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Canada Reads part one: Monday, April 15.
Moderator Mary Walsh asked each of our five
panelists to explain what kind of a book they were looking for when
they set out to choose the work of fiction they believed all of
Canada should read. Our panelists:former
Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Barenaked Lady Steven Page, writers
Leon Rooke and Nalo Hopkinson, and actor Megan Follows. During the
week, the panelists will vote for the book they believe should be
voted off the list of contenders. Voting will continue until only
one title survives.
Canada Reads part two:Tuesday, April 16 .
Our panelists were each asked to explain why
they thought all of Canada should read the one book they nominated.Leon
Rooke defended The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence. Nalo
Hopkinson defended Whylah Falls by George Elliott Clarke.
Kim Campbell defended The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Steven Page defended In The Skin of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje.
Megan Follows defended A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.
Just as the conversation was about to take a nasty turn, moderator
Mary Walsh intervened to get the panelists to vote. The ballots
were placed in the CBC vault, to be opened the following morning.
Canada Reads part three: Wednesday, April 17.
In a shocking upset, one of the great classics of Canadian literature,
The Stone Angel, was the first to be knocked out of the ring.
Nalo Hopkinson, Steven Page, and Kim Campbell had ganged up to oust
Hagar Shipley from contention. The remaining contenders are:The
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Whylah Falls by George
Elliott Clarke, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, and
In the Skin of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje. Everyone agreed that
Leon Rooke had put up a valiant defence of The Stone Angel
. Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell , actor Megan Follows, musician
Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies, and writer Nalo Hopkinson spent
the morning trying to convince him that the time had come to throw
his support behind their book. They tried everything, but Leon played
his cards close to his chest. At the end of the program,when the
time came to vote, no one could tell what the next day would bring.
Canada Reads part four: Thursday, April 18
This morning, Rohinton Mistry’s brilliant novel, A Fine Balance,
joined Margaret Laurence’s The Stone Angel in defeat. The
vote itself was a squeaker--only two panelists voted to cross A
Fine Balance off the list. As it turned
out two votes was all it took. Here's how the voting broke down:
Steven Page voted against Whylah Falls by George Elliott
Clark. Megan Follows voted against The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood Leon Rooke voted against In the Skin of
a Lion by Michael Ondaatje. Kim Campbell and Nalo Hopkinson
both voted against A Fine Balance.
At the beginning of the week our panelists had five books to choose
from. Now, there are only three. The remaining books are: The
Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Whylah Falls by George
Elliott Clarke, and In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje.
Canada Reads part five: Friday, April 19 Three
panelists,Nalo Hopkinson, Megan Follows, and Steven Page have all
voted against the same book. The result; this morning , The Handmaid's
Tale by Margaret Atwood was voted off the list of contenders
to be the book all Canadians will read together.Of the five original
titles, only two remain. Next week there will be only one. Will
it by Whylah Falls, by George Elliott Clarke,or In the
Skin of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje? Canada's National Librarian,
Roch Carrier, will announce the winner in a live network special
broadcast from Ottawa on Tuesday April 23 at 1:06 Eastern Time on
both CBC Radio 1 and 2. The special will be hosted by Dave Stephens
of Ontario Today.
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| Roch Carrier announces
the winner. |
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Announcement of the winning book: the live
event in Ottawa: Tuesday, April 23
On Canada Book Day, in"The 4th Stage" at the
National Art Center, Roch Carrier, the National Librarian of Canada.,
announces the winning book of Canada Reads 2002.
In the Skin of a Lion, by Michael Ondaatje, is the champion!
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