Hollywood Left and Right

This fascinating book describes how movie stars have influenced American politics. Each chapter is focuses on a different movie star beginning with one of the first stars, Charlie Chaplin. He used his fame to promote socialist views and this got him into trouble with the US government.
Jane Fonda was nicknamed “Hanoi Jane” after a disastrous trip to Vietnam to protest the war. She was also involved in many other causes and was a mentor for several younger celebrity activists like Sarah Jessica Parker. The chapter about Harry Belafonte describes his deep involvement with the Civil Rights movement and his close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr.
Hollywood Left and Right also includes chapters on Arnold Schwarznegger, Warren Beatty, Charlton Heston, Ronald Regan and George Murphy, Edward G. Robinson and Louis B. Mayer.

HarperCollinsCanada Author Events This Weekend Across Canada

Friday November 25:


Helen Humphreys, author of The Reinvention of Love, will be reading at The Lorenzo Reading series from 7-9pm in Saint John, NB. Details here.


Robin Sharma, author of The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, will be speaking at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, ON. Details here.


Saturday November 26:

Vicki Grant, author of Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret, will be signing copies of her book at the Chapters in the Bayers Lake Power Centre from 12-1pm in Halifax, NS.

Kenneth Oppel, author of This Dark Endeavor, will be signing copies of his book at Chapters Brampton at 2pm in Brampton, ON. Details here.

Sunday November 27:

Jennifer McLagan, author of Odd Bits, will be discussing her book at Books to Cooks at 5pm in Vancouver, BC. Details here.

Arlene Dickinson, author of Persuasion, will be singing copies of her book at Indigo Burlington at 2pm in Burlington, ON. Details here.

Canada Reads Finalists

The five finalists have been chosen for Canada Reads.
The Game by Ken Dryden
On A Cold Road by Dave Bidini
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre
The Tiger by John Vaillant
There is a good piece from the writer's POV on how Canada Reads has effected them. Click here to listen to Terry Fallis; last year's winner of Canada Reads.

Canada Reads

CBC’s annual battle of the books, devoted for the first time this year to works of non-fiction, has named the titles in its 2012 Canada Reads: True Stories Top 10 list. Two of the titles are Dewey Picks...Louis Riel + The Tiger! Click here for more details.

They are:
Louis Riel by Chester Brown
The Tiger by John Vaillant
The Boy in the Moon by Ian Brown
Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton
The Game by Ken Dryden
On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini
Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
Shake Hands with the Devil by Romeo Dallaire
Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre