Tag Archives: canada reads

Vote For Chester Brown’s LOUIS RIEL in CANADA READS! By This Sunday Night!

Official Press Release

VOTE FOR CHESTER BROWN’S LOUIS RIEL in CANADA READS
POLL CLOSES SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT

“It has the thoroughness of a history book yet reads with the personalized vision of a novel.”–Time

“If you love to read a gripping story, if you are awed by the talent of an artist, then look no further: Chester Brown’s Louis Riel is comix history in the making, and with it, history never looked so good.”–The Globe and Mail Book Review

“The starkly told story of a crucial figure in Canada’s history–yet one whom most Americans have probably never heard of. It’s a credit to Brown’s plainspoken artistry and flair for narrative that it’s a page-turner till the end.”–The Boston Phoenix

“This is an ingenious comic and a major achievement.” –Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Chester Brown reinvents the comic book medium to create the critically acclaimed historical biography LOUIS RlEL, winning the Harvey Awards for best writing and best graphic novel for his compelling, meticulous, and dispassionate retelling of the charismatic, and perhaps insane, nineteenth-century Metis leader. Brown coolly documents with dramatic subtlety the violent rebellion on the Canadian prairie led by Riel, who some regard a martyr who died in the name freedom, while others consider him a treacherous murderer.

Here’s your chance to make a difference! Vote in CBC Reads True Stories for the first Canadian graphic novel to turn the medium on its head in Canada and become the country’s first graphic novel bestseller, as well invigorate the biographical comic genre around the world. Vote for the book that made people around the world understand just who is Canada’s folk hero — Louis Riel!

Essex County named one of Canada Reads’ Top 5 Novels of the Decade!

Official Press ReleaseTop Shelf Products

ESSEX COUNTY named one of Canada Reads’ Top 5 Novels of the Decade!

The CBC’s Canada Reads, a nationwide book club program in which 5 books compete (each championed by a Canadian celebrity) to be named the #1 book of the year, has officially announced the final 5. Jeff Lemire’s phenomenal Essex County has made the cut, becoming not simply the first Top Shelf book, but the first graphic novel ever, to be in Canada Reads! This year, the Canada Reads program bears the theme “the essential Canadian novels of the past decade,” so the honor is even more prestigious.

The celebrity champion of Essex County has also officially been announced: indie rocker Sara Quin, one-half of the award-winning band Tegan and Sara ! Along with Sara’s spirited defense of the book in the Canada Reads broadcasts, we can expect plenty of attention on author Jeff Lemire, ranging from this Q&A to a variety of podcasts, interviews, and more!

The selection of Essex County for this program is a huge honor for Jeff Lemire, Top Shelf Productions, and the comics industry at large. It poses an opportunity for an entire country to discover the power of Jeff’s work, and to debate its values against four other excellent books. Our deepest congratulations to Jeff and the other finalists!

Canada Reads encourages everyone to spend this winter reading all 5 books, with various programming allowing readers to get to know the finalists better, all building up to the official competition in February 2011. Happy reading, and may the best book win!