S Nessie & otherALEM delusions Map mysteries • Procreating morally • Arctic Rangers A RNO A K LATON OPECKY & $6.50 Vol. 21, No. 10 December 2013 Stephen Henighan Goodbye to all that The cultural causes — and fallout — of climate change ALSO IN THIS ISSUE John English The Ignatieff phenomenon Beth Haddon 100 years of Canadian Press Mark Fried Jeffrey Sachs’s African folly Publications Mail Agreement #40032362 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to PLUS: LRC, Circulation Dept. PO Box 8, Station K NON-FICTION Melanie Adrian on “Canadian values” and Muslim realities + Trevor Herriot Toronto, ON M4P 2G1 on returning to nature + David Homel on Sheila Fischman and the politics of translation + J.J. Lee on Chinese family albums + Kevin Sylvester on Can-Am football FICTION Steven Hayward reviews Kicking the Sky by Anthony De Sa + Larry Krotz reviews The Strength of Bone by Lucie Wilk and My Heart Is Not My Own by Michael Wuitchik POETRY Sue Chenette + Mary Rykov + Naomi Beth Wakan + Crystal Hurdle UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PRESS Greening the Maple: Marion Nicoll: Canadian Ecocriticism Silence and Alchemy in Context Ann Davis and Elizabeth Herbert Edited by Ella Soper and With Jennifer Salahub and Christine Sowiak Nicholas Bradley 150 pp, $39.95, illustrations 624 pp, $44.95 9781552387078 9781552385463 “Devotees of Canadian art know Canadian landscapes and their something about Marion Nicoll, her apparent distinctiveness have iconic paintings and prints are found fascinated writers and critics in most public collections, she is throughout the history of literature in mentioned in almost every Canadian Canada. This volume surveys the rise art history text…. Nevertheless, hers of the field of ecocriticism, reflects on was a life and career defined by mid- it beginnings, and looks ahead to its century conventions and expectations future. Contributors include Margaret regarding women, art, craft, teaching, Atwood, Pamela Banting, Misao Dean, and the writing of art history. If I Northrup Frye, Sherrill E. Grace, was fascinated by what I read in the Linda Hutcheon, Laurie Ricou, and contemporary literature, it was the Rosemary Sullivan. caveats and what I didn’t find that Also available as ebooks intrigued me more.” – Jennifer Salahub • PROUD TO BE A LEADER OF OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING IN CANADA • Visit us at www.uofcpress.com The LRC and Spur present… The LRC is pleased to announce a new series of speakers for 2013–14, in partnership with Spur, Canada’s fi rst national festival of politics, arts and ideas In Praise of Winners Upcoming Speakers PAUL WELLS RAY JAYAWARDHANA December 2, 2013 February 3, 2014 The Gardiner Museum | Toronto The Gardiner Museum Canadians have a deep suspicion of politi cal Toronto winners, argues Paul Wells, which is refl ected in criti cism of both Jean Chréti en and Stephen Harper. But what do the careers of these two individuals, who have collecti vely dominated the last 20 years of Canadian politi cs, reveal about our best hopes for the federati on’s future? Ray Jayawardhana is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Toronto, and the Paul Wells is the politi cal editor of Maclean’s author of Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien magazine, as well as the author of Right Side Planets and Life beyond Our Solar System. Up: The Fall of Paul Marti n and the Rise of Stephen Harper’s New Conservati vism and The Longer I’m Prime Minister: Stephen Harper and Canada, 2006–. For the inside track on more Toronto evenings in this series, To purchase tickets for Paul Wells’s talk — or a to be announced soon, email discounted LRC subscription, which gets you FREE [email protected] and entrance to the event — visit reviewcanada.ca/events ask to join our invite list! Literary Review of Canada 170 Bloor St West, Suite 710 Toronto ON M5S 1T9 email: [email protected] reviewcanada.ca T: 416-531-1483 • F: 416-531-1612 Charitable number: 848431490RR0001 Vol. 21, No. 10 • December 2013 To donate, visit reviewcanada.ca/support EDITOR 3 Heroes and Windbags 16 Apple Cake Variations 24 Hanging On Forever Bronwyn Drainie [email protected] A review of Fire and Ashes: on a Palmerston A review of The Book of Success and Failure in Politics, Immortality: The Science, CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Avenue Theme Mark Lovewell, Molly Peacock, Anthony by Michael Ignatieff A poem Belief and Magic Behind Living Westell John English Forever, by Adam Leith Gollner Mary Rykov ASSOCIATE EDITOR Salem Alaton Robin Roger 5 A Glimmer of 16 Allergic: White Spot Globalization 25 Credulity Lives! POETRY EDITOR A poem Moira MacDougall A review of Mr. Selden’s Map Crystal Hurdle A review of Abominable COPY EDITOR of China: Decoding the Secrets Science! Origins of the Yeti, Madeline Koch of a Vanished Cartographer, by 17 Making Soup in Nessie and Other Famous January Cryptids, by Daniel Loxton and ONLINE EDITORS Timothy Brook Diana Kuprel, Jack Mitchell, Stephen R. Bown A poem Donald R. Prothero Donald Rickerd, C.M. Sue Chenette Arno Kopecky 7 Nation Building by PROOFREADERS 17 Three Breakfast 26 Redefining Citizenship Rebecca Borkowsky, Heather Schultz, the Column Inch Robert Simone, Rob Tilley, Jeannie A review of Islam in the A review of Making National Tanka Weese A poem Hinterlands: Muslim Cultural News: A History of Canadian RESEARCH Press, by Gene Allen Naomi Beth Wakan Politics in Canada, edited by Rob Tilley Jasmin Zine Beth Haddon 18 Africa Through EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Melanie Adrian Michael Stevens, Michael Solda 9 Wild Memories Western Eyes 28 They Stand on Guard DESIGN A review of The Once and A review of The Strength of James Harbeck Future World: Nature As It Bone, by Lucie Wilk, and My A review of The Canadian Rangers: A Living History, by DESIGN ASSISTANT Was, As It Is, As It Could Be, Heart Is Not My Own, by Heather Fulton by J.B. MacKinnon Michael Wuitchik P. Whitney Lackenbauer John Baglow ADVERTISING/SALES Trevor Herriot Larry Krotz Michael Wile 10 Procreating Properly? 19 A Haunting Crime 29 Building the Dream [email protected] DIRECTOR, SPECIAL PROJECTS A review of Why Have Revisited A review of The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Michael Booth Children? The Ethical Debate, A review of Kicking the Sky, by Poverty, by Nina Munk PUBLISHERS by Christine Overall Anthony De Sa Mark Fried Alastair Cheng Ronald de Sousa Steven Hayward [email protected] Letters and Responses Helen Walsh 12 The Southern Blitz 20 Goodbye to All That 31 Nelson Wiseman, [email protected] A review of End Zones and An excerpt Charles Blattberg, BOARD OF DIRECTORS Border Wars: The Era of Stephen Henighan John Honderich, C.M., Patrick Brethour, Bob American Expansion in the J. Alexander Houston, Frances Lankin, CFL, by Ed Willes 23 A Chinese-Canadian Plamondon, Arthur Jack Mintz, Trina McQueen Schafer Kevin Sylvester Tapestry ADVISORY COUNCIL A review of Lives of the Michael Adams, Ronald G. Atkey, P.C., 13 Tribute to a Families: Stories of Fate and Q.C., Alan Broadbent, C.M., Chris Ellis, Translator Circumstance, by Denise Chong Drew Fagan, James Gillies, C.M., A review of In Translation: Carol Hansell, Donald Macdonald, J.J. Lee P.C., C.C., Susan Reisler, Grant Reuber, Honouring Sheila Fischman, O.C., Don Rickerd, C.M., Rana Sarkar, edited by Sherry Simon Mark Sarner, Bernard Schiff, David Homel Reed Scowen POETRY SUBMISSIONS For poetry submission guidelines, please see <reviewcanada.ca>. LRC design concept by Jackie Young/INK Founded in 1991 by P.A. Dutil Cover art and pictures throughout the issue by Celia Krampien. The LRC is published 10 times a year by the Literary Celia Krampien is a freelance illustrator living in Oakville, Ontario. 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December 2013 reviewcanada.ca 1 New from Ronsdale Press The Left in Undaunted British Columbia The Best of BC BookWorld A History of Struggle z Alan Twigg, Editor z Gordon Hak The contributors in this “Best of” include Jane Rule, George Woodcock, W.P. Kinsella, Stephen Vizinczey, broadcaster Mark Forsythe, and This comprehensive history of the left in BC biographer Joan Givner, with illustrations by David Lester.