Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years by Michael Kluckner (Whitecap, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s a marvelous book out called Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years. Its author Michael Kluckner joins me now. I’ve long been a fan of his books. They’re generously illustrated, with Mr. Kluckner’s own watercolours, as well as photographs. This book is a wonderful narrative of his own observations about Vancouver, its changing landscape, thanks to the buildings either being demolished or adapted. The original Vanishing Vancouver was published in 1990 and went up to Expo ’86. This one takes up the story of that book, and takes us through to the recent past. We see Vancouver change, and I’ll ask Mr. Kluckner if it has for the better or not, where he sees Vancouver going, and we’ll discuss some of the observations made in this very fine book. Michael Kluckner is an artist and writer who has spent more than two decades recording and interpreting histories and landscapes of this city, province and country. He was the founding president of the Heritage Vancouver Society. He’s written well over a dozen books. He is a forthcoming director of the Vancouver Historical Society, of which I’m non-participating member. Incidentally, Mr. Kluckner is speaking at the May 24th meeting of the Vancouver Historical Society at the Museum of Vancouver. That’s 7.30pm next Thursday. He’ll be talking about this book. The website for more is at www.michaelkluckner.com. The book is published by Whitecap. I am very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michael Kluckner; Mr. Kluckner, good morning.

Bring Me One of Everything by Leslie Hall Pinder. (Grey Swan, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Bring Me One of Everything

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Described by Margaret Atwood as ‘a writer of great talent and sensitivity,’ Leslie Hall Pinder joins me now to talk about her latest novel, her third, Bring Me One of Everything. The novel takes Native history in this part of the world, and Ms. Pinder’s experience in law, and she weaves a story that’s described as an eloquent tale of suspense and intrigue. We’ll get Ms. Pinder to tell us about the book, who the characters are, and what drew her to write this book. An anthropologist, Austin Hart, who salvages the artistic remains of the Haida people in British Columbia, kills himself. Years later, another character, Alicia Purcell is commissioned to write the libretto for an opera based on Hart’s life. She’s got her own issues and those are borne out in the book, including her relationship with her mother Sophie. Leslie Hall Pender is a retired attorney, who practiced in her own firm, pursuing land claims on behalf of Native clients. She previously wrote two novels, Under the House, and On Double Tracks, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award in 1990. The websites for more are at www.lesliehallpinder.com, and www.bringmeoneofeverything.com. The book is published by Grey Swan Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Leslie Hall Pinder; Ms. Pinder, good morning.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Everything you wanted to know about the burqa can be gleaned from a new documentary Story of Burqa: Case of a Confused Afghan. The movie premieres this Thursday, May 10th at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival; 7.00pm at the Empire Granville 7 Cinema. Its director Brishkay Ahmed joins me now to talk about this movie, a personal journey she took to determine the origin and effect of the burqa on Afghan women, its society and culture, Islam at large, and her own sense of being. She travels to Afghanistan, talks to cultural and religious historians, makers of burqas and others to find out what they think of the burqa. She travels to Holland to a museum to find out what the history of the garment is; as well does a social experiment having someone wear the burqa on the corner of Davie and Thurlow here in Vancouver. Brishkay Ahmed has film and television programming here in Canada and in Afghanistan. Her film Reclaiming Rights premiered at DOXA in 2010. The website for more is at www.chitchatproductions.ca. You can get more info on DOXA at www.DOXAfestival.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brishkay Ahmed; Ms. Ahmed, good morning.

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba (St. Martin’s Press, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: That Woman

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Over 75 years after he abdicated the British throne for the ‘woman he loved,’ and just over 25 years since her death, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor remain a source of fascination, intrigue and speculation. There was the recent Madonna offering W.E. which brought the Windsors into a cinematic light. Also a new book brings the legend and myth surrounding Edward VIII and his American born divorcee wife Wallis Simpson back to life for a new reassessment. The book is called That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, and its author is the celebrated biographer Anne Sebba. She has written a highly readable, fascinating book, whose title is taken from the late Queen Mother, who used to refer to Wallis as, ‘that woman.’ One likely saw a bit of the Queen Mother’s dislike of the Windsors in Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech. In the book, Ms. Sebba, who joins me from Chicago this day, skillfully navigates through the voluminous history inspired by the Windsors, as well she presents newly discovered letters that further illuminate more about the romance of the Duke and Duchess; that perhaps it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. That perhaps Wallis was still very much in love with her second husband Ernest Simpson, and in fact had been manipulated by a petty, childish King into marrying him. Was theirs truly the romance of the 20th century? What inspired their unique style? We’ll ask Anne Sebba that and more. The book is published by St. Martin’s Press, and the author’s website is at www.annesebba.com. I’m very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Anne Sebba; Ms. Sebba, good morning.

Who Killed Abraham Lincoln? by Paul Serup. (Salmova Press, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Who Killed Abraham Lincoln?

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Abraham Lincoln is widely considered America’s greatest president, and his assassination in 1865 remains a source of fascination many decades later. There’s a forthcoming movie by Steven Spielberg, and season after season books about Lincoln come out. Paul Serup joins me now. He is the author of Who Killed Abraham Lincoln? It was published a couple of years ago, but it’s worth looking at. He joins me now to talk about why he wrote this book and who he believes killed Lincoln. The focus of the book is Charles Chiniquy. He was a Quebec-born priest who championed temperance. He goes to Illinois to do some work for the church there but gets into some legal trouble and seeks defence from a Springfield lawyer named Abraham Lincoln, who soon becomes a friend. Chiniquy soon leaves the church and subsequently authors a popular autobiography, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, in which he investigates the Lincoln assassination. The research that Mr. Serup does in his own book is exhaustive. We’ll find out why he was interested in Chiniquy, what Chiniquy concluded, and more. Published by Salmova Press, the website for more is at www.salmovapress.com. Incidentally, the full subtitle of the book is: ‘An investigation of North America’s most famous ex-priest’s assertion that the Roman Catholic Church was behind the assassination of America’s greatest President.’ Paul Serup joins me from Prince George, British Columbia today. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Paul Serup; Mr. Serup, good morning.

King: William Lyon Mackenzie King, A Life Guided By the Hand of Destiny by Allan Levine. (Douglas & McIntyre, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: King

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

The author and historian Allan Levine joins me now. His latest book published last fall was the comprehensive, accessible and highly readable King: William Lyon Mackenzie King, A Life Guided By the Hand of Destiny. It’s the first major biography on King in more than 30 years, and it brings to life this complicated, accomplished, fascinating man. King was born in 1874, and dies 75 years later in 1950. He was a lawyer, civil servant, and politician who went on to become Canada’s tenth prime minister serving a total 22 years, first defeating Arthur Meighen in 1921, and replacing Meighen again following the King-Byng Affair. He loses to R.B. Bennett in 1930, and replaces Bennett five years later, serving until 1948. It’s impossible in the few minutes we have with Mr. Levine to go over King’s life, but he does such a fine job in just over 500 pages telling us about King in this book. We’ll ask him how he got to writing it, what’s in the book, and more. Allan Levine has written 11 books, including the award winning Coming of Age, and one of my favourites Scrum Wars. His website is at www.allanlevinebooks.com. He joins me from Winnipeg this day, where he teaches history. The book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Allan Levine; Mr. Levine, good morning.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Joining me now is the journalist and historian Stanley Karnow. He was a long time correspondent in Asia from the 1950s through to the 1970s for such organisations as Time, Life, the Saturday Evening Post, the London Observer, the Washington Post, and NBC News. His coverage of the Vietnam War led to his writing of, Vietnam: A History, one of the definitive books on the war. It also led to a critically acclaimed and award winning PBS series, Vietnam: A Television History. In an effort to learn more about Philippine history and politics, I had read another of Mr. Karnow’s books In Our Image: America’s Empire in the Philippines. It’s easily one of the most comprehensive books on the Philippines and its relationship with the United States up to the late 1980s. The book received the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1990. It also inspired another PBS documentary that I saw recently, that’s just a great companion to the book. We’ll talk to Mr. Karnow now about his career, focusing on his time in the Philippines. We’ll discuss some of the historical figures he had encountered in his years of journalism, Douglas MacArthur, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Ninoy and Corazon Aquino, and others who figured so prominently in Philippine and American history. Stanley Karnow served in the United States Armed Forces during the Second World War. He graduated from Harvard, and attended the Sorbonne, and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. His other books include Mao and China: From Revolution to Revolution and the memoir, Paris in the Fifties. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Society of Historians. He joins me from his home just outside of Washington, in Potomac, Maryland. I’m very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Stanley Karnow; Mr. Karnow, good morning.

The Enemy Within: Terror, Lies and the Whitewashing of Omar Khadr by Ezra Levant. (McClelland & Stewart, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Enemy Within

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Once again I’m joined by Ezra Levant. The lawyer, political activist, journalist and television personality on the Sun News Network has a new book out, The Enemy Within: Terror, Lies and the Whitewashing of Omar Khadr. Like his previous books Shakedown and Ethical Oil, it’s already a bestseller, and also a strident, timely book. Omar Khadr has been held at Guantanamo Bay since October 2002, when at the age of 15 he was accused of killing a US sergeant in Afghanistan. His lawyers, as well as his defenders in Canada, his family and certain members of the press have argued that he’s a child soldier and a victim. He struck a plea deal where he will be able to serve part of his sentence in Canada. Not if Mr. Levant has his way. In the book he argues that Khadr, now 25 has become more radicalised in prison, that he’s not disavowed the hateful, terrorist views he holds. We’ll get Mr. Levant to tell us about what’s gone on with Khadr, what the chances are of his return to Canada, and what he’s doing and suggesting others ought to do to prevent that from happening. It’s a timely book, as I’ve said, and it looks at how we view immigration, terrorism, the law, and our relationship with the United States. The book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Ezra’s website is at www.ezralevant.com. And his show, The Source with Ezra Levant is on nightly on Sun News, that’s on here on this coast at 2.00pm, 5.00pm Eastern. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ezra Levant; Mr. Levant, good morning.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

The filmmaker Kagan Goh joins me now. His personal film Stolen Memories is having its world television premiere this Sunday, 04 March 2012 on Omni Television. I’ve seen a bit of the documentary already, and it’s a fascinating, moving film about this photo album that Mr. Goh seeks to return to a Japanese Canadian family who’d lost it during the internment of the Second World War. The effort he goes through, as well as the people he encounters along the way, helpful and supportive, and not-so helpful and not-so supportive is interesting to watch as it reflects and illuminates the cultures involved—Japanese, Japanese Canadian, Canadian, Chinese—and the history and times—the war time period of internment, and the confluence of all that in the 15 years it took to make this movie. The film airs in BC, Alberta and Ontario on OMNI this Sunday at 9.00pm, which is channel 8 here in Vancouver. If you’re in Vancouver, Mr. Goh will be hosting a premiere presentation beginning at 7.30pm at the W2 Media Café at 111 West Hastings, where he’ll do a Q&A as well. Admission is by donation. Visit www.stolenmemoriesmovie.com for more information. Kagan Goh is a filmmaker who studied film at Ryerson. His documentary Mind Fuck won several awards. He was born in Singapore and lives here in Vancouver. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kagan Goh; Mr. Goh, good morning.

Nation Maker—Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times by Richard Gwyn. (Random House, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Nation Maker

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

In 2007, Richard Gwyn published the first volume of his biography of Sir John A. Macdonald—John A. The Man Who Made Us. He was on this program in the fall of that year to discuss the book, as he is now to discuss the second volume, Nation Maker—Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times. It was published this past fall to great acclaim and many plaudits. The years covered in this book are 1867, the year of our Confederation, to 1891, the year of his death. The gift Mr. Gwyn has is he tells people stories well. He makes Macdonald’s life come alive on the page. The events of history are illustrated vividly and made understandable and accessible. The issues surrounding our founding, the scandals and controversies are parsed and analysed with the hindsight of time and the context of contemporary references. It is a wonderful read, and an absolutely important book. Richard Gwyn is an award winning author and political columnist. He wrote widely praised biographies of Pierre Trudeau and Joey Smallwood. And his book Nationalism Without Walls, one of my favourite books ever, was selected by the Literary Review of Canada as one of the 100 most important books about the country. www.richardjgwyn.ca is the website for more. Nation Maker is published by Random House. I’m very pleased to welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Richard Gwyn; Good morning, Mr. Gwyn.