Biographies et mémoires

Immigrant sans le sou, Philip Fermanian ouvre en 1948 le cinéma Pine de Sainte-Adèle, qui occupe une place unique dans l’industrie cinématographique nord-américaine. Dans cet ouvrage, Stéphane Desjardins raconte l’histoire de cette famille, dont le paternel a quitté la Turquie durant le génocide arménien dans les années 1920 pour s’installer dans les Pays-d’en-Haut, espérant y vivre d’agriculture. Pris avec une terre de roche, les Fermanian se réinventent à la sueur de leur front dans la vente de fruits et légumes. L’histoire prend un tournant alors que la fiancée de Phil Fermanian, une fille de Sainte-Adèle nommée Aurore (ça ne s’invente pas), accepte de l’épouser à une condition : il ouvrira un cinéma. De leur union naissent deux fils, dont un seul continuera dans le Septième art, Tom. Celui-ci a grandi dans l’appartement familial aménagé dans la marquise du cinéma et a vécu un peu la même vie que le personnage de Salvatore du film Cinema Paradiso. Le récit de la famille Fermanian évoque divers événements marquants dans l’histoire de Sainte-Adèle, et l’auteur fait un clin d’œil à l’industrie cinématographique et aux vedettes à travers les films projetés au Pine.

Recipient of the 2005 Governor General's Literary Award in non-fiction, Quand la nation débordait les frontières is considered the most comprehensive analysis of Lionel Groulx's work and vision as an intellectual leader of a nationalist school that extended well beyond the borders of Québec. For over five decades, historians and intellectuals have defined the nationalist discourse primarily in territorial terms. In this regard, Groulx has been portrayed—more often than not—as the architect of Québecois nationalism. Translated by Ferdinanda Van Gennip, A Nation Beyond Borders will continue to spark debate on Groulx's description of the parameters of the French-Canadian nation. Highlighting the often neglected role of French-Canadian minorities in his thought, this book presents the Canon as an uncompromising advocate of solidarity between all French-Canadian communities.

Born into poverty in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, Ruey Yu overcame near-starvation during the Second World War. Destiny, however, had other plans for him: he was to become an award-winning biochemist, then the co-founder of what would soon become the multi-million-dollar skin care company NeoStrata. After living through the Second World War and the post-war military dictatorship of General Chiang Kai-Shek, Dr. Yu won a coveted post-graduate scholarship to study chemistry at the University of Ottawa. He subsequently took up a research position at the renowned Skin and Cancer Hospital (Temple University) in Philadelphia, where he collaborated with pre-eminent dermatologist Dr. Eugene Van Scott to develop treatments for serious skin diseases. In 1972, Dr. Yu and Dr. Van Scott discovered that fruit acids, known as AHAs, could effectively treat the disfiguring skin disease ichthyosis, changing the lives of thousands of people who suffered from this debilitating illness. Their further research into the biochemical properties of AHAs led to the discovery of the anti-wrinkle and anti-aging effects of these natural substances—a discovery that was licensed by skin care companies around the world, sparking the multibillion-dollar cosmeceutical industry.

David Culver, figure clé tant du milieu des affaires que du milieu culturel canadien, raconte son enfance à Montréal, ses études aux universités McGill et Harvard et son service militaire pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Il décrit surtout sa spectaculaire ascension au sein d’Alcan, jusqu’à accéder au poste de président-directeur général, devenant du coup le chef d’une des plus grandes sociétés multinationales du Canada, dont le siège social était à Montréal.  Ces mémoires lèvent le voile sur la gestion d’une multinationale bien enracinée en sol québécois. Il propose des conseils pragmatiques sur la manière de cultiver le talent, développer la technologie et surmonter les défis au sein d’une entreprise qui opère aux quatre coins de la planète.  Au fil de délicieuses anecdotes et d’inoubliables rencontres avec des grands du XXe siècle – dont Margaret Thatcher, Henry Kissinger et Jawaharlal Nehru – David Culver se révèle un imposant leader aux intérêts et aux talents multiples.  Dans ses mémoires, David Culver médite sur sa passion pour l’architecture – et ses initiatives de protection du patrimoine montréalais par l’entremise de la Maison Alcan – et l’importance de la musique et du sport dans sa vie. Saisir sa chance témoigne de l’optimisme de Culver, qui a de tout temps cru que les choses les plus extraordinaires peuvent arriver lorsqu’on s’y attend le moins.

Dans une lettre qu’il adresse à ses deux enfants, morts d’une maladie incurable, Michel Bastarache se rappelle son enfance en Acadie puis sa carrière, jusqu’à devenir le premier juge acadien à siéger à la Cour suprême du Canada. Me Bastarache raconte sa constante lutte pour l’égalité des communautés francophone et anglophone. Il revient sur son engagement au sein des groupes de défense des francophones hors Québec, puis sur sa carrière de professeur, de fonctionnaire, d’avocat et de juge. Dans ce récit, il amène le lecteur dans les coulisses de ses plus importantes causes et révèle certains secrets du plus haut tribunal canadien. Me Bastarache réagit également à la polémique entourant la Commission d’enquête sur le processus de nomination des juges du Québec et sur son travail à titre de médiateur dans le processus de réconciliation et de compensation pour les victimes alléguées d’agressions sexuelles par d’anciens prêtres au Nouveau-Brunswick. Ce livre est publié en français. - In this intimate volume, Michel Bastarache reveals details of his youth in Acadia and his multiple professional roles before becoming the first Acadian justice to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada. In a letter addressed to his two children who died from an incurable disease, Me. Bastarache recounts his constant fight for equality between francophone and anglophone communities. He reminisces on his commitment among groups protecting francophones outside Québec, then on his careers as teacher, civil servant, lawyer, and juge. In this story he takes the reader backstage to his most important causes and he reveals some of the secrets of the highest court in Canada. Me. Bastarache weighs in on the controversy surrounding the Inquiry Commission on the process for appointing judges of the Court of Québec, as well as his mediator work for reconciliation and compensation of alleged victims of sexual abuse by ex-priests in New Brunswick. This book is published in French.

Her goal: to become a world-renowned biomedical engineer working with scientific societies to improve the role of women in scientific fields and the way scientists and engineers integrate people and society into their work. By 1979, this goal had become a reality. In her memoirs, esteemed biomedical engineer Monique Frize recalls the events that taught her to over-come obstacles, become more resilient, recognize the importance of mentors and role models, and remain focused on the future. She also speaks of her appreciation of the critical role played by family and friends in maintaining the strength and determination required to succeed—and, above all, to succeed in a man’s world. Frize fondly remembers her youth in Montréal and in Ottawa, as well as her marked interest for math and science. Her entry into the world of engineering was both romantic—she met her husband—and tragic. She recounts the prejudice and stereotypes she faced. She pursued a challenging and rewarding international career in a very specialized field at a time when this was still very uncommon for a woman, acceding at the very moment of the tragic École Polytechnique massacre to key positions in support of women in science. These memoirs are sure to inspire young women who have a dream, and more specifically those who wish to enter sciences and engineering.

Bertha Wilson and Claire L’Heureux-Dubé were the first women judges on the Supreme Court of Canada. One represented English Canada, the other Quebec. Polar opposites in background and temperament, the two faced similar challenges. Their 1980s judicial appointments delighted feminists and shocked the legal establishment.  Constance Backhouse delves into the sexist roadblocks both women had to face in education, law practice, and in the courts. She explores their different ways of coping, their landmark decisions for women’s rights, and their less than stellar records on race. To explore the lives and careers of these two path-breaking women is to venture into a world of legal sexism from a past era. When L’Heureux-Dubé sought to enroll at Laval law school (over her father’s vehement objection), a university official told her law was “only for men.” When Bertha Wilson entered Dalhousie Law School, the Dean suggested she “go home and take up crocheting.”  Tracing their efforts to navigate a storm of sexism tells much about the roots of gender inequality from our past. The question becomes, how much of that sexism has been relegated to the bins of history, and how much continues to haunt us? Published in French.