Why Men Lie by Linden MacIntyre. (Random House, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Why Men Lie

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

The newest book from Linden MacIntyre is called Why Men Lie. It’s the conclusion to his Cape Breton trilogy which began with The Long Stretch in 1999, and was followed by The Bishop’s Man, which won the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize. In this novel we see men through the eyes of Effie MacAskill Gillis, she’s the sister to the bishop, Duncan MacAskill of the last book. We’ll get Mr. MacIntyre, who joins me now, to tell us about the book, we’ll ask him why men lie, and more. Linden MacIntyre is the co-host of the fifth estate, and the winner of at least nine Gemini Awards for broadcast journalism. The book is published by Random House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Linden MacIntyre; Mr. MacIntyre, good morning.

The Carb Sensitivity Program: Discover Which Carbs Will Curb Your Cravings, Control Your Appetite and Banish Belly Fat by Dr. Natasha Turner. (Random House, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Carb Sensitivity Program

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Dr. Natasha Turner joins me again. She is one of North America’s leading naturopathic doctors. She is an authority on hormonal and digestive concerns. She’s written a new book, her third, The Carb Sensitivity Program: Discover Which Carbs Will Curb Your Cravings, Control Your Appetite and Banish Belly Fat. Her previous books The Hormone Diet and The Super Charged Hormone Diet were big bestsellers here in Canada and beyond. This new book is not a diet book, rather it’s a carb rehab program that repairs ones metabolism and helps you reintroduce the right carbs to ones diet. Not all carbs are created equal, there are those that are bad and those that are good, yet we all react to each carbohydrate differently. There are four phases which one can do over a period of six weeks. We’ll get Dr. Turner to walk us through it and offer some tips on how to live and eat better. She is the founder of Clear Medicine, a wellness boutique that provides integrated health care. www.carbsensitivity.com is the website for more. The book is published by Random House. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Dr. Natasha Turner; Dr. Turner, 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.

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.

When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada by Peter C. Newman. (Random House, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: When the Gods Changed

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the season’s major releases is the new book from the journalist and author Peter C. Newman. It is called When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada. The book which has already inspired much discussion in the country’s political circles chronicles what Mr. Newman argues is the demise of the Liberal Party of Canada. He had set out to write a book documenting the ascent of Michael Ignatieff from academia abroad to the premiership, however that book’s focus shifted what with the party’s fortunes and the results of last May’s election. Still the book is very fine read, in that style that Canadians have come to expect in the over fifty year career of Peter C. Newman. The book is part a look at how the party came to be where it is today, part a narrative of Ignatieff’s life and career, plus this short foray into politics, as well we’re reminded of what the Liberal Party once was, what it accomplished in all those years that it dominated this country. The Grits were in power for seven of the last ten decades. Peter C. Newman is the legendary journalist who’s written over 30 books, 25 of which have sold over two and half million copies. He’s won every major prize, and he was the editor of the Toronto Star and Maclean’s. The book is published by Random House. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, in Vancouver this day, Peter Newman; Good morning, Mr. Newman.

The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy by Chris Turner. (Random House Canada, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Chris Turner joins me now. He’s written a new book, The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy. We live in important times, critical times. We have mounting and multiple crises. There’s a financial crisis, energy crisis, food crisis, and climate crisis. So far, it seems we’ve looked at each in isolation. In this book, Mr. Turner suggests a new way of looking at things. We’ll get him to tell us about this book, where he takes us through the forthcoming industrial revolution, what’s involved with that for communities, government and businesses. We’ll talk about where around the world, there’s hope, where there are examples of sustainability success. Chris Turner is one of the country’s leading writers on sustainability and the cleantech industry. He was last on for his previous book, The Geography of Hope, which was a bestseller and a finalist for a number of awards. He’s won other awards for his writing, and has appeared in sundry publications. The book is published by Random House. The website for more is at www.thegeographyofhope.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris Turner; Good morning, Mr. Turner.

Walking Home: The Life and Lessons of a City Builder by Ken Greenberg. (Random House, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Walking Home: The Life and Lessons of a City Builder

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

I’ve just started reading Ken Greenberg’s new book, Walking Home: The Life and Lessons of a City Builder. It promises to be an important and necessary book as it looks at our cities, how they’re built, how liveable they are now and in the very near future. Mr. Greenberg, principal of Greenberg Consultants, is an architect, urban designer, teacher, writer and former director of Urban Design and Architecture for the City of Toronto. In this highly readable book he tells his own story, where he grew up, where he’s lived and worked, and the ideals of good city planning he’s gleaned from those places. The post Second World War exodus to suburbia came at the expense of ideal urban living. We’re going back to it, thanks to rising cost of energy, and in how to go back the book is highly instructive. In 2010, Ken Greenberg was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Award for public design excellence. The website for more is at www.greenbergconsultants.com. The book is published by Random House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program in Toronto, Ken Greenberg; Good morning, Mr. Greenberg.

For Your Tomorrow: The Way of An Unlikely Soldier by Melanie Murray. (Random House, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: For Your Tomorrow

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

An important book out now is For Your Tomorrow: The Way of An Unlikely Soldier. It’s remarkable on two scores. First, it gives us a view onto the men and women in harm’s way in Afghanistan. Some one hundred and forty soldiers have been killed in the conflict there, and this book sheds light on one of the fallen, revealing them to be much more than a statistic. Secondly, it’s wonderfully written. I’m in the midst of reading it now, and have been struck at its eloquence, its clarity and the evocative lyricism that is felt throughout. The author, Melanie Murray joins me now. She is a teacher of literature and composition at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC. The soldier, Captain Jeff Francis was her nephew. He was a thirty-year old doctoral candidate, who just before September 11th, decided to join the armed forces. He was killed by an improvised explosive device on 04 July 2007 at the age of 36. He came from a comfortable family, and he was a new father, yet he enlisted, and Ms. Murray in this book, attempts to find out why he did. We see Captain Francis as he lived, and in the book we find out what his life and death meant. For Your Tomorrow is published by Random House. The website for more is at www.melaniemurray.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Vancouver this day, Melanie Murray; Good morning, Ms. Murray.

Selected: Why Some People Lead, Why Others Follow, and Why It Matters by Mark van Vugt and Anjana Ahuja. (Random House Canada, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Selected

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The history and psychology of leadership is explained in a highly readable, highly recommended book, Selected: Why Some People Lead, Why Others Follow, and Why It Matters. One of its authors joins me now. Mark van Vugt, who joins me from Toronto now, co-wrote the book with Anjana Ahuja. What they’ve done here is take much scientific research, distilled it, added some fascinating anecdotes, and give us the reader, a great sweep through the last couple of million years to see who amongst us emerge as leaders, who are followers, and perhaps gives us a glimpse into where we’re headed. Mark van Vugt is a professor of psychology at the VU University of Amsterdam, and holds honorary positions at the universities of Oxford and Kent. His website for more is at www.professormarkvanvugt.com. Selected is published by Random House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark van Vugt; Good morning, Professor van Vugt.

Your Voice in My Head by Emma Forrest. (Random House Canada, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Your Voice in My Head

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

I’m currently reading an astonishingly good book, Your Voice in My Head. It’s a memoir from the writer Emma Forrest who takes us through her life. On the surface it’s a sort of charmed existence—a talented young writer at 16 with a column in the Sunday Times, she wrote for the Guardian at 21, the same year she published her first novel Namedropper. Two more followed, Thin Skin and Cherries in the Snow, plus a life in the glare of pop culture photographers thanks to someone prominent she was dating at the time. But it all unravels as her quirks and eccentricities becomes damaging to her psyche. She recounts quite clearly her struggles with cutting and bulimia, the cruel relationships she finds herself in, as well as the effects of such crushing depression. And she’s just over 30 years old now. It’s wonderfully written, and Emma Forrest joins me now to talk about the book. Worked through in the book is her relationship with her psychiatrist, who saved her life. The relationship sort of begins after he dies, as she pieces together who he was, in a way paying tribute to all that he did to save her. www.emmaforrest.com is her website. She lives in Los Angeles, where she is a screenwriter. Your Voice in My Head is published by Random House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Emma Forrest; Good morning, Ms. Forrest.