Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Book Mark: Governor General's Literary Awards
The winners of the 2009 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced on November 17, and will be presented tonight by the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.
FICTION
Kate Pullinger, London (UK) [originally from Cranbrook, British Columbia], The Mistress of Nothing. (McArthur & Company; distributed by the publisher)
Julie Mazzieri, Velone-Orneto (France) [originally from Saint-Paul-de-Chester, Quebec], Le discours sur la tombe de l’idiot. (Éditions José Corti; distributed by Diffusion Dimédia)
NONFICTION
M.G. Vassanji, Toronto, A Place Within: Rediscovering India. (Doubleday Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)
Nicole V. Champeau, Ottawa, Pointe Maligne : l’infiniment oubliée. (Les Éditions du Vermillon; distributed by Prologue)
POETRY
David Zieroth, North Vancouver, The Fly in Autumn. (Harbour Publishing; distributed by the publisher)
Hélène Monette, Montreal, Thérèse pour joie et orchestre. (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimédia)
DRAMA
Kevin Loring, Vancouver, Where the Blood Mixes. (Talonbooks; distributed by Publishers Group Canada)
Suzanne Lebeau, Montreal, Le bruit des os qui craquent. (Leméac Éditeur; distributed by Socadis)
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - TEXT
Caroline Pignat, Ottawa, Greener Grass: The Famine Years. (Red Deer Press, a division of Fitzhenry & Whiteside; distributed by the publisher)
Hervé Bouchard, Saguenay (Quebec), Harvey. (Les Éditions de la Pastèque; distributed by Socadis)
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - ILLUSTRATION
Jirina Marton, Colborne (Ontario), Bella’s Tree, text by Janet Russell. (Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)
Janice Nadeau, Montreal, Harvey, text by Hervé Bouchard. (Les Éditions de la Pastèque; distributed by Socadis)
TRANSLATION
Susan Ouriou, Calgary, Pieces of Me. (Kids Can Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press). English translation of La liberté? Connais pas… by Charlotte Gingras (Les éditions de la courte échelle)
Paule Noyart, Bromont (Quebec), Le miel d’Harar. (Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud; distributed by Socadis). French translation of Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb (Anchor Canada)
FICTION
Kate Pullinger, London (UK) [originally from Cranbrook, British Columbia], The Mistress of Nothing. (McArthur & Company; distributed by the publisher)
Julie Mazzieri, Velone-Orneto (France) [originally from Saint-Paul-de-Chester, Quebec], Le discours sur la tombe de l’idiot. (Éditions José Corti; distributed by Diffusion Dimédia)
NONFICTION
M.G. Vassanji, Toronto, A Place Within: Rediscovering India. (Doubleday Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)
Nicole V. Champeau, Ottawa, Pointe Maligne : l’infiniment oubliée. (Les Éditions du Vermillon; distributed by Prologue)
POETRY
David Zieroth, North Vancouver, The Fly in Autumn. (Harbour Publishing; distributed by the publisher)
Hélène Monette, Montreal, Thérèse pour joie et orchestre. (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimédia)
DRAMA
Kevin Loring, Vancouver, Where the Blood Mixes. (Talonbooks; distributed by Publishers Group Canada)
Suzanne Lebeau, Montreal, Le bruit des os qui craquent. (Leméac Éditeur; distributed by Socadis)
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - TEXT
Caroline Pignat, Ottawa, Greener Grass: The Famine Years. (Red Deer Press, a division of Fitzhenry & Whiteside; distributed by the publisher)
Hervé Bouchard, Saguenay (Quebec), Harvey. (Les Éditions de la Pastèque; distributed by Socadis)
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - ILLUSTRATION
Jirina Marton, Colborne (Ontario), Bella’s Tree, text by Janet Russell. (Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)
Janice Nadeau, Montreal, Harvey, text by Hervé Bouchard. (Les Éditions de la Pastèque; distributed by Socadis)
TRANSLATION
Susan Ouriou, Calgary, Pieces of Me. (Kids Can Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press). English translation of La liberté? Connais pas… by Charlotte Gingras (Les éditions de la courte échelle)
Paule Noyart, Bromont (Quebec), Le miel d’Harar. (Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud; distributed by Socadis). French translation of Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb (Anchor Canada)
Book Review: Joël Glenn Brenner, The Emperor's of Chocolate
Author: Joël Glenn Brenner
Publisher: Random House, 1999
Review:
It took ten years, 250 interviews and countless phone calls, letters and emails for Joël Glenn Brenner to complete her investigation into the world of chocolate making. This investigation started out as a routine assignment for The Washington Post on how Mars succeeded Hershey as the preeminent chocolate company in the late 1980’s. However, the assignment soon turned into a more concentrated investigation when Brenner discovered how little was known about these two candy empires.
The result of her efforts, The Emperor’s of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars, is an impressive exposè of the two corporations that have defined and refined, standardized and strategized the public’s appetite for all things chocolate. Brenner’s book is an eye-opening and mouth-watering exploration of the all-too-real Willy Wonka world of chocolate making. In fact, one cannot help but feel a little like Charlie in the chocolate factory—bewildered, amazed, excited, frightened—when reading about the exploits of both companies.
Brenner approaches her subject manner on numerous fronts, including historical, biographical, economical and cultural reference points throughout her discussions. Her varied investigative positions provide for a vivid rendering of how the mutual interdependency that characterized the relationship between Hershey and Mars throughout the early decades of both corporations had turned bitter and hostile by the late 1980’s.
What plainly emerges from Brenner’s presentation is that the delectable, addictive sweets contained within various hued paper and foil wrappers are anything but representative of the chocolate world. This world is as cunning and ruthless as any other major industry; we just tend to naively think of it otherwise because of the resulting product. But the reality is that the world of chocolate is big, big business. Forget the Cola Wars. Brenner sharply demonstrates that Pepsi and Coca-Cola have nothing on the madness and meanness that permeates the chocolate world in general, and Hershey and Mars in particular.
Brenner’s main thesis is that “the histories of these two industry rivals are closely intertwined. . . . Mars would not have succeeded without Hershey and vice versa.” This intertwining is most evident in Brenner’s reinforcement of the fact that early on Mars’ relied on Hershey to provide the chocolate for their products. However, one of the most interesting ways Brenner goes about proving her thesis is in relaying how M&M’s got their name. The M’s stand for the two senior executives at both companies, Forrest Mars Sr and William F.R. Murrie, president of Hershey. The partnership between these two men, while necessary at first for Forrest Mars to increase the production and stature of this product, quickly soured as Mars’ ambitions clashed greatly with those of Murrie and Hershey. Brenner threads this story throughout the book, using it to link how the individual behaviors and perspectives of the principle players of both companies – Milton Hershey and Forrest Mars Sr – became actualized in their respective corporate philosophies and outcomes. In brief: “where Milton Hershey saw utopia, Forrest Mars saw conquest”.
To her credit, Brenner does not rush to give Mars the chocolate maker crown. Rather, she concludes that it is understandable as to why Mars succeeded Hershey in the late 1980’s. Forrest Mars’ hunger for conquering new markets led to an expansion of Mars Inc into the international market, and consequently the creation of a global brand name. Such hunger is evident in Brenner’s detailing of Mars’ shrewd capitalization on the Gulf War to snag military contracts from Hershey, and the ‘Snickerization’ of Russia.
Conversely, Hershey was imprisoned by its own philanthropic history, resulting in a closing of ranks rather than full-on expansion until the mid-1960’s. The principles of family and “staying the course” that built the company were by then stifling its ability to grow as aggressively as Mars. Hershey was (and still is) accountable to a trust that made competing with Mars very difficult. It was almost inevitable then that Mars would eventually take top spot over Hershey. But Brenner accurately states that the bitterness between the two companies will never be stayed as long as Hershey and Mars are players in the chocolate world; it will only continue to grow and lend itself to even more conflicts.
What ultimately makes Brenner’s book so fascinating is that she was the first reporter ever allowed within the hallowed walls of Mars Inc. She eagerly takes her readers inside along with her, shedding light onto all facets of their operations. Hershey and Mars reacted to her book by slamming shut their corporate doors. Mars even went so far as to fire the public relations consultants who assisted Brenner’s investigation. But their reactions just make Brenner’s book all that much more important, all that much more richer as we know that we may never get a glimpse inside this secret world ever again.
Perhaps the greatest compliment one can give this book though is that Brenner never gets stuck in the minute details of the story. The histories of Mars and Hershey are not easily uncovered or assembled, and she puts her journalist skills to good use. She easily transitions between time periods, people and places, being sure to pick up the threads in later discussions to ensure the continuity of her arguments. Her attention to the various ‘stories within stories’ such as Hershey’s experiments and subsequent discovery of the sour Hershey chocolate provides for a rich and multi-layered book that never gets bogged down in its own complexity. It oscillates neatly between a harsh exposè and an unabashed tribute to the candy addict in all of us.
Publisher: Random House, 1999
Review:
It took ten years, 250 interviews and countless phone calls, letters and emails for Joël Glenn Brenner to complete her investigation into the world of chocolate making. This investigation started out as a routine assignment for The Washington Post on how Mars succeeded Hershey as the preeminent chocolate company in the late 1980’s. However, the assignment soon turned into a more concentrated investigation when Brenner discovered how little was known about these two candy empires.
The result of her efforts, The Emperor’s of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars, is an impressive exposè of the two corporations that have defined and refined, standardized and strategized the public’s appetite for all things chocolate. Brenner’s book is an eye-opening and mouth-watering exploration of the all-too-real Willy Wonka world of chocolate making. In fact, one cannot help but feel a little like Charlie in the chocolate factory—bewildered, amazed, excited, frightened—when reading about the exploits of both companies.
What plainly emerges from Brenner’s presentation is that the delectable, addictive sweets contained within various hued paper and foil wrappers are anything but representative of the chocolate world. This world is as cunning and ruthless as any other major industry; we just tend to naively think of it otherwise because of the resulting product. But the reality is that the world of chocolate is big, big business. Forget the Cola Wars. Brenner sharply demonstrates that Pepsi and Coca-Cola have nothing on the madness and meanness that permeates the chocolate world in general, and Hershey and Mars in particular.
Brenner’s main thesis is that “the histories of these two industry rivals are closely intertwined. . . . Mars would not have succeeded without Hershey and vice versa.” This intertwining is most evident in Brenner’s reinforcement of the fact that early on Mars’ relied on Hershey to provide the chocolate for their products. However, one of the most interesting ways Brenner goes about proving her thesis is in relaying how M&M’s got their name. The M’s stand for the two senior executives at both companies, Forrest Mars Sr and William F.R. Murrie, president of Hershey. The partnership between these two men, while necessary at first for Forrest Mars to increase the production and stature of this product, quickly soured as Mars’ ambitions clashed greatly with those of Murrie and Hershey. Brenner threads this story throughout the book, using it to link how the individual behaviors and perspectives of the principle players of both companies – Milton Hershey and Forrest Mars Sr – became actualized in their respective corporate philosophies and outcomes. In brief: “where Milton Hershey saw utopia, Forrest Mars saw conquest”.
To her credit, Brenner does not rush to give Mars the chocolate maker crown. Rather, she concludes that it is understandable as to why Mars succeeded Hershey in the late 1980’s. Forrest Mars’ hunger for conquering new markets led to an expansion of Mars Inc into the international market, and consequently the creation of a global brand name. Such hunger is evident in Brenner’s detailing of Mars’ shrewd capitalization on the Gulf War to snag military contracts from Hershey, and the ‘Snickerization’ of Russia.
Conversely, Hershey was imprisoned by its own philanthropic history, resulting in a closing of ranks rather than full-on expansion until the mid-1960’s. The principles of family and “staying the course” that built the company were by then stifling its ability to grow as aggressively as Mars. Hershey was (and still is) accountable to a trust that made competing with Mars very difficult. It was almost inevitable then that Mars would eventually take top spot over Hershey. But Brenner accurately states that the bitterness between the two companies will never be stayed as long as Hershey and Mars are players in the chocolate world; it will only continue to grow and lend itself to even more conflicts.
What ultimately makes Brenner’s book so fascinating is that she was the first reporter ever allowed within the hallowed walls of Mars Inc. She eagerly takes her readers inside along with her, shedding light onto all facets of their operations. Hershey and Mars reacted to her book by slamming shut their corporate doors. Mars even went so far as to fire the public relations consultants who assisted Brenner’s investigation. But their reactions just make Brenner’s book all that much more important, all that much more richer as we know that we may never get a glimpse inside this secret world ever again.
Perhaps the greatest compliment one can give this book though is that Brenner never gets stuck in the minute details of the story. The histories of Mars and Hershey are not easily uncovered or assembled, and she puts her journalist skills to good use. She easily transitions between time periods, people and places, being sure to pick up the threads in later discussions to ensure the continuity of her arguments. Her attention to the various ‘stories within stories’ such as Hershey’s experiments and subsequent discovery of the sour Hershey chocolate provides for a rich and multi-layered book that never gets bogged down in its own complexity. It oscillates neatly between a harsh exposè and an unabashed tribute to the candy addict in all of us.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Table of Contents: The Dive From Clausen's Pier
Author: Ann Packer
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 2003
Synopsis: Carrie Bell has lived in Wisconsin all her life. She's had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her mother, the same boyfriend, Mike, now her fiancé, for as long as anyone can remember. It's with real surprise she finds that, at age twenty-three, her life has begun to feel suffocating. She longs for a change, an upheaval, for a chance to begin again. That chance is granted to her, terribly, when Mike is injured in an accident. Now Carrie has to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the meaning of home. She must ask: How much do we owe the people we love? Is it a sign of strength or of weakness to walk away from someone in need?
What Others Have To Say:
The New York Times
[Packer] is a careful, elegant writer who more often than not has deeper currents in mind as she describes the surface of Carrie's story."
Salon
Packer untangles compelling ideas about devotion and sacrifice from her protagonist's quandary."
USA Today
"The novel poses a plenitude of moral questions: what defines love, the meaning of responsibility, the concept of "being there" for people vs. pursuing one's personal destiny."
Extras:
A conversation with the Ann Packer.
Read an excerpt from the book.
Information on the 2005 Lifetime movie and find it over on YouTube.
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 2003
Synopsis: Carrie Bell has lived in Wisconsin all her life. She's had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her mother, the same boyfriend, Mike, now her fiancé, for as long as anyone can remember. It's with real surprise she finds that, at age twenty-three, her life has begun to feel suffocating. She longs for a change, an upheaval, for a chance to begin again. That chance is granted to her, terribly, when Mike is injured in an accident. Now Carrie has to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the meaning of home. She must ask: How much do we owe the people we love? Is it a sign of strength or of weakness to walk away from someone in need?
What Others Have To Say:
The New York Times
[Packer] is a careful, elegant writer who more often than not has deeper currents in mind as she describes the surface of Carrie's story."
Salon
Packer untangles compelling ideas about devotion and sacrifice from her protagonist's quandary."
USA Today
"The novel poses a plenitude of moral questions: what defines love, the meaning of responsibility, the concept of "being there" for people vs. pursuing one's personal destiny."
Extras:
A conversation with the Ann Packer.
Read an excerpt from the book.
Information on the 2005 Lifetime movie and find it over on YouTube.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Table of Contents: An Invisible Sign of My Own
Author: Aimee Bender
Publisher: Anchor Books
Year: 2000
Synopsis: Mona Gray was ten when her father contracted a mysterious illness and she became a quitter, abandoning each of her talents just as pleasure became intense. The only thing she can't stop doing is math: She knocks on wood, adds her steps, and multiplies people in the park against one another. When Mona begins teaching math to second-graders, she finds a ready audience. But the difficult and wonderful facts of life keep intruding. She finds herself drawn to the new science teacher, who has an unnerving way of seeing through her intricately built façade.
What Others Have To Say:
The Washington Post
"This novel is light as a zephyr and unique as a snowflake."
Denver Post
"Aimee Bender is one writer who is shouting clearly and beautifully from the hilltops that our lives are most definitely not ordinary and typical."
Entertainment Weekly
"...the book reads like a Brothers Grimm fairy tale overlaid with the futuristic alienation of Phillip K. Dick."
Extras:
Read Chapter One online.
Movie version coming out in 2010.
Publisher: Anchor Books
Year: 2000
Synopsis: Mona Gray was ten when her father contracted a mysterious illness and she became a quitter, abandoning each of her talents just as pleasure became intense. The only thing she can't stop doing is math: She knocks on wood, adds her steps, and multiplies people in the park against one another. When Mona begins teaching math to second-graders, she finds a ready audience. But the difficult and wonderful facts of life keep intruding. She finds herself drawn to the new science teacher, who has an unnerving way of seeing through her intricately built façade.
The Washington Post
"This novel is light as a zephyr and unique as a snowflake."
Denver Post
"Aimee Bender is one writer who is shouting clearly and beautifully from the hilltops that our lives are most definitely not ordinary and typical."
Entertainment Weekly
"...the book reads like a Brothers Grimm fairy tale overlaid with the futuristic alienation of Phillip K. Dick."
Extras:
Read Chapter One online.
Movie version coming out in 2010.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Book Mark: National Book Awards
The National Book Awards, recognizing the best of American literature, were announced this past Thursday.
FICTION
Winner: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House)
Finalists:
Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf)
Marcel Theroux, Far North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
NONFICTION
Winner: T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Alfred A. Knopf)
Finalists:
David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt)
Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy (Princeton University Press)
POETRY
Winner: Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy (University of California Press)
Finalists:
Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan University Press)
Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again (Penguin Books)
Carl Phillips, Speak Low (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Young People's Literature
Winner: Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Finalists:
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt)
David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)
DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN LETTERS
Gore Vidal
LITERARIAN AWARD
Dave Eggers
FICTION
Winner: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House)
Finalists:
Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf)
Marcel Theroux, Far North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
NONFICTION
Winner: T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Alfred A. Knopf)
Finalists:
David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt)
Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy (Princeton University Press)
POETRY
Winner: Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy (University of California Press)
Finalists:
Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan University Press)
Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again (Penguin Books)
Carl Phillips, Speak Low (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Young People's Literature
Winner: Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Finalists:
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt)
David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.)
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)
DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN LETTERS
Gore Vidal
LITERARIAN AWARD
Dave Eggers
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