “First Steps, Last Steps;” immediately gripping, beginning in the middle. The subject of the story is introduced: “His legs were twisted, as though they’d been torqued and broken, his feet wrapped in burlap with cardboard soles and twine to hold them firm. I’d done the left one, Leila the right, our hands twisting and binding.” I wondered if I was about to read a story about kidnapping, abuse? Is “he” a child, an adult, an animal? I didn’t know, but I was getting to the end of the story to find out. In the story “Witness,” I was astounded by Hale’s ability to achieve pathos. She describes a long wait, on a hot day: “She took the pen from him and patted his arm, then she signed, wanting only to get out of there and cross the street to her own home, to eat…

Molly’s Cue
Coteau Books / 12 October 2011

Molly’s Cue by Alison Acheson Published by Coteau Books Review by Karen Lawson $12.95 ISBN 978-1-55050430-9 Molly Gumley believes that it is her destiny to become an actor. Now that she has begun high school, she is enthusiastically and confidently pursues her dream by getting immersed in drama class and school theatrical productions. Molly has been inspired by her adored grandmother to perform since she was a little girl. Now, her dear Grand is gone, and Molly feels she must carry on the dream that they shared. But her confidence is soon shaken as the reality of being on stage hits her. She is confused and feels like a failure and a disappointment to her family. Molly turns to her eccentric best friend Candace and her new friends Julian and Caleb for support. They help her to figure out why she is suddenly so afraid to follow the path she was once so sure of. Eventually, they guide her in a new direction that will fulfill her in a way that she has never dreamed of. Alison Acheson has penned a realistic and down to earth young adult novel called Molly’s Cue and created likeable personalities that the reader immediately…

Odd Ball
Thistledown Press / 5 October 2011

Odd Ball by Arthur John Stewart Published by Thistledown Press Review by Jessica Bickford $12.95 978-1-897235-88-1 Central Middle School is in dire straights in Arthur John Stewart’s first novel, Odd Ball, and no one knows just how to fix it. The students the book follows are all from different family situations, have different friends, and all want something different out of their middle school experience. Kevin just doesn’t want people calling him a geek (he thinks he isn’t, he can talk to girls); Jobbi, a recent immigrant from a small town in Latvia, doesn’t want to get beaten up every day for the way he talks; Paula wants to be noticed; and Stephanie wants everything to be like it was last year – fun. Odd Ball skips around all of these (and a few other) characters’ lives, all detailing what it is like to be in middle school and unhappy. Everyone wants change, but who will step up and demand it from themselves and from everyone around them? The students find it hard to be different when doing so makes you the target for some harsh bullies, and sometimes even harsher families. Jobbi earns some respect when he joins the…