“… a great and unexpected look across the country at the different paths people take to different kinds of success. The book is kind of comforting to those who aren’t entirely sure of how to proceed or even of how they have already proceeded along their road through life … The subjects seem wonderfully candid and forthcoming with their stories and the authors manage to pick and find a great selection of seventy Canadians to speak to. This book would be a good recommendation to a student looking for their path or unsure of their own potential to succeed. Of course we are not always sure even when we’re done being students so this book would be a good read for others too, particularly recent graduates. It does a good job of reinforcing the notion that there is not always a singular and defined path to success and for different people success can take on very different forms. The fact that the book is specifically about Canadians helps the cast be more relatable and human, which strengthens the effectiveness of the book.”

To read the full review click here.

“Set in a mill town in British Columbia during the 1980s, Ann Wheeler realistically portrays the prejudices Rana both encounters and harbours toward the white community. Despite the fears and warnings from his father, who himself experiences prejudice from the white community at the mill where he works, Rana’s stubborn nature and grit determinism enable him to take on the challenge of being the first to build a bridge between the two groups. In doing so, he is made aware of his own prejudices.”

Reading the Bones

” … an interesting read and certainly presents some of the enigmatic allure of archaeology in enticing terms.”

Kickstart: How Successful Canadians Got Started

“The style is casual, well written and interesting. The text is filled with quotation marks imparting almost a personal feeling between reader and subject. Sure to pique reader’s interest. Very well done.”

“Many boys Rana’s age would have shared the same feelings dealing with discrimination and could easily relate to Rana. Shabash! would make a great addition to a classroom, sparking many interesting discussions. The story not only deals with prejudice but also with how feelings and actions can cause reactions and how we can make a difference just by accepting others as they are.” To read more from this review click here.

Librarian and reviewer Val Ken Lem wrote the following about Kickstart: “In Kickstart, Herman, Matthews, and Feindel, three young members of the ‘Twixter Generation’ have produced an interesting biographical work that has the potential to encourage and inspire anyone who reads it.” For the full review click here.
Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen had great things to say about Reading the Bones by Gina McMurchy-Barber. Here’s a portion of her review.  

“Gina McMurchy-Barber has written a very engaging story … The occasional change in narration draws the reader further into the story and brings the past to life. The pace of the story is excellent. The plot and characters are always moving and unfolding, but there are slower moments as well. The slower moments set the mood and the tone for the next segment of the story. The characters are very engaging and higly realistic. They are described in few words, but the description is very deft, giving a good impression of the character.

Gina McMurchy-Barber has written a story that is very educational as well as entertaining, and she has succeeded in blending these two elements into a wonderful combination. The educational aspects don’t bog down the story, and the morals and lessons of the story don’t feel heavy-handed. At the same time, the educational aspects aren’t sacrificed to the entertainment.

Reading the Bones is an excellent story that shows the importance of the past ot the present, but also the importance of learnng who you are. Recommended.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Alex speaks to the students of Henry Wise Wood High School

The guys ended their Calgary stay with a reading and signing at the Calgary Public Library.

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew prepares for his CTV News at Noon interview by catching some zzzzs on the bus to Edmonton.

After a brief 24 hour stay in Edmonton, it was off to Vancouver where Alex and Andrew appeared on Global TV Morning News. The guys said farewell to Vancouver on May 20th, but not before having a standing room only book signing at Blackberry Books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Andrew lets Alex take the lead in talking about Kickstart.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Alex signing books

Alex and Andrew then headed East and made stops in New Brunswick, including a signing at Westminster Books, before stoping in Halifax, their final tour stop. They were busy bees in Halifax with interviews on CBC’s Maritime at Noon, where they were the phone-in guests for the hour (click here to listen to the interview, which requires Real Audio), CTV News at 6pm, and Global TV.

While on tour Kickstart  not only received media buzz out west, but also in Montreal on May 17th when the Montreal Gazette ran an interview with Alex. Click here to read the interview. And we received wonderful news on May 16th when Kickstart received 3 out of 4 stars from the prestigious CM Magazine. Here’s a snippet of what reviewer Val Ken Lem had to say about the book.

“In Kickstart, Herman, Matthews, and Feindel, three young members of the ‘Twixter Generation,’ have produced an interesting biographical work that has the potential to encourage and inspire anyone who reads it.”

To read more of this insightful review click here.

And for your enjoyment here are some more pictures from their cross-Canada tour!

To read more about Alex and Andrew’s tour adventures check out their blog and Open Book Toronto where they are this month’s Writers in Residence. And for more pictures from their author tour became a fan of Kickstart on Facebook.

Oh nothing major — merely its product name. What is peculiar would be the timing of it all. Sometimes you have to wonder if certain words suddenly stand out and become a popular term — by coincidence or by conspiracy — especially when you’re involved with marketing and the name of your product is literally “Kickstart”.

Take our recently released book Kickstart: How Successful Canadians Got Started by authors Alexander Herman, Paul Matthews, and Andrew Feindel.

While the book was still in production, a social networking website for students pops up from the folks at Yahoo! — also called Kickstart.

Now the Globe and Mail is reporting that the maker of the Blackberry, Research in Motion (RIM) may be releasing a new flip phone dubbed the “Kickstart”. More on this “Kickstart” phone from the Boy Genius Report.

Courtesy of Boy Genius Report

One now has to wonder how many other kickstarts there will be this year.  One could also start connecting the three “Kickstarts” together and formulate an interesting story…