Herstory 2013
Coteau Books / 28 November 2012

Herstory 2013: The Canadian Women’s Calendar by The Saskatoon Women’s Calendar Collective Published by Coteau Books Review by Keith Foster $15.95 ISBN 9781550504798 Herstory 2013, like previous editions of Herstory, is a celebration of Canadian women who were, for the most part, ordinary women who attained greatness by their extraordinary achievements. The book follows a basic format – a photo and either a brief life story or special feature of some three dozen Canadian women. Through a one-page thumbnail sketch, the reader can almost feel that he or she has met that woman and come to know her. Every second page contains a seven-day calendar for 2013, with a nifty quotation on the bottom. These women have pursued a variety of vocations, such as actor, physician, artist, musician, dancer, nurse, educator, scientist, bookseller, pilot, taxidermist, mountain climber, and activist. One woman who acted in an exemplary way is Molly Reilly. She distinguished herself with her superb flying ability as an aerial photographer during World War II. She once landed a plane that was trailing smoke from its burning engine. Witnesses expected to see a panic-stricken pilot leap from the plane. Instead, she calmly climbed out and, sauntering up to a…

The Cast Stone: A Novel of Uprising
Thistledown Press / 21 November 2012

The Cast Stone by Harold Johnson Published by Thistledown Press Review by Fleur Macqueen Smith $19.95 ISBN 978-1-897235-89-8 The Cast Stone is the third novel from Harold Johnson, who was born and lives in Northern Saskatchewan and balances his time between practicing law in La Ronge and operating his family’s traditional trapline using a dog team. While Johnson sets the tone for the novel with its subtitle, a novel of uprising, the story unfolds in a thoughtful, unhurried pace, often interspersed with humour. This novel won the 2012 Fiction award at the Saskatchewan Book Awards, and the judges called it an “ambitious, wide-ranging and wise novel whose roots extend from the land and local community to the world.” It is narrated by Ben Robe, a retired political science professor who returns home to his reserve at Moccasin Lake in Northern Saskatchewan to finish his life in peace and solitude. Within quick succession, he is drawn into two situations that interrupt his plans. First, he reconnects with Monica, a former student who wants him to become involved in insurgency activities arising from the sudden and unwelcome annexation of Canada by the United States. Second, he learns that his brief affair with…