Ottawa's Festival of Ideas Since 1997
Library and Archives Canada395 Wellington st.
7:00pm

The Promise of Canada with Charlotte Gray

The Promise of Canada with Charlotte Gray

17
Monday
Oct
2016
7:00pm
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington st.
Charlotte Gray - Photo by Michelle Valberg
Join the Writers Festival, Library and Archives Canada and Simon & Schuster Canada as we celebrate the launch of The Promise of Canada by Charlotte Gray.

What does it mean to be a Canadian? What great ideas have changed our country? 

On the eve of Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations comes a richly rewarding new book from acclaimed historian Charlotte Gray about what it means to be Canadian. Readers already know Gray as an award-winning biographer, a writer who has brilliantly captured significant individuals and dramatic moments in our history. Now, in The Promise of Canada, she weaves together masterful portraits of nine influential Canadians, creating a unique history of the country over the past 150 years.  

What do these people—from George-Étienne Cartier and Emily Carr to Tommy Douglas, Margaret Atwood, and Elijah Harper—have in common? Each, according to Charlotte Gray, has left an indelible mark on our country. Deliberately avoiding a “top down” approach to our history, Gray has chosen people whose ideas have caught her imagination, ideas that over time have become part of our collective conversation. She also highlights many other Canadians, past and present, who have added to the ongoing debate over how we see ourselves, arguing that Canada has constantly reimagined itself in every generation since 1867.  

Beautifully illustrated with evocative black and white images and colourful artistic visions of our country, The Promise of Canada is a fresh take on our history that offers fascinating insights into how we have matured and yet how—150 years after Confederation and beyond—we are still a people in progress. Charlotte Gray makes history come alive as she opens doors into our past, our present and our future, inspiring and challenging readers to envision the Canada they want to live in.

Books available for purchase at every event: Proceeds support our  free  children’s literacy programs.
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