WENDY ELLIOTT’S BOOKS BY LOCALS

Wendy Elliott

Out of her family’s experience, Refuge by Susan Surette-Draper of Port Williams is a novel of love, loss, and survival in Acadie. Refuge chronicles the stirring stories of Pierre Suret and Catherine Bro, who escaped the Acadian deportation but not the consequences of the Grand Dérangement. Refuge results from Surette-Draper’s research over several years and connects to her own family history. The book was launched at the Visitors’ Centre at Grand-Pre National Historic Site.

A former interpreter at the site, Surette-Draper, read a selection to the large crowd on hand, and then folks stood in line to get Refuge signed.

Clairmont Publishing released the fictionalized story at the end of October, and it sells for $30.

The Acadian Saga: A People's Story of Exile and Triumph

Nimbus Publishing has produced a new and expanded edition of Wolfville writer Dean Jobb’s 2005 book on the Deportation of the Acadians. This classic work of Acadian history from an award-winning journalist is finally back in print. The Deportation stands as one of the darkest events in Canadian history and is replete with the drama of war, politics, and untold human suffering. While many Acadians returned from exile to establish new communities that thrive today, others made their way to Louisiana and founded the vibrant Cajun culture known worldwide. Now, in a revised and updated edition of the book published to mark the 250th anniversary of the first deportations, Jobb revisits his dramatic and compelling account of “Le grand derangement,” which was immortalized in Longfellow’s famous poem, Evangeline.

With thirty images to complement the storytelling, The Acadian Saga is a bridge across the centuries for the descendants of a founding people of this nation, whose courage and resourcefulness still resonate in modern-day Acadie and Louisiana. It sells for $26.95.

Rooted in Deception

Kentville writer Laura Churchill Duke has just launched her second novel, Rooted in Deception. On the heels of the award-winning novel, Two Crows Sorrow, Rooted in Deception is another true-crime story in rural Nova Scotia. This time the focus is on an Irish con man. On the move in the early 1900s, he was busy spinning stories, turning heads, and lifting whatever was not nailed down. The villain spins tale after tale into a web that entangles credulous Nova Scotians - until he takes one step too far. Secret identities, deception, and greed escalate to murder.

Books for younger readers

New Minas writer Jim Prime has written a new young adult/youth book entitled ‘Ice Dreams.’ It’s the story of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR, generally thought to be the greatest hockey series in Canadian history.

“I wrote this book for a somewhat younger audience. The reasons for that are twofold. First, a whole generation of fans was not born when this 8-game series was played. This book makes the whole experience accessible to them and provides the historical context.”

More importantly, Prime says, young people will easily identify with the players who grew up as Team Canada members. Interviews with Paul Henderson, Ron Ellis, Bobby Clarke and Serge Savard reveal the challenges each had to overcome to make it to the NHL and the Summit Series. All kids face obstacles of various kinds, everything from bullying to shyness to physical issues.

“The four players I mentioned all had those roadblocks. Henderson’s family was poor and unable to afford hockey equipment. His dad was often distant and stern. Ellis was born with a club foot that required early medical intervention; he also developed a speech impediment. Clarke had type 1 diabetes and had to prove that he was tough enough to play in the NHL. Serge Savard was always the tallest player on his team. With advice from his dad, he had to decide what kind of player he wanted to be.”

Without being preachy, he noted, they all speak about those early years and the persistence it took to rise above their difficulties. Ron Ellis, an articulate role model who speaks from experience, wrote the foreword for the book. “I truly think that ‘Ice Dreams’ is a timely book in these days when Canadian hockey is under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. The battles this team fought and the lessons they learned along the way will help elevate youth hockey to the place it deserves.”

Catherine Prime was the illustrator. Prime’s book can be ordered from him directly at: jprime1@gmail.com; or through Moose House Publishing moosehousepress.com

Anna Maria & Maestro Vivaldi

Wolfville writer Jan Coates has written the story of a young orphan whose only joy is the singing of her violin. Also involved in the plot is an 18th-century composer who became one of the most renowned figures in European classical music.

In Anna Maria & Maestro Vivaldi, their fictionalized story unfolds as Antonio Vivaldi guides Anna Maria toward becoming one of the most celebrated violinists of her time and finding a home in the heart of her famiglia musicale. With Anna Maria’s synesthesia - her gift for ‘seeing’ music - there is an imagined context for the creation of Vivaldi’s renowned work The Four Seasons.

Coates is the author of numerous books for young readers, including A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Ann Connor Brimer Award. Her middle-grade novels have been finalists for several awards as well. Francois Thisdate was illustrator for her latest creation. In the Wolfville area, copies of Coates’ new story are available at Artisans of Annapolis on Main Street, the Wolfville Farm Market Store and Stirling Farm Market. ❧