SaskBooks Reviews

Possessions: Their Role in Anger, Greed, Envy, Jealousy, and Death by Boris W. Kishchuk Published by DriverWorks Ink Review by Shelley A. Leedahl $19.95 ISBN 978-1-927570-42-5 I love games: card, word, trivia, etc., and I’ve usually been fortunate to have someone in my circle who also enjoys a friendly but spirited competition. Why share that in a review of Saskatoon writer Boris W. Kishchuk’s latest nonfiction title, Possessions: Their Role in Anger, Greed, Envy, Jealousy, and Death? Read on. In the preface to this exquisitely-researched book Kishchuk writes that he’s wondered “why people kill each other,” and he wins my attention. This text examines “the psychology of possession”. The author investigates our desire to possess from myriad angles, including religious and economic reasons, and presents numerous diverse examples of how the human penchant for possessing has led to crime, brutality, murder and war. At the end of this page-turner Kishchuk reveals that his original title idea was The Curse of Possessions. He could have called it Read This and Never Lose at “Jeopardy” Again! Kishchuk’s previous titles demonstrate his eclectic range of interests: Long Term Care in Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Crown Corporations, and Connecting with Ukraine. Possessions is “more reflective in…

Crown Corporations in Saskatchewan by Boris W. Kishchuk Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing Review by Keith Foster $19.95 ISBN 978-1-894431-95-8 Few issues in Saskatchewan stir up as much controversy as Crown corporations. One need look no further than recent provincial elections. But Saskatoon author Boris Kishchuk deliberately steers clear of politics in his book, Crown Corporations of Saskatchewan. Instead, he focuses on their history and evolution. Kischuck divides Crown corporations into three categories: for job and wealth creation; for investment and financial services; and to provide services to the people of the province. Crown corporations have a long history in Saskatchewan. The Territorial government created the first Crown in 1901, selling hail insurance to farmers, before Saskatchewan even became a province. Some Crowns may not exactly be household names – like Saskatchewan Government Airways, Saskatchewan First Call Corporation, and Saskatchewan Box Factory Ltd. – but they nevertheless played an important part in the province’s history. Crown corporations sometimes invested in private enterprise, some with unusual names such as Hollywood at Home, Inc. and Clothing for Modern Times, Inc. Kishckuk brings his personal knowledge to the subject. He served as chair of the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel for five years….