Sharon Bala

The Boat Peopleby Sharon Bala was defended by Mozhdah Jamalzadah on Canada Reads 2018.The winner of Canada Reads 2018 was Forgivenessby Mark Sakamoto, which wasdefended by Jeanne Beker.

• The top 10 bestselling Canadian books of 2018
• Meet the Canada Reads 2018 contenders
• Canada Reads 2018 Day One: Watch the replay
• Mozhdah Jamalzadah on the humanity of The Boat People

Sharon Bala was born in Dubai and currently lives in St. John's, where she is a member of the Port Authority writing group. Her short story Butter Tea at Starbuckswon the Writers' Trust / McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize in 2017.The Boat People is her first novel. The manuscript for the book won the 2015 Percy Janes First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the 2015 Fresh Fish Award. A three-time recipient of Newfoundland and Labrador's Arts and Letters Award, she has stories published in Hazlitt, Grain, the Dalhousie Review, Riddle Fence, Room, PRISM international, the New Quarterly and in an anthology called Racket: New Writing From Newfoundland.

• Why Mozhdah Jamalzadah thinks The Boat People should win Canada Reads
• Want to become a better writer? Sharon Bala says you should write every day
• 3 books that inspired Sharon Bala

Interviews

Watch the 2018 Canada Reads panellists & authors in conversation with Gill Deacon

7 years ago

Duration 1:07:45

The Canada Reads defenders and authors took the stage in Toronto to discuss the five books that will be championed on CBC's battle of the books from March 26-29, 2018. Here and Now's Gill Deacon hosted the event in the Glenn Gould Studio.

The Canada Reads 2018 contenders

• MozhdahJamalzadah, defendingThe Boat PeoplebySharonBala
• TahmohPenikett, defendingAmerican WarbyOmar El Akkad
• Greg Johnson, defendingPrecious CargobyCraig Davidson
• JeanneBeker, defendingForgivenessbyMark Sakamoto
• JullyBlack, defendingThe Marrow ThievesbyCherieDimaline