Ice War Diplomat, by Gary J. Smith.
“The two senior KGB officers masquerading as Soviet hockey officials flinched as shattered glass and ice hit the walls and floor of the cramped, colourless ante-room of Moscow's otherwise stately Palace of Sports.”
And we are off and running, with former ambassador Smith's first hand account of the seminal 1972 eight game hockey series between Team Canada and the skaters from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
All Canadians of a certain vintage remember the series, remember the games, and certainly recall where they were when Paul Henderson scored “ the goal” to clinch the series for Canada.
Now, I have never really had much good to say about the government of Russia, which in reality controlled the USSR, but I do admire the food, some of the people and, of course, the hockey players – from Tretiak and Yakushev to Bure, Mogilny, and Ovechkin.
But, way back in 1972, that was not the case, because we Canadians thought we knew it all when it came to hockey. And no Soviets were allowed into North American professional hockey. Then, the Soviets hit the ice and the whole Canadian hockey world flipped upside down and sideways.
However, putting together this historic event was far from an easy task, and that is the crux of the story. Amid the tensions of the Cold War (remember that?) and caught between communism and capitalism, Smith had to put everything together and then keep it from falling apart. Remember, this was back in the days when Soviet agents were on every street corner in Moscow, the Smith family apartment was riddled with secretive listening devices, and the Smiths were followed every where they went.
On his first overseas assignment with the Canadian diplomatic department, author Smith was instructed to build friendships between Canada and the Soviets. Turned out hockey, and Canadian beer, were the keys.
If you're a hockey fan, you gotta read this book. If you're into history, this is a must read. We highly recommend ICE WAR DIPLOMAT, by Gary J. Smith. It is from Douglas and McIntyre, with a current listed price of $26.95.
Clara at the Door with a Revolver, by Carolyn Whitzman.
“On the day he was fatally shot, Frank Westwood woke up feeling a bit under the weather.”
So begins one of the most intriguing tales you will ever read. Let us now go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear, namely October 6th, 1894, and to the Toronto neighbourhood known as Parkdale.
It is the evening of that day. Darkness has fallen. There's a knock at the door of the posh Westwood residence. Frank opens the door. Bang! He's shot in the abdomen, and the 18 year old dies hours later.
The seven daily newspapers in operation in Toronto at the time cover the story like it was the greatest thing to hit the news since the invention of paved roads.
Who did it? Why? Where was the murder weapon? What was the motive? Speculation abounds, and the dailies published story after story, with truth mixed with fiction in a blizzard of conjectures, comments, criticisms, and downright callousness.
Six weeks after the shooting, a black tailor and mother by the name of Clara Ford was arrested in connection to the crime.
And thereby hangs the tale. Clara at the Door with a Revolver is all about the scandalous black suspect, the exemplary white son, and the murder that shocked Toronto the Good.
Carolyn Whitzman is the author. On Point Press is the publisher. The list price is $24.95.
Love is a Place, but you cannot live There, by Jade Wallace.
“In autumn, there is no apparent difference between tourist towns and ghost towns.”
Those are the opening lines from Love is a Place ( but you cannot live there), which is the first complete book of poetry from emerging Canadian writer Jade Wallace.
The experts say this is a book that is, in reality, a psychogeographic investigation. I call it a dang good collection of quite fine poems. Now don't go turning up your nose and saying “Poetry...yuck...I hate that stuff.” Give this one a try. These are not the poems of your high school days, the ones that talked about nightingales and grecian urns and the like –although the one about the Ancient Mariner, you must admit, was pretty dang fab.
No, these writings from the pen of Jade Wallace tell stories, they are “ forthright and anecdotal”, as one reviewer suggested.
Here is a complete example. It is titled Everywhere Else.
My boyfriend is bitter about New York City.
He says it's the place people talk about
instead of every other town on the continent.
I disdain all cities.
I prefer the spaces between them.
But my mother had wanted to go to
New York City for forty years.
And I've never been cruel enough
to say no to my mother's dreams.
Now that I'm twenty-six, finally
settled in a job I can take a week off from,
My mother and I have made arrangements to travel.
I insist that we take the train
so that my mother can have the city
and I can have everywhere else.
There you have it. Just one example of the many uniquely accessible that have been put together in this slim yet undeniably important volume.
Jade Wallace is the creator. Guernica Editions is the publisher. The Canadian list price is $20.
