Books and Beyond

Hope is not a luxury or toxic optimism; it’s the essential force propelling the human experience by inspiring action and igniting personal transformation. That’s the message conveyed by Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Artsci/Ed’05, MEd’07, in I Hope So: How to Choose Hope Even When It’s Hard. The award-winning author writes that in a divided and uncertain world, hope resides within each of us. She writes that the brain has a natural ability to bounce back from setbacks – an ability that can be tapped into through neuroscience, physiology, and psychology to build resiliency and create a better version of ourselves. I Hope So: How to Choose Hope Even When It’s Hard is available at Page Two Books, Inc.

To say that parenting is challenging would, for most people, be an understatement. That job has become even more challenging in an age of misinformation, especially on social media. Where does that leave parents trying to raise their children? As has been repeatedly echoed: You need the facts from reliable sources. Written by three behavioural specialists, including Jenny Demark, MA’98, Complex Kids, Simple Solutions presents a research-based approach to effective parenting. The book is built around three essential fundamentals: prepare, teach, and motivate. All have been used by the authors over decades working with families. Complex Kids, Simple Solutions is available at Exisle Publishing.

History tends to focus on the big moments. Yet it is often small acts that move the wheels of history. In South Africa, Catherine Higgs, Artsci’84, reveals that apartheid was dismantled by the seemingly small actions of individuals. In her book, Sisters for Justice, she writes about how a number of Catholic religious sisters, beginning in the 1960s, pushed for change. Working within the context of a male-led church that was initially hesitant to criticize the South African state, these fearless women provided basic medical services, defied segregationist laws by opening schools for all races, and joined protests, among other acts. The author is a professor of history at UBC. Sisters for Justice is available at University of Wisconsin Press.

Lisa Lauter, BNSc’94, recounts her search for answers in Songbirds Keep Singing: A Memoir of Healing from Autoimmune Brain Inflammation. A nurse and public-health professional, the author developed mysterious neurological symptoms and was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune brain inflammation. Blending memoir with research, she explores how conventional medicine and a holistic approach put her on a path to recovery, offering hope and practical insights for patients, caregivers, and health professionals navigating complex autoimmune and brain-health challenges. Songbirds Keep Singing: A Memoir of Healing from Autoimmune Brain Inflammation is available at FriesenPress.

How does one unravel oneself from an imaginary friend, especially when that “friend” has been integral to your journey? That’s a question Hollay Ghadery, Artsci’04, asks in her debut novel, The Unravelling of Ou. The Iranian-Canadian writer’s novel is about the relationship between Minoo and her beloved sock puppet, Ecology Paul. As Minoo decides whether to break with the puppet over familial concerns, the book explores teenage pregnancy in Iran, exile to Canada, sexuality, and how a sock came to support Minoo emotionally. It’s an imaginative novel that examines trauma, cultural norms, and mental health. The author’s acclaimed memoir Fuse won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Award. The Unravelling of Ou is available at Palimpsest Press.

Trailblazing lawyer Harvey Brownstone, Law’80, was Canada’s first openly gay judge. After 26 years on the bench, Justice Brownstone is now retired – and he’s not holding back. His new book, Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge, is an unflinching memoir that takes readers on a poignant and, at times, darkly funny journey behind the scenes of criminal and family courts. Mixing his professional story of judicial innovation with personal reflections on the many challenges he faced over the years, Justice Brownstone paints an autobiographical portrait of resilience. Watch for a Hollywood film adaptation starring David Arquette this fall. Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge is available at ECW Press.

Charting one’s path through life is rarely simplistic – especially when it comes to careers. Dennis Pitt’s grandfather and parents were all involved in the Canadian Armed Forces, so that career path seemed inevitable. Yet after a few “pivotal events,” Dr. PItt, MD’72, found himself applying for medical college. Once there, the field of choice was wide open, though the idea of becoming a surgeon had never been part of his plan. A Journey in Surgery: The Memoir of a Canadian Surgeon recounts Dr. Pitt’s career as a surgeon; it also serves as a commentary on the history of medicine as well as its future. Dr. Pitt sadly passed away in February, but his book remains as a record of his life and work. A Journey in Surgery: The Memoir of a Canadian Surgeon is available at FriesenPress.

Our stories matter, but sometimes it’s necessary to “restory” our lives – that is, look back at the past to map a new future. Michael Gauthier, MEd’11, PhD’17, knows well how this can be done. In Restorying Your Story: Reclaiming Your Voice in the Face of Past Injustice, he writes about his experience as a young Indigenous man, a “Survivor of intergenerational trauma,” who turned to addiction as a way of coping and was eventually incarcerated. He then worked to restory his life by breaking cycles of harm, working to change internal narratives. Restorying Your Story: Reclaiming Your Voice in the Face of Past Injustice is available at Medicine Wheel Publishing.

Feeling a little shell-shocked by Canada’s current economic turmoil? Canada’s Economy, Explained is a podcast to help make sense of the state of the economy. From trade to inflation, each episode features insights and analysis by experts from the Business Data Lab (BDL). The podcast is hosted by Marwa Abdou, Com’08, Artsci’09, a senior research director at BDL, an organization founded by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. A BDL production, the podcast is available on 14 streaming platforms and covers topics such as Trump tariffs, women entrepreneurs, Canada’s recession risk, and more. Listen to Canada’s Economy, Explained.

In contrast to the stance taken by the United States toward Cuba, Canada has continued to foster a relationship with the island, thanks in part to connections forged between individuals. In Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters, author Karen Dubinsky, PhD’91 – Queen’s professor emeritus, Global Development Studies/History – reveals the often-overlooked history of human relationships that defy borders. The book is inspired in part by the Queen’s–University of Havana educational/cultural exchange program, which she helped co-ordinate from 2008 to 2023. Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters is available at Between the Lines.

A mysterious woman keeps reappearing at the edge of a dying mining town, only to disappear back into the wilds of British Columbia. A constable is assigned the unenviable task of investigating these sightings, but his search threatens to destroy him – and possibly the entire town. The Weary Carry On, the debut novel by Bowman Wilker, Artsci’93, is set in 1923, a pivotal moment in Canadian history marked by the downfall of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad and the formation of the RCMP. The author’s prior work includes the children’s picture book Crackerjack Jack (2018), and contributions to various children’s magazines. The Weary Carry On is available at The Wild Rose Press.

What happens when familial relationships become tangled up with money? Count On Me, by Ann Cavlovic, MA’00, explores the unravelling of an already dysfunctional family grappling with aging, debt, and generational harm. Heartfelt, humorous and poignant, the novel, which is set in Kingston, looks at our sense of entitlement to other people’s money, generational cycles, and how relationships can transcend transactions. This is her first novel; her short fiction and creative non-fiction have been published in Canadian literary journals and magazines. Count On Me is available from Guernica Editions.

What happens when familial relationships become tangled up with money? Count On Me, by Ann Cavlovic, MA’00, explores the unravelling of an already dysfunctional family grappling with aging, debt, and generational harm. Heartfelt, humorous and poignant, the novel, which is set in Kingston, looks at our sense of entitlement to other people’s money, generational cycles, and how relationships can transcend transactions. This is her first novel; her short fiction and creative non-fiction have been published in Canadian literary journals and magazines. Available from Guernica Editions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, militaries were routinely deployed domestically, including in Canada. Was the military’s role scrutinized? What was the extent of civilian oversight and control? Were there accountability measures in place? And when it was all over, had the military’s public image changed? Editors Dr. Christian Leuprecht, PhD’03, and Lindy Heinecken seek to address these questions in Military Operations in Response to Domestic Emergencies and Global Pandemics. Published in July 2025, Military Operations in Response to Domestic Emergencies and Global Pandemics is now open access and available for free from Springer Nature.

When there’s a leak, we typically blame the pipe without considering the forces at work that might be creating the leak. This “leaky pipe metaphor” has been used to blame women who enter STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) but then “leak” from careers – that is, leave their fields. Busting this myth, Beyond the Pipeline examines the systemic pressures forcing women out of their disciplines. Contributing author Emily Bishop, Sc’09, and others share stories of burnout, bias, career pivots, and resilience, arguing for strategies to create more inclusive and sustainable STEMM workplaces. Beyond the Pipeline is available from ELMM Press.

Remember SARS – the acute respiratory illness that struck Toronto in 2003 and made thousands sick, killed more than 40 people, and shut the city down economically? That was just one of several “near-­pandemics” that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. From SARS to other outbreaks, these crises exposed how unprepared governments were, in particular highlighting the short-sightedness of leaders. In Future-Generation Government, Nick Chesterley, Artsci’10, looks at practical reforms that can help leaders respond to tomorrow’s challenges without compromising today’s democratic rights and freedoms. Future-Generation Government is available from McGill–Queen’s University Press.