Books are meant to be taken off the shelf and looked back on. So as we head into the last weeks of 2009 it’s time to take a look at all the progressive books released this year. The Book Lounge held a diverse array of literary works this year. Books this year explored foods leading to our demise, Canadians who have built our progressive movement, and reasons you may not want to take that cruise vacation. Take a look, there may be a book to enjoy some tea by this holiday season.
January :Christina McCall:’Feminist in arms’
Reviewed by Jessica Rose
Though journalist Christina McCall may best be remembered for her in-depth coverage of the Liberal Party, she also covered issues of urban planning, Canadian nationalism, and of course, feminism.
February: Eating Words
Reviewed by Ben Hart
Deanna Fong’s first collection of poetry reads like a delicately prepared menu. Fong offers three courses — From Skins to Bones, Exploration and Hearts.
March: Who Killed Stalin
Reviewed by Laurel Smith
The Kremlin Betrayal is a fictionalized account of post-WWII spying shenanigans which centres upon Stalin’s assassination and the Soviet leader’s obsession with rewriting history.
April: Global Dissent Heats Up
Reviewed by Mel Watkins
Defiant Publics describes an information revolution permitting new forms of transnational communication creating global consciousness in the wake of the global financial crisis.
May: Cutting the Crap
Reviewed by Katie O’Connor
Rhetoric for radicals sets out guidelines for the ardent activist — establishing the need for clearer communication in achieving social change.
June:Cruise Ship Blues
Reviewed by Melissa Fong
If you’re contemplating a cruise vacation this summer think again — Paradise Lost at Sea exposes the not-so-glamorous realities of cruise vacations.
July: Seven Killer Chemicals
Reviewed by Donna Barker
Are you a toxic time bomb? The authors of Slow Death by Rubber Duck investigate how common chemicals impact our bodies and offer ways to avoid them.
August: Five Obvious Food Facts
Reviewed by George Fetherling
Bacon, A Love Story and Squeezed: What You Don’t Know about Orange Juice are just two from a growing list of titles all about food. Read on for notable highlights of this increasingly popular genre.
September: Theory of Capital Makes a Comeback
Reviewed by Jordan Brennan
In Capital As Power an attack is launched on theories of capitalism by focusing on one of the oldest conundrums in the discipline of political economy — the theory of capital.
October: Out of Body
Reviewed by Cara Ng
In her recent book, Bodies, Susie Orbach examines body despair in the Western world, and how our bodies are “made” through the brain’s interaction with personal experiences and our environments.
Reviewed by Katie O”Connor
Polyamory, open adoption, mixed marriage, househusbandry, single motherhood — 18 authors tackle what it means to be a family in the 21st century.
November: Remembering Communism
Reviewed by Aaron Leonard
Marx and Engels had no idea what they were setting loose when they wrote The Communist Manifesto — and they would be the first to admit it. That’s the sense you get reading Tariq Ali’s new book.
Norman Bethune: Stepping Forward to Revolution
Reviewed by Tara Quinn
The image of Norman Bethune sketched by Adrienne Clarkson in this contribution to the Extraordinary Canadians series invokes duality: the guerrilla doctor and the humanist.
December: Thrifty: Living the Frugal Lifestyle
Reviewed by Donna Barker
Thrifty offers encouraging, entertaining and eclectic ways to live a frugal life with style.
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