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Secret Life: The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation
Toronto Star reporter Kevin Donovan shares his behind-the-scenes view of the journalistic investigation which finally brought down CBC's golden boy Jian Ghomeshi. I know two people who Ghomeshi assaulted, both of them telling me of his behaviour in 2008 and 2009. The book gives more perspective on the behinds the scenes investigative process, the challenge of meeting the legal standard
Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt
Sarah Jaffe of The Nation looks at the grassroot movements rocking the American political discourse on both the left and right during the past decade. With on the ground accounts of these movements, from Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, to BlackLivesMatter, Jaffe takes us closer to the movements that helped rise Bernie Sanders against the Democratic Party machine to
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill's Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops
I only read the first two chapters before having to move onto projects, and returning the book to the Hamilton Public Library. I greatly enjoyed the details and insight of the stories shared in the chapters, a fascinating look at the early Black Ops operations of the Second World War and how the SOE worked closely with local resistance movements
No News Is Bad News Canada's Media Collapse -- and What Comes Next
I read this book many months ago, and wasn't planning to write a review. As I follow the state of the news industry closely, there wasn't much that surprised me in the book. It was a good read, a good lament for the state of Canadian media which properly puts much of the fail at the feet of Canada's media.
How English Became English: A Short History of A Global Language
A venture outside of my normal reading topics, this book on the history of the English language was well worth my time. The most fascinating chapters of the book discussed local variations of the English language and the future of our tongue in the Internet age with new words being invented at an increasing rate. Discussions of how the meanings
One Day in August The Untold Story Behind Canada's Tragedy in Dieppe
The Dieppe Raid was the bloodiest day of the Second World War for Canada, and the bloodiest day for Hamilton as 197 men of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry died in the August 19, 1942 raid. For 70 years, the debate raged regarding the merits and purpose of the raid. Was it to appease public opinion for some action, a
Persona Non Grata: The Death of Free Speech in the Internet Age
Required reading for journalists and bloggers, as it shows the peril of rushing to judgement in the era of clickbait. Tom Flanagan was one of Canada's leading political scientists, until one statement in an academic discussion was taking out of context and spread across the Internet. In response to a question at the University of Lethbridge the night prior, Flanagan
The People and the Bay: A Social and Environmental History of Hamilton Harbour
I love walking the Waterfront Trail from Bay Street to Princess Point, the calm rolling of the water, the beautiful waters of Cootes Paradise which are devoid - with the exception of the fish gate - of human structure. It wasn't always this way, there was once a shanty town along the shores of Cootes where the trial runs today.
Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day
The unbelievable and true story of Juan Pujol, the double-agent known as Agent Garbo who played a key role in the successful deception operation that tied up Nazi forces at Pal de Calais during the Normandy Invasion and played a key role in the Western Allies victory against Nazi Germany. I enjoyed this book greatly, it was a thrilling story