National Network for Equitable Library Service

Imagine living your life perched on a tiny island, without electricity, exposed to the fury of the sea, and always at the service of the mariner. This is how lightkeepers and their families spent their lives, even up until the 1960s. We are very close to losing the last of the people who lived this isolated life and experienced the heyday of lightkeeping in Canada. Lighthouse Legacies lets us share in the memories of those who kept the lights.

In this collection, thirty-seven writers from across Canada tell thought-provoking stories of extraordinary encounters with a variety of animals—from rats and salamanders to wolves and bears. From tributes to a favourite cat or dog to tales of a chance encounter with a moose or a cougar, these stories are sure to entertain and enlighten. The writers are people who spend time in the company of animals, paying close attention to them and their natures, and the lessons they can teach us.

In Indian School Road, journalist Chris Benjamin tackles the controversial and tragic history of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, its predecessors, and its lasting effects, giving voice to multiple perspectives for the first time. Benjamin integrates research, interviews, and testimonies to guide readers through the varied experiences of students, principals, and teachers over the school’s nearly forty years of operation (1930–1967) and beyond.

One day, a couple who had run over a skunk with their car brought it to the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital. When the veterinarians couldn't look after it, Hope Swinimer decided to take the helpless animal into her care, and that was the start of it all. Now, through her rehabilitation centre called Hope for Wildlife, Hope's name is synonymous with wildlife rescue in Nova Scotia. Since 1997, hundreds of animals have been saved through the tireless efforts of the staff and volunteers at Hope for Wildlife.

Culled from her collections Offshore Islands and Paradise or Purgatory(1984), New Brunswick Islands is part ecocritical exploration and part historical survey, as Mitcham explores the province’s not-so-far-off islands in search of their unique stories. The result is an extraordinary collection of essays that illuminates the social and cultural histories behind New Brunswick’s islands.

“Many of Nova Scotia's best sports stories have never entirely been told, at least not to the extent they deserve.” In Inside the Game, sports columnist Chris Cochrane goes beyond the headlines to tell the real stories behind ten of the province's most memorable sporting events and achievements: Clyde Gray's boxing battles with the young, brash Chris Clark; NHL player Bill Riley's persistence in the face of racism; Andrew Haley's stunning performance at the 1996 Paralympic Games; and the surprising break-up of Colleen Jones' curling rink, one of Canada's a

In December 1917, one of the greatest natural harbours in the world was humming with excitement. Halifax Harbour was filled with naval convoys and merchant vessels while factories worked overtime in support of the Allied war effort in Europe. But on December 6, Canada's worst disaster struck, as two ships--one carrying high explosives--collided. The explosion killed and injured thousands, razing the city's North End and destroying nearly everything in its path.

Purdy Crawford’s name is synonymous with Canadian business and law. But even after education at Mount Allison and Harvard, Purdy arrived on Toronto’s Bay Street as an outsider, the son of a coal miner from tiny Five Islands, Nova Scotia. So how did young Purdy ascend so quickly and so far to become one of Canada’s top lawyers and best-known business mentors? In this biography of Purdy, bestselling business writer Gordon Pitts begins with the moment in 2007 when Crawford was enlisted by some of the country’s leading corporate officials to stave off financial market catastrophe.

Do you remember the invasion of Newfoundland’s hydroponic cucumber? How about New Brunswick’s ill-fated space-age sports car? In this dynamic collection, Dan Soucoup follows the money trail up the political ladder to deliver the dirt on the most devastating failed business ventures, political scandals, and industry fiascos in Atlantic Canadian history. Presented in concise, entertaining vignettes, Boondoggles exposes two centuries of debacles in regional, national, and international scope.

Dr. Arnold Burden's career began unintentionally when he performed his first surgery in the woods following a hunting accident at age 14. As a 20-year-old hospital clerk, he handed battle casualties after D-Day in France and Germany. His early years as a doctor began in rural Prince Edward Island, where he served in the combined role of doctor and coroner. Back home in Springhill, Nova Scotia, Dr. Burden was the first medic to enter the mines after the deadly No. 4 mine explosion in 1956 and the No. 2 mine bump, the most severe bump ever recorded in North America, in 1958.