Thursday, February 6, 2014

New Nonfiction










A Faith Like Mine: A Celebration of the World's Religions Through The Eyes of Children by Laura Buller.
Children of different religious backgrounds tell about their faith and what it means to them; includes background information on each religious tradition. –Summary.
 
Canadian Women and the Struggle for Equality by Lorna R. Marsden
What range of possibilities was available to young woman 150 years ago? How would her daily life differ from that of the modern woman? The degree of change in women's lives in Canada over the last 150 years is staggering, and much is the result of the fight for greater equality. Lorna R. Marsden, sociologist and activist, chronicles the circumstances, the people, and the social changes that have characterized women's journey down the long road toward equality. –Summary.
 
Contested Water: The Struggle Against Water Privatization in the United States and Canada by Joanna Robinson
"Attempts by local governments to privatize water services have met with furious opposition. Activists argue that to give private companies control of the water supply is to turn water from a common resource into a marketized commodity. Moreover, to cede local power to a global corporation puts communities at the center of controversies over economic globalization. In Contested Water, Joanna Robinson examines local social movement organizing against water privatization, looking closely at battles for control of local water services in Stockton, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia." –Publisher.
 
Dieppe: Canada's Darkest Day of World War II by Hugh Brewster
"For over 60 years, Dieppe has haunted Canadians. Defenders of the raid claim the Allies learned valuable lessons from it that helped lead to victory over Hitler. Others feel that the Canadians were needlessly sacrificed. Here, in words and pictures, is the story of one of the most fateful days in Canada's history, told by the men who were there and illustrated with their personal photos, diaries and memorabilia." –Publisher.
 
Japanese Canadian Internment in the Second World War by Pamela Hickman and Masako Fukawa.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Japanese Canadians numbered well over 20,000. They had taken up work in many parts of BC, established communities, and become part of Canada. But, with war, came wartime hysteria. Japanese Canadian residents of BC had their homes and properties seized, and were moved to internment camps with inadequate housing, water, and food. This book uses a wide range of historical photographs and documents in telling their story. –Summary.
 
Legacy: Treasures of Black History edited by Thomas Battle and Donna Wells.
“The Black experience and its impact on American culture and character are illustrated in twelve chapters, from ancient Africa and the slave trade to such key eras as the Civil War, Emancipation, and Reconstruction; the Harlem Renaissance and the Jim Crow Era; and the modern Civil Rights and Black Power/Black Arts movements.” – Publisher.
 
The Canadian Economy in the Great Depression by A. E. Safarian
The Canadian Economy in the Great Depression is the definitive study of the country's worst period of economic failure, covering the period from the stock market's rise in the roaring 1920s, through the Great Crash, to the destitution of the 1930s and the eventual economic recovery. –Summary.
 
The Journey Continues: An Atlantic Canada Black Experience by Craig Marshall Smith
Written following a chronological time line, this book extends beyond historical facts and provides the reader with stories of how people of African descent struggled to survive and thrive in Atlantic Canada. –Summary.
 
The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country by Steve Hendricks
In 1976 the body of Anna Mae Aquash, an American Indian activist, was found frozen in the Badlands of South Dakota - or so the FBI said. First-time author Hendricks offers a gripping and long-overdue reexamination of the FBIUs decades-long undeclared war against American Indians. –Summary.
 
Van Horne's Road: The Building of the Canadian Pacific Railway by Omer Lavallee
”Containing more than 450 photographs, illustrations, and historic documents - supplemented by 40 maps and diagrams designed by the author - the book presents a coast-to-coast recreation of what indisputably stands as one of the most important and historic undertakings in the history of this nation.” –Jacket.
 
When Elephants Fight by Eric Walters and Adrian Bradbury
When Elephants Fight presents the stories of five children-Annu, Jimmy, Nadja, Farooq and Toma-from five very different and distinct conflicts-Sri Lanka, Uganda, Sarejevo, Afghanistan and the Sudan. Along with these very personal accounts, the book also offers brief analyses of the history and geopolitical issues that are the canvas on which these conflicts are cast. –Summary.