The theme of this year's literary competition, "one book to break barriers," aims to identify books that help explain and overcome divisions in families,
in communities or at large

CBCbooks.ca is thrilled to announce that Canada Reads 2014's winning defender, Wab Kinew, will host Canada Reads 2015. Kinew becomes the fourth host of CBC's battle of the books, now entering its 14th year.

Earlier this year, Kinew successfully defended Joseph Boyden's The Orenda as, "the one novel to change the nation." He is the interim Associate Vice-President for Indigenous Relations at The University of Winnipeg and a correspondent with Al Jazeera America. His hip-hop music and journalism projects have won numerous awards, including an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards for Best Rap/Hip-Hop CD, an Adrienne Clarkson RTNDA Award (from the Association of Electronic Journalists) and a Gabriel Award.

PANELIST- wabkinewheadshot.PNG

"Canada Reads is an amazing show to be a part of because it is both a chance to celebrate Canadian literature, and also to have some really important conversations which concern us all," says Kinew. "I can't wait to host the debates."

This year's theme is "one book to break barriers." Panelists will debate books that change perspectives, challenge stereotypes and illuminate issues. Canada Reads will consider both fiction and nonfiction books. Readers can submit their suggestions at CBCbooks.ca until Sunday, November 30.

The Canada Reads panelists and their chosen books will be announced on January 20, 2015.

The Canada Reads debates will take place in front of live audiences over four days from March 16-19, 2015, and will be broadcast on radio, TV and online at CBCbooks.ca.  Each day of the competition, one book will be eliminated by the panelists, until the winner is chosen as the must-read book for Canadians in 2015.

Every year, the five shortlisted Canada Reads books see a significant rise in sales, and past winners have become national bestsellers. Past successes include The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, which began as a self-published book and won Canada Reads in 2011; and The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, the 2009 winner, which will be broadcast as a mini-series on CBC-TV beginning January 7, 2015.

To be eligible for Canada Reads, books must be by Canadian authors, in English, in print and readily available. Books that were previously finalists in Canada Reads are not eligible for this year's competition. For more information, please visit CBCbooks.ca, and follow the campaign on Twitter @CBCbooks #CanadaReads.

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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

A space for us all is CBC/Radio-Canada's new strategy to modernize the public broadcaster and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians and for future generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime time television programming, and continue to create radio programs of the highest quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.

For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC's publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity.

For further information, please contact:
Dayna Shiskos, publicist, CBC
dayna.shiskos@cbc.ca
(o) (416) 205-7973
(c) (647) 226-5796