10 International Women’s Day reads from the CityNews Bookshelf

The CityNews Bookshelf supports and celebrates women authors. Here are 10 reads chosen by host and producer John Ackermann.

Races: The Trials and Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family

If you live on the North Shore or are involved in track and field, there is no doubt you have heard of Harry Jerome, the legendary North Vancouver-raised Olympic sprinter. While his achievements on the track are well known, what isn’t as well known or talked about is the racism he and his family endured and, in some cases, still do. This memoir, written by Harry’s sister and fellow Olympian Valerie Jerome, may change that.

Frances Barkley – Eighteenth-century Seafarer

As trailblazers go, Frances Barkley is hard to beat. Along with her husband, the explorer and sea captain Charles Barkley, she would sail around the world twice during an eight-year voyage. Author Cathy Converse says she has long been inspired by strong female figures. The result is a captivating tale about a woman who lived life on her own terms and made history in the process.

Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality: Stories

A former Vancouverite offers a supernatural twist on immigrant horror stories in Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality, which collects 13 pieces of short fiction. For Lindsay Wong, storytelling isn’t just a form of expression but of survival. She hopes the reader comes away seeing a bit of themselves reflected to them.

Mixtape: 21 Songs from 10 Years (1975-1985)

Before there were Spotify playlists or homemade mix CDs, there was the mixtape. Mixtape: 21 Songs from 10 Years (1975-1985) by Vancouver’s Fiona McQuarrie looks back at an era when cassettes were king. She hopes the reader takes away a new knowledge of the songs they are already familiar with, but also of the ones they are not.

Workday Warrior: A Proven Path to Reclaiming Your Time

For as long as Ann Gomez can remember, she has kept a hectic schedule – jumping from one activity to the next. As a management consultant, coach, and speaker, she has made a career of helping many of the world’s busiest people reclaim their time. Now, she’s sharing those strategies with a much wider audience in Workday Warrior: A Proven Path to Reclaiming Your Time, her second book.

Cold Case BC: The Stories Behind the Province’s Most Intriguing Murder and Missing Person Cases

Author, journalist, blogger, and podcaster Eve Lazarus has long uncovered the stories that are all around us yet are hidden in plain sight, starting with her first book At Home with History in 2007. Her latest book, Cold Case BC: The Stories Behind the Province’s Most Intriguing Murder and Missing Person Cases, explores the ‘magic’ of genetic genealogy in resolving decades-old investigations.

Holden After & Before: Love Letter for a Son Lost to Overdose

Tara McGuire’s son Holden was 21 when he died of a heroin overdose. She introduces the reader to a lovable couch-surfer with a bit of a self-destructive streak who goes from one job or adventure to the next. One of the few constants in Holden’s life is a mother who just wants him to complete his journey to adulthood.

First Nations 101: Tons of Stuff You Need to Know

Lynda Gray’s First Nations 101: Tons of Stuff You Need to Know not only aims to educate readers about the history, heritage, and diversity of Canada’s first peoples, it’s also a call to action. A member of B.C.’s Ts’msyen Nation, Gray says she wrote the book to reach as broad an audience as possible.

Mount Pleasant Stories: Historical Walking Tours – Walk One: Mount Pleasant’s Heritage Heart

It may not have the fame of Strathcona, the West End or Chinatown, but Christine Hagemoen argues Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant has just as rich a history as those neighbourhoods and it’s one worth saving. She points out Mount Pleasant is very much in a place in transition.

Deep, Dark and Dangerous: The Story of British Columbia’s World Class Undersea Tech Industry

It’s a little-known saga: how BC became a global leader in the underwater tech space. In Deep, Dark and Dangerous, author Vickie Jensen brings light to a part of our world usually shrouded in darkness. Jensen says she got the idea for the book while she was the editor of West Coast Mariner magazine.