National Network for Equitable Library Service

On a cold night in February, 1884, just metres north of the border on Sumas Prairie, BC, an Indigenous boy named Louie Sam was lynched by a mob of mounted vigilantes. The vigilantes had ridden up from Nooksack Valley in Washington Territory, hell-bent on avenging the murder of one of their neighbours, which they had pinned on Sam.

A timely, insider account of an important and controversial step in British Columbia's strategic effort to respond to the overdose crisis. British Columbia is in the middle of an opioid crisis. Since the province of British Columbia declared a public health emergency in 2016, more than 9,400 people have died of drug poisoning in BC—an average of six people a day—with nearly 1,500 apparent opioid-related deaths in the first eight months of 2022. In Decrim, Kennedy Stewart, mayor of Vancouver from 2018 to 2022, recounts historic progress in addressing this crisis.

After the extraordinary success of Gumboot Girls comes the sequel anthology, Dancing in Gumboots. Having relocated to Comox, Jane encountered a new group of women who travelled to the Comox Valley in the 1970s. Fascinated by their stories, Lou Allison and Jane Wilde return to their dynamic partnership to bring us an anthology that shines a light on these trailblazing women and their unique stories. The 1970s was a time of intense cultural shifts for women all over North America.

A colourful, engaging, and educational profile of a well-established wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, highlighting the heartwarming stories of animals and the people who care for them. Critter Care is a cute name for a life-saving organization. For over three decades, the wildlife rehabilitation centre in Langley, BC, has rescued and cared for more than 50,000 sick, injured, and orphaned animals—from bears to beavers, coyotes to cougars, rabbits to river otters, and skunks to squirrels.

Eve Lazarus (Cold Case Vancouver) investigates murder and missing persons cases that have perplexed and fascinated British Columbians for years. In her book Cold Case Vancouver, crime historian and reporter Eve Lazarus used investigative skills to shine a light on the city's most baffling unsolved murders. In Cold Case BC, Lazarus casts her gaze more widely on long forgotten and unsolved murder cases throughout the province of British Columbia, Canada.

A frank, practical, and entertaining exploration of the pleasures and complexities of living on small islands. Many people dream of living simple lives on small islands, but few are aware of some of the unique challenges that accompany this distinctive lifestyle. From negotiating surrounding waters to creating a sustainable home and making a viable life away from urban conveniences, small-island living can be rewarding or difficult (or both), depending on myriad circumstances.

An entertaining biography of cattle baron and land magnate Cornelius O'Keefe, founder of the Historic O'Keefe Ranch. From humble beginnings to a life of prosperity in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, Cornelius O'Keefe is best known today through the historic ranch in Vernon, BC, that still bears his name. Established in 1867, the O'Keefe Ranch was at one time the largest cattle ranch in the region, with thousands of head of cattle grazing in the vast open ranges.

Like John Muir, David Pitt-Brooke stepped out for a walk one morning—a long walk of a thousand kilometres or more through the arid valleys of southern interior British Columbia. He went in search of beauty and lost grace in a landscape that has seen decades of development and upheaval. In Crossing Home Ground he reports back, providing a day-by-day account of his journey's experiences, from the practical challenges—dealing with blisters, rain and dehydration—to sublime moments of discovery and reconnection with the natural world.

In this classic adventure story, the diaries of two men—a scientist and a mountaineer—reveal their distinct struggles in the unforgiving wilds of the northern landscape. Four months alone in the remote windswept wilderness, adventurer and ecologist Hamilton Mack Laing spends his days deeply immersed in observing the natural world of the Chitina River valley. He endures dust storms, befriends a family of ravens, and fearlessly tracks elusive bears. At the same time, Fred Lambart documents the gruelling expedition to the summit of Mount Logan, the highest peak in Canada.

"At first I'm calm as the trees fall. But suddenly a rat's nest of wood, bent horizontal and cribbed into the trees above us, comes down in a rush of a hundred machine gun snaps. Trees caught in the nest flail around before hitting the ground. Our eyes dart everywhere, trying to keep track of every moment. Trees break free and swing themselves like catapults. Splintered chunks of wood slash through the air like propellers... Falling trees is the most dangerous job in North America."—Aaron Williams.