Books and Beyond

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.

Imagine being caught between two worlds: a stranger in your country of origin but uncomfortable in your new home. Cyril Dabydeen, MA’74, MPA’75, left Guyana during the 1970s, when the intelligentsia was being pushed out, for Lake Superior, Canada. Never quite at home here but unable to set down roots himself in his home country, the now well-established Canadian poet reflects on this state of intermundane in Forgotten Exiles. Themes of race, class, and self-discovery are at the heart of the collection’s enthralling narratives. Forgotten Exiles is available at Mosaic Press.

Learning to understand “who you are talking to, what the situation is, and how to filter yourself accordingly” are fundamental to building stronger relationships, according to Ami Trivedi, Artsci’19, MIB’21. This aptitude helped inform the entrepreneur’s philosophy behind her podcast, Ask For It, in which she shares sales strategies, mindset shifts, and real-world lessons to help people elevate their performance. Her episodes address how to nail an interview, ask for a raise, and take control of one’s career. Ask For It is found on most platforms offering podcasts.

Take two music lovers and add a desire for North American travel and you get a guidebook for the musically obsessed. Co-authored by Craig Jones, MA’87, PhD’97, and his wife, Josephine Matyas, The Music Lover’s Guide to North America explores the familiar (think Nashville) to the less well known: including the Celtic Interpretive Centre in Cape Breton, N.S., featuring Ashley MacIsaac’s and Natalie MacMaster’s fiddles, to the Hank Snow Home Town Museum in Liverpool, N.S. The Music Lover’s Guide to North America is available from Bloomsbury Publishing October 2025.

Ever since she was young, Melodie Campbell, Com’78, wanted to be either Carolyn Keene (the pen name used by authors of the Nancy Drew series) or Agatha Christie, and she’s well on her way to achieving that, having authored 19 novels, many of them mysteries. Her latest whodunnit, The Silent Film Star Murders, involves former mob goddaughter Lucy Revelstoke (from her Merry Widow series) confronting another murder. This one is set on an ocean liner during the roaring ’20s. The Silent Film Star Murders is available from Cormorant Books.

Given the climate between Canada and the United States, insight into navigating that relationship is vital. Trading on Art examines how visual art and exhibitions have played a key role in North American free trade relationships in the past, and how artists and cultural institutions have been central to constructing this understanding. Authored by Sarah E.K. Smith, BFA’06, MA’08, PhD’13, it explores how Canadian artists engaged with, contested, and reflected on free trade to create a continental unity, and yet were paradoxically left out of this vision. Trading on Art is available from UBC Press.

Imagine a world where meat grown in a lab becomes sentient, where there are no longer any bees left to pollinate, where disease wipes out fruit crops – are these the plots of a dystopian fantasy or the terrifying possibilities of tomorrow? Adam Pasquella, Artsci’96, has created an anthology of speculative short fiction, Devouring Tomorrow, that imagines a not-too-distant future where society grapples with climate, technological, political, and social changes that may affect how and what we eat. It includes work by collaborator Elan Mastai, Artsci’97.  Devouring Tomorrow is available from Dundurn Press.

“Smoother blending of parts,” “More powerful from end to end,” “Most complete individual” – just some of the comments you might hear at a cow-showing competition or on the new comedy series Cows Come Home. Co-written, co-produced, and directed by Katie Uhlmann, Artsci’09, it is a “heartfelt comedy about a woman who hits rock bottom and moves back to her small town, putting her life back together with the help of her best friend, through the world of competitive cow showing.” The six-part series is set to air June 11 on Bell Fibe TV1 and also features actor Allie Dunbar, Artsci’07.

What may seem like junk to us may in fact be treasure to someone else, as a young boy discovers in the children’s picture book Beautiful Junk by alumna and elementary school teacher Melissa Assaly, Artsci’00. Before moving day, a family leaves unwanted items on the curb. The boy observes people rummaging through the pile in search of treasure and discovers the joy in saving items destined for the landfill. Beautiful Junk is available from Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

What is it about the bicycle that causes it to be beloved by many, yet despised by others? That question is at the heart of Wheeling Through Toronto: A History of the Bicycle and Its Riders, a new book by Albert Koehl, Law’84. The book, which is especially timely given Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s controversial plan to rip up bike lanes, pedals through 130 years of transportation history – including archival materials, newspapers, and interviews – highlighting the oft-ignored humble bicycle and its potential in a climate emergency. Wheeling Through Toronto: A History of the Bicycle and Its Riders is available from University of Toronto Press.

Imagine living in the home that was the inspired setting for Lucy M. Montgomery’s famous Green Gables in her novels about Anne. This was the reality for Myrtle Webb, Montgomery’s cousin, who lived in the Cavendish, P.E.I., farmhouse featured in the Anne of Green Gables series. Becoming Green Gables by biographer Alan MacEachern, MA’91, PhD’97, provides a glimpse of what it was like to live in such a literary-famous place. The diary also tells how fame eventually upends the Webb family when they are faced with expropriation and forced to move. A companion website contains digital scans, photos, and more. Becoming Green Gables is available from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

We’ve all experienced what it’s like to be pulled in different directions. For a child, that experience can seem irreversibly consequential. In After the Wallpaper Music, Flora, a 12-year-old violinist, has to choose between friends competing in a battle of the bands. Author Jean Mills, Artsci’78, MA’80, explores empathy for outsiders, friendship, and being true to oneself in this novel for ages eight to 12. The author is an accomplished musician, and it’s no surprise that her book includes the score for her original song, Time is a Fickle Friend. Publishers Weekly says that “poignant life lessons and a focus on the emotions evoked by music permeate this soulful novel.” After the Wallpaper Music is available from Pajama Press.

In the 21st century, Canada’s democracy is unprepared to meet shocks resulting from regional conflicts, climate change, and technology. In The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century, Alasdair S. Roberts, Artsci’87, examines how Canada’s politicians and leaders, as well as technological changes affecting journalism and a lack of agility within the public service, have made the country less adaptable. The author reminds readers that a country that respects diversity and human rights can also respond well to existential threats. The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century is available from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Canada relies on thousands of temporary workers – workers who are vulnerable to abuse. Catherine Connelly, MSc’00, PhD’04, looks at their experiences in Enduring Work: Experiences with Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Her book includes various forms of mistreatment, from the perspective of organizational behaviour and human resources management, and she also includes employers’ perspectives, distinguishing between those who follow the rules and those who don’t. Enduring Work: Experiences with Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program is available from McGill-Queen’s University Press.