Non-Fiction for Adults

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All books listed in Braille Books Acquired that also have an equivalent Electronic Braille version will now have both the BR and the EB number listed in the entry.

Biography

BR74559, EB74559 Jim: a life with AIDS by June Callwood. 4 v. of braille. In 1984, Jim St. James was diagnosed with AIDS. Since then, his life has been a physical, spiritual and emotional roller coaster. As Canada's longest-surviving AIDS patient, Jim's story is one of strength and encouragement. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1988.

BR74541, EB74541 Hitman: my real life in the cartoon world of wrestling by Bret Hart. 10 v. of braille. The sixth-born son of the pro wrestling dynasty founded by Stu Hart and his wife Helen, Bret Hart joined the family business as a teen. From his early twenties until he retired at 43, Hart kept an audio diary, recording stories of the wrestling life, the relentless travel, the practical jokes, the sex and drugs, and the real rivalries (as opposed to the staged ones). He details his wrestling belts won, but also the price paid in betrayals, tragic deaths, and his own massive stroke. 2007.

BR73525, EB73525 Great military leaders: charismatic Canadian commanders by Norman Leach. 1 v. of braille. The history of Canada is filled with charismatic and talented military leaders. Each of the men featured in this collection was wildly successful in business and used his private wealth to provide Canada with a military unit at its times of greatest need. Today these respected units continue to serve Canada and Canadians. Includes biographies of Lord Strathcona, Henry Pellatt, and Hamilton Gault. Some descriptions of violence. 2004.

BR74437, EB74437 Private demons: the tragic personal life of John A. Macdonald by Patricia Phenix. 5 v. of braille. Macdonald's personal life was a mix of drugs, booze, women, back-biting, a harsh childhood, an unplanned pregnancy, unchecked social ambition, a child's unpunished murder, a distant Queen Victoria and Louis Riel. Amid all that, Macdonald managed to become prime minister seven times while spearheading a national railroad and pulling errant provinces together into the cohesive whole known today as Canada - and all of this while mostly drunk. 2006.

Business

BR74521, EB74521 Tales from under the rim: the marketing of Tim Hortons by Ron Buist. 2 v. of braille. The original Tim Horton's founders - Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tim Horton, doughnut entrepreneur Jim Charade, and Nova Scotia born franchise wizard Ron Joyce - are all profiled in this examination of the marketing strategies behind Canada's most popular coffee-and-doughnuts chain. Look behind the invention of the apple fritter and the raisin dutchie, how timbits are made, or the origins of "Roll Up the Rim to Win". 2003.

Correspondence

BR74552, EB74552 The staircase letters: an extraordinary friendship at the end of life by Arthur Motyer ; with Elma Gerwin & Carol Shields. 1 v. of braille. When Elma Gerwin found out in 2001 at the age of 61 that she had cancer, she reached out to two old friends: Arthur Motyer, novelist, teacher, and Elma's university professor forty years ago, and novelist Carol Shields, who was facing her own battle with cancer. Years later, Arthur is the only survivor, and contemplating how Elma's and Carol's correspondence affected him, he brought the letters together and interspersed them with literary references and poetry. 2007.

General Non-fiction

BR74531, EB74531 Being generous: the art of right living by Lucinda Vardey & John Dalla Costa. 2 v. of braille. We can all be generous when Christmas rolls around, or when disaster strikes, but this kind of giving segregates generosity and makes it a special activity only for special times. We must investigate other possibilities for being generous, by helping those we interact with every day: our children, colleagues, parents, friends and the homeless men and women we encounter. If we ask, "What do you need?" we may be surprised how readily we can provide assistance, and how a single generous act may turn into something that touches many. 2007.

History (Canadian)

BR74538, EB74538 God's mercies: rivalry, betrayal and the dream of discovery by Douglas Hunter. 5 v. of braille. France's Samuel de Champlain and Englishman Henry Hudson were rival explorers, both searching for the Northwest Passage. For Hudson the search proved fatal, as a mutiny in 1611 saw Hudson, his son, and seven others cast adrift in James Bay, never to be heard from again. In 1613, Champlain set out on a northern journey based on testimony from Nicolas de Vignau, who had spent 1611-12 with the Algonquin and returned to France with an incredible story: he had visited the Northern Sea. What's more, he had seen an English youth, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, held captive by the Nebicerini people as a gift for Champlain. Some descriptions of sex, explicit descriptions of violence and some strong language. 2007.

Holidays

BR73763, EB73763 Christmas in the Prairies: heartwarming legends, tales, and traditions by Rich Mole. 1 v. of braille. Christmas is a time for celebrating with friends and family and for sharing stories, memories, and good cheer. This compilation brings to life the very best holiday stories from across Prairies. From the early days of exploration to the modern day, and from heartwarming inspirational tales to dangerous escapades, this is a collection to treasure for many years to come. 2004.

Humour (Non-fiction)

BR74550, EB74550 Rick Mercer Report: the book by Rick Mercer. 2 v. of braille. A collection of rants, writings, and comic encounters with the great and good of politics, showbiz, and literature. Relive Pierre Berton offering advice on rolling a joint or Margaret Atwood showing off her hockey skills as a goalie. Mercer has selected the best of his rants, sprinkled in choice moments from interviews, added other material that has never been broadcast, and arranged the whole into revealing themes and groupings with all-new introductions, reflections, and updates. Some strong language. 2007.

Islam

BR74403, EB74403 The heirs of the prophet Muhammad: Islam's first century and the origins of the Sunni-Shia schism by Barnaby Rogerson. 5 v. of braille. Within a generation of Muhammad's death, his followers exploded out of Arabia to confront the two great superpowers of the seventh-century and establish Islam and a new civilization. Coming from small oasis communities of central Arabia, their achievements were immense. Rogerson also identifies the seeds of discord that destroyed the unity of Islam, and traces the roots of the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Some descriptions of violence. 2006.

Political science

BR74532, EB74532 Black mass: apocalyptic religion and the death of utopia by John Gray. 4 v. of braille. The views that history progresses toward perfection and the millenarian faith in human salvation are as tenacious as they have proven destructive. Sketching the roots of utopianism, Gray emphasizes the similarities between seemingly disparate movements: radical Islam might best be thought of as "Islamo-Jacobinism." We must reconcile ourselves to a world of multiple truths and incompatible freedoms, where there is no overarching meaning and human values and desires can never be fully harmonized. 2007.

Self-help books

BR73834, EB73834 Take off your glasses and see: how to heal your eyesight and expand your insight by Jacob Liberman. 4 v. of braille. Drawing on his own experiences and the success of the people he has treated, Liberman reveals how the fundamental self-healing properties of the body/mind connection can change the way you see the world. Liberman focuses on the intimate connection between "eyesight" and "insight" and makes it clear that changing our awareness and perceptions is the best "prescription" of all. 1995.

Social problems

BR74616, EB74616 A brief history of anxiety (yours & mine) by Patricia Pearson. 2 v. of braille. Pearson was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder at 23. She traces the roots of her anxiety to her youth, when her diplomat father was posted to India during a war, and genetically to a grandmother whose famous biting wit was likely a manifestation of anxiety and depression. She believes that it is anxiety, not fear, that characterizes our age, and offers some answers as to why, and some solutions on dealing with it based on her own personal battles. 2008.

Social sciences

BR74047, EB74047 The story of French by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow. 6 v. of braille. What began as a loose confederation of local dialects became mired in a particularly French obsession with linguistic propriety. Despite the natural development of French over time, "[in] the back of any francophone's mind is the idea that an ideal, pure French exists somewhere." Nadeau and Barlow travelled the world to research what they call "the mental universe of French speakers" from its centre in France to such places as Canada, Senegal and Israel. Some strong language. 2006.