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In response to CBC’s annual Canada Reads debate, The National Post released their counter-program earlier last week: Canada Also Reads. This new “battle of the books” is a response to the criticisms of CBC’s picks this year. The dominating response, which spurred the creation of this new program, is being repeated throughout lit sites and blogs: “haven’t we already read these books?”

Canada Reads is an annual debate over five Canadian novels. It starts with three months of online and on-air discussion and events, and culminates in a week-long program that ultimately decides a winner. There are five celebrity panelists, each defending one book of their choice. The winning novel is hailed as the book that all of Canada should read.

The obvious gain of a debate program like Canada Reads is the increased attention given to Canadian literature – whatever that is. The question of “What makes a book essentially Canadian?” is as difficult as asking “What makes a Canadian essentially Canadian?”, and the discussion has been ongoing since the first Canadian writings. Our national identity is not easy to establish, but Canada Reads at least tries to seek out some of the best of it.  

Increased attention clearly means one other thing: sales. Books in the Canada Reads program usually have the benefitted of added, or renewed, shelf life, and sometimes even new editions. And here is where the Canada Also Reads reaction comes from: Why do well-known books need the added recognition? What more is there to discuss about already established authors or books? Three of the five novels on the Canada Reads list are over ten years old, and the majority are either bestsellers or award winners. Great to build a foundation of Canadian literature on, but... don’t we already know that?  

Canada Also Reads has chosen eight works that are less familiar; praiseworthy but overlooked novels, all required to have been released in the past two years or so, and all without the decoration of a major award. Nominations were made by readers/Twitter-followers, with a longlist posted in December and the shortlist following now.  

The Canada Reads debates this year are being launched from March 8 to 12, at 11:30am and 7:30pm, on CBC Radio One. Each day, panelists vote out one of the novels.

The week of March 1, the Afterword (of the National Post) will release two short essays from the panelists per day. On March 8 they host a live discussion with the panelists and authors. The winner will be based on a public poll.  

The shortlists of each competition are displayed below. For more information on either, visit the Canada Reads or the Afterword website.

CBC’s Canada Reads

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott

Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner

Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland

The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

The National Post’s Canada Also Reads

My White Planet by Mark Anthony Jarman

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

The Last Shot by Leon Rooke

Yellowknife by Steve Zipp

You and the Pirates by Jocelyne Allen

Come Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant

Fear of Fighting by Stacey May Fowles, pictures by Marlena Zuber 

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