Canadian nonfiction

  • How to breathe water

    Creator

    Butala, Sharon

    Abstract

    A road trip through the prairies prompts acclaimed writer Sharon Butala to unearth the stories of the natural world around her, and at the same time revisit her own personal histories. After an isolating and demoralizing year during the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend invites Sharon Butala to join her on a road trip - together they will drive the thirteen hundred kilometers from Calgary to Winnipeg, stopping as they please along the way.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    [Calgary, Alberta]

    Freehand Books

    Not specified
  • Shattered glass

    Creator

    Gouchie, Mike

    Abstract

    Mike Gouchie is an indigenous Nashville recording artist. Over his musical career he's had the privilege of opening for country legend George Jones on a cross Canada tour and has shared stages with Alan Jackson, Lonestar, Billy Currington, the Neville Brothers, Jo Nichols, and many others. A ten-time award-winning Country Recording Artist with deep Indigenous roots, Mike's journey through the highs of the spotlight and the lows of life behind the curtain is as real as it gets.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    [Calgary, Alberta]

    BWL Publishing Inc.

    Not specified
  • Ginty's ghost : a wilderness dweller's dream

    Creator

    Czajkowski, Chris

    Abstract

    After nearly three decades of wilderness dwelling far from neighbours and roads, with the nearest community accessible only via float plane or days of hiking, Czajkowski purchases a derelict homestead with rough road access at Ginty Creek, an hour's drive south of Anahim Lake. Although the property is mostly swamp and the packrat-infested buildings are uninhabitable, the location affords beautiful views and abundant wildlife—and the asking price is within her budget. Ginty Creek was named for Ginty Paul, the eccentric recluse who had previously owned the property.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Madeira Park, BC

    Harbour Publishing

    Not specified
  • Ginger : the life and death of Albert Goodwin

    Creator

    Mayse, Susan

    Abstract

    One of British Columbia's most colourful figures was Albert "Ginger" Goodwin, a slight young English immigrant who arrived on Vancouver Island in 1910 to join hundreds of others slaving in the hellholes of the Cumberland mines. What he saw there made him one of the most effective labour leaders the province has ever seen, and led to an untimely and controversial end.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Madeira Park, BC

    Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.

    Not specified
  • Juan de Fuca's strait : voyages in the waterway of forgotten dreams

    Creator

    Gough, Barry

    Abstract

    The tale begins in sixteenth-century Venice, when explorer Juan de Fuca encountered English merchant Michael Lok and relayed a fantastic story of a marine passageway that connected the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This tale would be the catalyst for centuries of dreaming, and exacerbate English and Spanish rivalry. The search for the fabled Northwest Passage inspired explorers to seek out fame, adventure, knowledge and riches.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    [Place of publication not identified]

    Harbour Publishing

    Not specified
  • Trees of Victoria : a wanderer's guide

    Creator

    Varner, Collin

    Abstract

    A full-colour guide to more than 200 species of coniferous and broadleaf trees found throughout the parks, woodlands, and urban green spaces of Victoria, BC. Victoria, British Columbia, known by locals as the City of Gardens, also holds the esteemed position as Canada’s warmest city. Its climate, a pleasant mixture of plentiful rain and long stretches of sunshine, makes Victoria an ideal place for an incredible array of diverse tree species, both native and introduced, to grow and flourish.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Surrey, British Columbia

    Heritage House Publishing

    Not specified
  • Tsqelmucwílc : the Kamloops Indian Residential School--resistance and a reckoning

    Creator

    Gottfriedson, Garry

    Fred, Randy

    Haig-Brown, Celia

    Abstract

    The tragic and shameful story of Indigenous erasure and genocide at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada In May 2021, the world was shocked by news of the detection of 215 unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada. Ground-penetrating radar confirmed the deaths of students as young as three in the infamous residential school system, which systematically removed children from their families and brought them to the schools.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Vancouver

    Arsenal Pulp Press

    Not specified
  • Two tricksters find friendship

    Creator

    Aitken, Johnny

    Abstract

    After a young girl moves to a small island community, she and a local Indigenous boy form a strong friendship over the summer. When they begin the fourth grade together, the two find adventure while navigating the challenges and prejudices of their lives.

    Audience
    Juvenile**
    Publisher (Source)

    Victoria

    Orca Book Publishers

    Not specified
  • Unravelling Canada : a knitting odyssey

    Creator

    Olsen, Sylvia

    Abstract

    Toques, mittens and scarves are all associated with northern climates, but the quintessential garment of Canadian knitting is surely the bulky and distinctly patterned West Coast cardigan. In the early twentieth century, Indigenous woolworkers on southern Vancouver Island began knitting what are now called Cowichan sweaters, named for the largest of the Coast Salish tribes in the region. Drawing on their talents as blanket weavers and basket makers, and adapting techniques from European settlers, Coast Salish women created sweaters that fuelled a bustling local economy.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Madeira Park, BC

    Douglas & McIntyre

    Not specified
  • Untold tales of old British Columbia

    Creator

    Marshall, Daniel Patrick

    Abstract

    A collection of fascinating stories of the extraordinary and astonishing in BC's history. Daniel Marshall uncovers the stories of BC you've never heard. The award-winning Marshall captivates readers with intriguing and unknown stories, everything from Indigenous rights to Native gold; political intrigue to daring feats; the remarkable, mysterious traveller Harry (Harriet) Collins; the forgotten origin of Canada's oldest Chinatown; mysterious artifacts and confounding tales of the obscure and mysterious.

    Audience
    Adult**
    Publisher (Source)

    Vancouver, British Columbia

    Ronsdale Press

    Not specified