Past Canada Reads contenders and winners | CBC Books
Get to know the past books, panellists and authors of CBC's battle of the books.
www.cbc.caCanada Reads 2019 was the CBC’s annual “battle of the books” with the theme One Book to Move You. The five chosen titles and their celebrity defenders were announced January 31, 2019, and debates ran March 25–28, 2019, culminating in a winner announced on March 28, 2019.[1][5]
Key points about 2019 in context:
- Theme: One Book to Move You, with five books and five advocates competing in four live debates in Toronto.[1]
- Debates schedule: March 25–28, 2019, with eliminations each day until the winner was declared on March 28.[1]
- Notable outcomes: Canada Reads has a history of winners such as Forgiveness by André Alexis (2017) and The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (2009), illustrating its pattern of long-term cultural impact and televised engagement.[1]
If you’d like, I can pull the exact list of the five 2019 titles and their celebrity defenders, plus a brief recap of which books were eliminated each day and the final winner, with sources.