Archive for the ‘book launches’ Category
Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret and I attended Lethbridge’s WOTS
Lethbridge’s Word on the Street Festival proved that a small city can successfully put together and event usually found only in larger cities. There were a few first year glitches and oversights, but overall, WOTS was fantastic for Alberta authors and it was wonderful promotion for the City of Lethbridge.
I loved reading from Eugenics and the Firewall and participating in the “Getting into Writing” panel.A
Above, is a picture of some of the books, including Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret, that were on sale at the University of Lethbridge Bookstore WOTS tent. (If you’re in Southern Alberta, and would like a copy of Eugenics and the Firewall, please drop by the University of Lethbridge bookstore. You’ll also find it in Chapters, McNally Robinson, Audreys, the U of T Bookstore, and dozens more independent and university bookstores throughout Canada.
You can also borrow Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret from a local public library, including the Lethbridge Public Library, The Edmonton Public Library, University of Manitoba libraries, The University of Saskatchewan Library, Toronto Public Library Queen’s University Library, and the University of Calgary Library. Here’s a partial listing of some of the libraries Eugenics and the Firewall is available in throughout Canada and around the world.
Shaw TV interview about books, literacy and Word on the Street
Click on the Word on the Street icon on Shaw TV’s website to watch Dan Clovis, Shaw TV Lethbridge, interview Colette Acheson, Project Manager Word on the Street Lethbridge, and me about writing, books, and what’s in store at Word on the Street 25 September,11am to 5pm, at the Lethbridge Public Library and on the adjoining streets.
(There’s also a good screen shot of my books, Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret and Stars Appearing: The Galts’ Vision of Canada, included in this footage.But stay away from the Chinese website on the Stars Appearing link. That book is still available through Volumes Direct.
Eugenics & the Firewall is published by J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing, Inc., represented by the Literary Press Group of Canada, and distributed through U of T press. It’s available online, in university bookstores, independent bookstores,and through chains such as Chapters. McNally Robinson, Audreys, Pages, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, & Booktopia also sell Eugenics & the Firewall.)
Lethbridge Signing Media Release
MONDAY, 7 MARCH 2011
Lethbridge Signing News Release
Harris-Zsovan to Sign Copies of Eugenics and the Firewall at Chapters Lethbridge 12 March 2011
Release: 07 March 2011
LETHBRIDGE — Lethbridge author Jane Harris-Zsovan, will sign copies of Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret at Chapters,701 Ist Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Saturday, March 12, 11:00am-5:30pm. The book is published J. Gordon Shillingford and Distributed by University of Toronto Press. J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing is primarily a literary publisher that publishes theatre, poetry, Canadian social history, politics, religion, true crime, and biography. Website: jgshillingford.com.
Jane Harris-Zsovan is a Canadian author and journalist based in Lethbridge, Alberta. She writes for national and regional periodicals about business, faith, politics, history and contemporary issues. Her books include Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret Stars Appearing: The Galts’ Vision of Canada. and
It’s a dirty little secret the heirs to Alberta’s populist legacy don’t want Canadians to talk about. In 1928, the non-partisan United Farmers of Alberta passed the first Sexual Sterilization Act. The UFA’s successor, the Social Credit Party, led by radio evangelist William Aberhart, and later by his protégé Ernest Manning, removed the need to obtain consent to sterilize “mental defectives” or Huntington’s Chorea patients with dementia.
Between 1928 and 1972 nearly three thousand citizens were sterilized, lied to, experimented on, and subjected to daily abuse at hands of provincial staff in Alberta.
Most Albertans have forgotten the victims whose names made headlines in the 1990s, and politicians and pundits have shown little empathy for the victims. Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada`s Nasty Little Secret sets the record straight.
“It`s a valuable addition to modern Canadian historical studies. I hope it comes to the attention of professors, so that it can be included in reading lists. One of the most important aspects, as you can tell from the review, is your inclusion of the modern debate on eugenic practices.” Ian Stewart, Writer, Book Reviewer for the Winnipeg Free Press.
“Shining Light on Alberta’s Past” out in ArtsBridge
Spring/Summer 2011 ArtsBridge is out. Ashley Markus interviewed me about Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret. Read it here: JHZ artsbridge interview. (Click on the link. Then click on the icon. Article will appear.)
Setting Up Spring Signings
cHAPTERS SIGNING POSTER amendedI’ll be signing copies of Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret, 12 MARCH 2011 at Chapters in Lethbridge. (That’s a Saturday.) More details on this and other spring events to come….
The Winnipeg Review
Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret appeared in the Winnipeg Review yesterday, 17 January 2011.
Eugenics and the Firewall
Here’s the national launch poster for the 17 November 2010 launch: GS_eugenics_rev poster
Eugenics and the Firewall will be published this fall. Writing it took me on anamazing journey through Alberta’s past and political culture. I got a chance to
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look at Albertan’s changing attitudes toward the Sexual Sterilization Act.The Province of Alberta’s handling of the eugenics issue during the 20th century is fascinating, and a cause for both hope and worry. The saga shows us the belief systems underlying Alberta’s political culture. (And Albertans aren’t as right wing or as homogeneous as pundits claim. )
Hundreds of lives were ruined by the public’s blind trust in a theory, politicians’ adherence to ideology and expert recommendations, and the voters’ faith in the moral rightness of the provincial government. This fascinating saga has lessons for all Canadians of every political stripe.
Details about launch date to come.
