Authored by Sidura Ludwig and published by Nimbus Publishing in 2024, Anna Swan explores the story of Nova Scotia giantess Anna Swan by reimagining her childhood. With a brief biography of Anna Swan accompanying the actual story, Ludwig serves up a story written in verses through the lines of faith, family, and self-love. “A story as big and beautiful as Anna Swan’s own heart”—Kekla Magoon.

Twelve-year-old and seven-foot-tall Anna Swan, a young girl in the new city of New Annan facing bullies and snide remarks about her body, wonders when she will ever stop growing, most importantly when she will be in a world where she feels small. A new rip every day in the seams of her clothes or her father’s old boots, a customized desk at school, a family in debt, and a girl whose heart is filled with immense kindness. As the answer to her and her family’s problems, Anna decides to exhibit herself in the grand city of Halifax, hoping that her body size can be financial relief as well as support her plans to buy a medicine that will help stop her growing and perhaps self-acceptance in a world that sees her as anything but ordinary.

In a world where social media sets unbelievable beauty and body standards and creates a negative environment for some girls, this delightful book gives readers a heartfelt narrative on self-discovery and feeling comfortable in their bodies. I loved the way Ludwig was able to portray loving your body, self-care, and self-love through a reimagination of Anna Swan. The balance between Anna’s journey of self-discovery and the overall weight of being different was perfect. To have created an environment with such realism shows how much hard work and research must have gone into the creation of this narrative. I loved how the book wasn’t just about the “cover” of Anna Swan; rather, you got to truly experience the thoughts of a young girl, her devotion to her family, the external struggle of money, as well as dreams so bright they could light the whole world. To have written this novel through poetry is such a unique concept that introduces a new sort of literature—one that I am very intrigued by. The poems by themselves were beautiful and genuinely gripped my heart in a raw emotional way; however, once put together, it always felt like there was a disconnect in the story. Disclaimer: I am a very detail-oriented person, which is why I felt the disconnect; however, I felt it needed something to tie the book together. One of the aspects that was well crafted in the book were the characters themselves and their journeys. From Anna Swan’s chaotic siblings to her wicked grandmother, their dynamics made the whole novel come alive. Ludwig didn’t just make a book; no, she took a powerful story and curated it into a masterpiece as it breathes the life of Anna Swan’s childhood.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 for its profound storytelling, unique poetic format, and evocative characters, making it a four-star read. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a unique poetic read that explores self-discovery and resilience.

No Girls Allowed
By Natalie Corbett Sampson
The year is 1977 and a you girl named Tina Forbes is moving from Toronto to Yarmouth NS due to her Dads work. Normally she would be upset but she is 10 years old and she is allowed to play hockey this year and what better place to play than in the province where hockey was born! Finally registration day is here so off she went with her Dad and brothers and the unthinkable happened! Tina was told that girls are not allowed to play hockey in NS. Tina and her Dad couldn’t believe this. Girls were allowed to play in Ontario! Lucky Tina’s Dad is a lawyer and he begins to send letters to the Yarmouth Minor Hockey Association, NS Minor Hockey Council and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association petitioning for her right to play. When all of the associations said they are not willing to change this rule Tina’s Dad brings up the new Human Rights Act. This new law states that you cannot discriminate against people due to their age, gender or race! Together Tina and her Dad decided to take this case to the Humans Rights Commission so that ALL girls can play hockey not just her. The association allows Tina to temporarily play but she is faced with countless bullying from kids and adults. Will Tina be able to stick this out and make her dream a reality?
This book was great! I recently just started playing girls hockey for my high school and I am loving it! I liked how the author used actual court case notes for the trial scenes and I could feel Tina’s emotions throughout this book. I owe my ability to play hockey to Tina and 48 years later there are about 2000 females registered to play hockey in NS. I give this book a 5/5.

I have a lot to say about this book!

What really kind of stuck with me when I read this book was the difference between this book and Swan by Sidura Ludwig. (You can read my book review for Swan by clicking here!) These are two very different books, but they both follow the same sort of formula, in a way. After reading Swan, I had a certain lasting impression from that book. When I read Jumbo, I found a lot of comparisons between these two books. I found Anna Swan from Swan, and Little Eyes Nell Kelly from Jumbo to be a lot alike. For some context, Little Eyes Nell (but we just call her Nell) is a performer in P. T. Barnum’s show. To be exact, she’s his star performer, and the most famous person in the world at this time. Nell is also the shortest woman in the world. That’s her special trait, and she performs in P. T. Barnum’s shows riding horses, elephants, and jumping through rings of fire, and more. While Nell is the shortest woman in the world, Anna is the tallest. Although they might seem like polar opposites of each other I found a lot of similarities.

When Nell is a child, she desires one thing; to be taller. To grow, to not be so small as a child. Since Anna Swan is a child through the course of her book, her main character motivation is to shrink, to be smaller or average height. Both girls are out of the ordinary and just want to be ordinary. While Nell’s character motivations change as she grows older, I find it interesting how, as little girls, they both want to change their heights. Anna goes so far as travelling to Halifax in search of a shrinking potion, and Nell is convinced to leave her mother to go off to the circus because she is promised a growing potion. Although they are opposites, they are alike.

Another compare and contrast point that I will discuss is that Jumbo portrays P. T. Barnum in a more negative light than Swan does. In Swan, P. T. Barnum comes across as more of an opportunity, a chance to really showcase Anna Swan to the world. Anna is much older than Nell was when Nell was taken to be a part of the circus, but Anna was granted the freedom of choice to tour with Barnum. Swan portrays him in a more positive light because he is seen as a good thing for Anna. Reading Jumbo really offers a different perspective on the character of P. T. Barnum. I also think that it’s really worthwhile to read Swan and Jumbo back to back. One is an origin story of how one girl became a worldwide sensation it’s very sweet overall, and Jumbo is a more mature, heavy-handed story of the ins and outs of a life in the circus.

Okay, enough comparisons, I did this last time also with Swan and Tall Girl lol. Jumbo by itself plays out very well, very cinematically. I could really imagine this book as a movie, the character descriptions, and emotions and the tone of this book, and the visuals. I think the author really wrote this book to appeal to the reader’s senses, and I really loved how he handled that. Nell is also a very good character, I loved seeing her relationship with Jumbo and how she grew as a person. Jumbo himself doesn’t do a whole lot though, as an elephant he can’t do a whole lot except for be a character motivation to the characters, the two main characters being Nell and Scotty, Jumbo’s handler.

This book is such a roller coaster, and I love how it was all inspired by true events. I didn’t know much about Jumbo’s story before, so this book really helped me learn. This book tells a compelling story of what life would be like living in a circus, and I would definitely recommend it for more mature audiences, there’s quite a bit of swearing and mentions and references to things that aren’t really for younger audiences.

I hope you consider checking out Jumbo by Stephen Gerhard Malone, and I’ll see you in the next book review! Goodbye!

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Urban housing crises are reshaping cities globally, with Toronto emerging as a central example of unaffordability and inequality. In Caught in the Eye of the Storm: Urban Revitalization in Toronto’s Lawrence Heights (2024), Jon Careless examines the transformation of Lawrence Heights, a public housing district, amidst one of Canada’s largest revitalization initiatives. The book offers a meticulously researched narrative of change, exploring the area's history, its racialized oppression, and the impact of redevelopment on its community. By weaving together historical context, social commentary, and advocacy for housing justice, Careless provides an essential resource for understanding Toronto's housing challenges and broader struggles for equity.

First, the book's strongest attributes are its organization and professionalism. Careless begins with a clear structure, outlining his approach and providing detailed timelines and historical backgrounds. For instance, the Preface includes an acronyms list, simplifying the navigation of organizations mentioned. Other highlights of its organization include a timeline of events describing the state of Lawrence Heights from its creation to our modern post-pandemic reality on page 20, visuals of apartments and housing rows from the neighbourhood architecture itself on pages 42 and 43, and a table showing the demographic changes and incline across the years in the suburban sector on page 61. These resources enhance accessibility and underscore the depth of Careless’ research. This book is well-organized and the result of years of academic work. Originally derived from his doctoral dissertation, Careless’ expertise is evident. His PhD in political science from York University solidifies his authority on urban policy, and the Bibliography and Index sections at the end of the book provide further credibility. This academic rigour ensures the book’s value as a scholarly and practical resource.

Additionally, Careless uses his platform to address the key systemic issues like settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and the racial stigmatization of neighbourhoods like Lawrence Heights and Regent Park throughout this work. The book delves into the ways these systems divide the middle class from poorer ethnic minorities, perpetuating inequalities through urban design, media narratives, and public policies. These are all major, pressing socio-economic issues that have plagued the sector since its creation, and Careless does not leave room for haste when describing their impact.
These recurring themes of capitalism and colonialism are threaded throughout the text, culminating in the Epilogue’s “Visions and Dreams” section. At the start of the section in four short but extremely hitting indented paragraphs, Careless presents an inspiring advocacy pitch for the future of Lawrence Heights.

“This community needs a new life; its residents are tired and want their just due and, in our society, everyone has the right to justice.” (Careless, 2024) [First of the four paragraphs]

His commitment to equity is clear, making this work a rallying cry for housing justice advocates and policymakers alike.

However, I must admit that despite its strengths, Caught in the Eye of the Storm was not personally engaging for me. As a Youth Member of Parliament in a national online program called Young Canadians’ Parliament, where we discuss on a weekly basis amongst each other on similar socio-economic issues and with famous changemakers and ministers of Canadian government and parliament, I approached this book eager to learn more. Plus, as I’ve mentioned previously, I want to be a lawyer and reading this type of material facilitates my mind to think on these complex subjects. However, its very dense and bureaucratic tone proved challenging, and at times a bit boring. I did not expect it to be an essay (or dissertation), and I was shocked when I first began reading it. My initial expectation was for a more digestible narrative in the form of a historical biography (or even a short case study), similarly to another book I have read here at Digitally Lit, Amy Bell’s Life Sentence, but I found myself unprepared for the complexity of its policy and deep, thorough political analysis. I also found at times that it was wordy, and that some sections could be condensed into much shorter chapters and subsections, since the themes that Careless delves into are already universal to the topic and Canada and don’t need further interpretation echoing in every few paragraphs.
For example, I found the word and definition of ‘Neoliberalism’ being repeated at least twice in each chapter, despite the fact that readers would have already understood its premise the first time of its mention in Chapter One. I would have much rather enjoyed reading more examples and historical evidence of the main issue at play in Lawrence Heights (urban revitalization), and that the definitions and elaboration remain solely in Chapter 3, where that theme is its primary focus, rather than being fed the same information repeatedly across the work. But this is just a minor comment on my behalf, and this could also be a result of it being transformed originally from a doctoral dissertation, in which those works are known to be structured as such, so I will not criticize it too harshly on that.
In all, this misalignment of expectations stemmed partly from my own oversight; however, it could have also been more expressly advertised in the work’s summary at the back (there was no mention of it being an essay). And it is for these reasons that I failed to recognize that this was more of an academic work than a straightforward recounting. While the book’s quality is undeniable, it’s not the type of work I’d choose for leisure reading (especially not during the holidays, haha!). That said, I’d consider revisiting it if my studies in economics deepen or if I need a robust resource for a research project.

In conclusion, Jon Careless’ Caught in the Eye of the Storm stands out as a meticulously researched and passionately argued examination of Toronto’s housing crisis. Its professional organization, focus on pressing social issues, and advocacy for equity make it an essential read for those engaged in urban policy and housing justice. However, its dense academic tone and repetition of themes at many points during the book’s run may not appeal to all audiences, including readers like myself who anticipated a more narrative-driven, digestible and concise approach.

Ultimately, I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars for its depth, relevance, and the author’s commitment to justice, even if it wasn’t my preferred style of reading.

Anyhow, happy holidays to you all!
Looking forward to 2025… :)