Past Canada Reads contenders and winners

Here are the past books, panellists and authors of CBC'sannual battle of the books.

2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016| 2017| 2018| 2019| 2020| 2021| 2022| 2023| 2024

2024

The Future by Catherine Leroux and translated by Susan Ouriou won Canada Reads 2024. It was championed by Heather O'Neill.

The Futureis set in an alternate history of Detroit where the French never surrendered the city to the U.S. Its residents deal with poverty, pollution and a legacy of racism. When Gloria, a woman looking for answers about her missing granddaughters, arrives in the city, she finds a kingdom of orphaned and abandoned children who have created their own society.

The other 2024 contenders were:

• Athlete and CBC Sports contributor Dallas Soonias championsBad Creeby Jessica Johns
• Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi championsDenison Avenueby Christina Wong & Daniel Innes
• Fashion influencer Mirian Njoh championsMeet Me at the Lakeby Carley Fortune
• Actor Kudakwashe Rutendo championsShut Up You're Prettyby Ta Mutonji

2023

DucksbyKate BeatonwonCanada Reads2023. It was championed byMattea Roach.

Ducksis an autobiographical graphic memoir that recounts authorBeaton'stime spent working in the Alberta oil sands. After getting a job in the campsto pay off her student debt, she recounts her experiences with economic migration, sexism and environmental destruction through an illustrated narrative.

The other 2023 contenders were:

• Jeopardy!super-champMattea Roach championsDucksby Kate Beaton
• Actor Keegan Connor Tracy championsGreenwoodby Michael Christie
• Bhangra dancer Gurdeep Pandher championsHotlineby Dimitri Nasrallah
• TikTok creatorTasnim Geedi championsMexican Gothicby Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Actor Michael Greyeyes championsStation Elevenby Emily St. John Mandel

2022

Five Little IndiansbyMichelle GoodwonCanada Reads2022. It was championed byChristian Allaire.

Good's novel follows five survivors of the residential school system, as they deal with the trauma from their past while trying to build a future in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.

The other 2022 contenders were:

• ScarboroughbyCatherine Hernandez, championed byMalia Baker
• What Strange ParadisebyOmar El Akkad, championed byTareq Hadhad
• Life in the City of Dirty WaterbyClayton Thomas-Mller, championed bySuzanne Simard
• Washington BlackbyEsi Edugyan, championed byMark Tewksbury

2021

Jonny AppleseedbyJoshua Whiteheadwon Canada Reads 2021. It was championedby actorDevery Jacobs.

Whitehead's novel Jonny Appleseedis about Jonny,a Two-Spirit Indigiqueer young manwho has left the reserve and becomes a cybersex worker in the big city to make ends meet. But hemust reckon with his past when he returns home to attend his stepfather's funeral.

The other 2021contenders were:

• The Midnight Bargainby C.L. Polk, championedbyRosey Edeh
• Two Trees Make a Forestby Jessica J. Lee, championedbyScott Helman
• Butter Honey Pig Breadby Francesca Ekwuyasi, championedbyRoger Mooking
• Henchby Natalie Zina Walschots, championedbyPaul Sun-Hyung Lee

2020

We Have Always Been Hereby Samra Habibwon Canada Reads 2020. It wasdefended by actorAmanda Brugel.

Habib's memoirWe Have Always Been Hereis an exploration of the ways we disguise and minimize ourselves for the sake of survival. As a child, Habib hid her faith from Islamic extremists in Pakistan and later, as a refugee in Canada, endured racist bullying and the threat of an arranged marriage. In travelling the world and exploring art and sexuality, Habib searches for the truth of her identity.

The other 2020 contenders were:

• Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Clubby Megan Gail Coles, defended byAlayna Fender
• Radicalizedby Cory Doctorow, defended byAkil Augustine
• Son of a Tricksterby Eden Robinson, defended byKaniehtiio Horn
• From the Ashesby Jesse Thistle, defended byGeorge Canyon

2019

By Chance Alone by Max Eisenwon Canada Reads 2019. It wasdefended by science journalist and broadcasterZiya Tong.

WhenEisenwas 15 years old, he and his family were taken from their home to Auschwitz, whereEisenworked as a slave labourer. He survived the Holocaust and emigrated to Canada in 1949.Eisenhas toured the world, educating people about the horrors he survived during the Second World War. He has recorded his memories in the deeply moving memoirBy Chance Alone.

The other 2019 contenders were:

• Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung, defended byChuck Comeau
• Brother by David Chariandy, defended byLisa Ray
• Suzanne by Anas Barbeau-Lavalette, translated by Rhonda Mullins,defended byYanic Truesdale
• The Woo-Woo by Lindsay Wong, defended byJoe Zee

2018

Forgiveness by Mark Sakamotowon Canada Reads 2018.It was defended by fashion journalist and broadcasterJeanneBeker.

Sakamoto's memoirForgivenesstells the true story of how his grandparents survived two very different experiences of the war. His paternal grandmother was one of many JapaneseCanadians forced into internment camps during World War II, while his maternal grandfather was a prisoner of war in Japan.These stories of survival and reconciliationshaped him as a Canadian, a man and a father.

The other 2018 contenders were:

• The Boat People by Sharon Bala, defended byMozhdah Jamalzadah
• American War by Omar El Akkad, defended byTahmoh Penikett
• Precious Cargo by Craig Davidson, defended byGreg Johnson
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, defended byJully Black

2017

Fifteen DogsbyAndr Alexiswon Canada Reads 2017. It was defended by spoken word artistHumble The Poet.

In the novelFifteen Dogs,the godsHermes and Apollo place a wager over pints in Toronto's Wheat Sheaf Tavernand15 dogs are given the "gift" of human intelligence.It's thefirst book to win bothCanada Readsand the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

The other 2017 contenders were:

• Company Town by Madeline Ashby, defended byMeashaBrueggergosman
• The Right to Be Coldby Sheila Watt-Cloutier, defended byChantalKreviazuk
• Nostalgiaby M.G. Vassanji, defended by JodyMitic
• The Break by Katherena Vermette, defended byCandy Palmater

2016

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill, won Canada Reads 2016. It was defended by Olympian Clara Hughes.

The Illegal is a novel thatcentres on a marathon runner, as itexamines the struggle of undocumented refugees in a dystopian future, with themes of race, discriminationand politics woven throughout.

The other 2016 contenders were:

• The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami, defended by Vinay Virmani
• Birdie by Tracey Lindberg, defended by Bruce Poon Tip
• Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz, defended by Farah Mohamed
• Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter, defended by Adam Copeland

2015

Ru by Kim Thy, translated by Sheila Fischman,won Canada Reads 2015.It was defended by the Toronto International Film Festival's artistic director, Cameron Bailey.

In vignettes that shift back and forth between past and present,Rutells the story of a young woman forced to leave her Saigon home during the Vietnam War and follows the woman's journey from childhood in an affluent Saigon neighbourhood to youth in a crowded Malaysian refugee camp and then to Quebec, where she struggles to fit in.

• Intolerable by Kamal Al-Solaylee, defended by Kristin Kreuk
• The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, defended by Craig Kielburger
• When Everything Feels like the Movies by Raziel Reid, defended by Elaine "Lainey" Lui
• And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier, translated by Rhonda Mullins, defended by Martha Wainwright

2014

The Orendaby Joseph Boyden won Canada Reads 2014. It was defended by journalist, broadcaster and musicianWab Kinew.

The Orenda is a novel about the early contact between a Jesuit missionary named Christophe and the First Nations people in what is now northern Ontario in the 17th century. The novel is told from the perspective of Christophe, a young Iroquois girl named Snow Falls and a Huron elder named Bird, who kidnapped Snow Falls,asthe three cultures clash and a new world emerges.

The other 2014 contenders were:

• The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, defended by Stephen Lewis
• Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, defended by Donovan Bailey
• Cockroachby Rawi Hage, defended by Samantha Bee
• Annabel by Kathleen Winter, defended by Sarah Gadon

2013

February by Lisa Moore won Canada Reads 2013. It was defended by comedian Trent McClellan.

February was inspired by the true story of the sinking of an Ocean Ranger oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland on Valentine's Day in 1982.February is the story of Helen O'Mara, whose husband Cal was one of the crew members who died, and how the accident impacted her life and the Newfoundland community in the years that followed.

The other 2013 contenders were:

• The Age of Hope by David Bergen, defended by Ron MacLean
• Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan, defended by Jay Baruchel
• Away by Jane Urquhart, defended by Charlotte Gray
• Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, defended by Carol Huynh

2012

Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre won Canada Reads 2012. It wasdefended bymusician Shad.

Something Fierce is Aguirre's memoir. Her family fledChile after the rise ofGeneral Augusto Pinochet. Her mother later returned to Chile to set up a safe house for members of the resistance, and when Carmen grew up, she too joined the revolution.

The other 2012 contenders were:

• On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini, defended by Stacey McKenzie
• The Game by Ken Dryden, defended by Alan Thicke
• Prisoner of Tehran by MarinaNemat, defended by Arlene Dickinson
• The Tiger by John Vaillant, defended by Anne-France Goldwater

2011

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis won Canada Reads 2011. It was defended by journalist and broadcaster Ali Velshi.

The Best Laid Plans is a humorous novel about engineering professorAngus McLintock, who agrees to run in a federal election because he knows he will lose. When he unexpectedly wins, he must navigate Canadian politics and his idealism and pragmatism makes him a unique character on Parliament Hill. The Best Laid Plans alsowon the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for humour.

The other 2011 contenders were:

• The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou, defended by Georges Laraque
• Essex County by Jeff Lemire, defended by Sara Quin
• The Birth House by Ami McKay, defended by Debbie Travis
• Unless by Carol Shields, defended by Lorne Cardinal

2010

Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, translated by Lazer Lederhendler, won Canada Reads 2010. It was defended by writer and columnist Michel Vzina.

Nikolski is a playful novel about all the invisible and unexpected ways we are connected. It follows three people living in Montreal in the 1980s: a 20-something Acadian named Joyce, a traveller named Noah who is fascinated with garbage, and the unnamed narrator who is guided by a mysterious compass.Nikolski also won the Governor General's Literary Award for translation in 2008.

The other 2010 contenders were:

• The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, defended by Samantha Nutt
• Generation X by Douglas Coupland, defended by Cadence Weapon
• Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott, defended by Simi Sara
• Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald, defended by Perdita Felicien

2009

The Book of Negroesby Lawrence Hill won Canada Reads 2009.It was defended byfilmmaker and journalist Avi Lewis.

The Book of Negroesis a portrayal of the brutal realities of the slave trade told through one woman's life. Aminata Diallo is kidnapped from her village in Niger and brought to South Carolina to work as a slave at the age of 11. After eventually winning her freedom, Diallo goes on to face decades of struggle and adversity, but later becomes a driving force in the abolitionist movement in Britain.Its French translation version,Aminata, also won the French-language showLe combat national des livresin 2013.

The other 2009 contenders were:

• Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards, defended by Sarah Slean
• The Outlander by Gil Adamson, defended by Nicholas Campbell
• Fruit by Brian Francis, defended by Jen Sookfong Lee
• The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant by Michel Tremblay, translated by Sheila Fischman, defended by Anne-Marie Withenshaw

2008

King Leary by Paul Quarrington won Canada Reads 2008. It wasdefended by musician Dave Bidini.

King Leary is the humorous story of Percival Leary, who was once a great hockey player but is now largely forgotten. Livingin a nursing home andreflecting on his career as a professional hockey player, hedecides to have one last go at being the"King of the Ice."

The other 2008 contenders were:

• Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findley, defended by Zaib Shaikh
• From the Fifteenth District by Mavis Gallant, defended by Lisa Moore
• Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, defended by Jemeni
• Icefields by Thomas Wharton, defended by Steve MacLean

2007

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill won Canada Reads 2007. It wasdefended by musician John K. Samson.

Lullabies for Little Criminals is a novel about a 13-year-old girl named Baby, who lives in Montreal. Baby's mother is gone and her father is a drug addict who pays little attention to his daughter. Baby catches the eye of a local pimp and ends up caught up in his seedy world. Baby soon realizes that if she wants to get out and build a better life, it's up to her she has no one else to rely on and no one else to trust.

2007was the "all-star" edition of Canada Reads, the five defenders were the previous champions.

The other 2007contenders were:

• Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis, defended by Steven Page
• The Song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani, defended by Donna Morrissey
• Children of My Heart by Gabrielle Roy, translated by Alan Brown, defended by Denise Bombardier
• Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor, defended by Jim Cuddy

2006

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toewswon Canada Reads 2006. It wasdefended by musician John K. Samson.

A Complicated Kindnessis a novel about a 16-year-old named Nomi Nickel. Nomi wants nothing more than to live in New York, hanging out with her idols like Marianne Faithfull. Instead, she's stuck in a small town in Manitoba, where nothing ever happens and no fun is allowed thanks to Nomi's uncle Hans, who runs the town.

A Complicated Kindnessalso won the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction.

The other 2006 contenders were:

• Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, defended by Nelofer Pazira
• Deafening by Frances Itani, defended by Maureen McTeer
• Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets by Al Purdy, defended by Susan Musgrave
• Cocksure by Mordecai Richler, defended by Scott Thompson

2005

Rockbound by Frank Parker Day won Canada Reads 2005.It was defended by author Donna Morrissey.

Rockboundis a novel that was first published in 1928.Rockbound is the story of an island off the coast of Nova Scotia. The island is isolated, the weather is difficult and harsh, but the surrounding fishing is rich. Two families, the Jungs and the Krauses, live on the island but have been feuding for years. WhenDavid Jungreturns to the island to claim his inheritance, the many conflicts that define the island clashfiercely.

The other 2005 contenders were:

• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, defended by Olivia Chow
• Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen, defended by Molly Johnson
• Volkswagen Blues by Jacques Poulin, translated by Sheila Fischman, defended by Roch Carrier
• No Crystal Stair by Mairuth Sarsfield, defended by Sherraine MacKay

2004

The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe won Canada Reads 2004. It wasdefended bymusician Jim Cuddy.

The Last Crossing is about two brothers,Charles and Addington Gaunt, who set out to find their third brother, Simon. Simon has gone missing in the American West. Along the way, Charles and Addington must navigate awild and unknown landscape, and encounter several unforgettable characters who join their quest.

The other 2004 contenders were:

• Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King, defended by Glen Murray
• The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro, defended by Measha Brueggergosman
• The Heart Is an Involuntary Muscle byMonique Proulx, translated by David Homel and Fred A. Reed, defended by Francine Pelletier
• Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler, defended by Zsuzsi Gartner

2003

Next Episode by Hubert Aquin, translated by Sheila Fischman, won Canada Reads 2003. It was defended by journalist and broadcaster Denise Bombardier.

Next Episodeis a novel that explores the politics of contemporary Quebec. A young separatist has been detainedfor months in thepsychiatric ward of aMontreal prison, passing his timeby writing a story of espionage.Next Episodewas first published in 1965.

The other 2003 contenders were:

• Sarah Binks by Paul Hiebert, defended by Will Ferguson
• The Lost Gardenby Helen Humphreys, defended by Mag Ruffman
• The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston, defended by Justin Trudeau
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel, defended by Nancy Lee

2002

In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatjewon Canada Reads 2002. It wasdefended by musician Steven Page.

In the Skin of a Lionbrings togetheradventure, romance and history in a story about the immigrants that built Toronto in the 1920s and 1930s, working on projects like the R.C. Harris water treatment plant and the Prince Edward viaduct.In the Skin of a Lionweaves together true stories from Toronto's past with fictional ones to paint a compelling portrait of people who are often forgotten by history books.

The other 2002 contenders were:

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, defended by Kim Campbell
• Whylah Falls by George Elliott Clarke, defended by Nalo Hopkinson
• The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence, defended by Leon Rooke
• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, defended by Megan Follows