Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Canada: 101 Stories of Love & Gratitude

by Amy Newmark, Janet Matthews, Lisa Timpf (Contributor)

It's Canada's 150th anniversary and a great time for these 101 stories about everything Canadian.

 

These true personal stories are like love letters to this vast and beautuful country.  You'll read about winter snow and summer cottages, hockey and national spirit, wilderness and wildlife, the cultural mosiac, that famous Canadian hospitality, and everything else that makes Canada unique.  

432 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2017

About the author

Amy Newmark is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Since 2008, she has published 191 new Chicken Soup for the Soul titles, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today.

Amy is credited with revitalizing the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, which has been a publishing industry phenomenon since the first book came out in 1993. By compiling inspirational and aspirational true stories curated from ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences, Amy has kept the thirty-year-old Chicken Soup for the Soul brand fresh and relevant.

Follow Amy on Twitter @amynewmark. Listen to her free podcast, The Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, the Podcasts app on iPhone, or by using your favorite podcast app on other devices.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had no interested in reading any of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul books until I was given a copy by some Canadian friends. Since I know so little about this massive country I decided to give it a try. It reads kind of like a secular Guideposts. I was captured at once by the tales of Canada's incredible diversity. It was an easy way to understand the expansive geography (second largest country in the world) and get an idea of the multi-cultural reality of her people (second in the world for receiving permanent immigrants).

I am one who likes to read footnotes and the fine print. I read appendices and the extras in the back of books too. I was rewarded by learning that the editor, Amy Newmark, majored in Portuguese at Harvard and traveled to Brazil (where I live) to do her thesis by gathering stories of Brazilian folk, something I have always thought about doing as well. So hats off to someone who not only did that but has gone on to write and edit hundreds of books.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most enjoyable is The Spirit of Canada, a book I took my time savouring in between a bunch of novels and crime mysteries thrillers, the kind of book that will uplift your day, make you nod in appreciation of all those things, scenes, people, cultures and general good stuff that make our country so very awesome. These 101 stories are told with love, humour, and indeed, much gratitude for what we have especially when seeing where we live anew through a new immigrant's eyes. This book makes a great gift, a book of celebration for Canadians and non-Canadians alike.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I loved Canada, I thought that I would read this book and found many of the stories funny, inspirational and heart-felt. Easy read with quick short stories all about Canada and what it means to be Canadian, it was an interesting insight into the Canadian world. Took me a little longer to read as I was dipping in and out of it, but enjoyed it all the same.

[Elizabeth Fikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like these books because you can go through the table of contents, and read the stories that interest you. Some very interesting, and heart warming stories.

[Raquelle]

DNF @ 9%

[L.C. Tang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books with different topics of focus and recently came across this version about the collection of stories from Canadians. For those who may not be familiar with the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, these publications are an anthology of short stories from various authors and the name of the author on the front of the book is the person who collects the stories and compiles them all into a book. I enjoyed reading about what makes Canada the friendliest country, penned by Canadians who share heartfelt reasons why Canada is home. The short stories are organized into 11 chapters under categories titled Welcome home, Canada Day, A Nation of helping hands, Honouring those who served, We're all in this together, Into the wild, Rising to the Occasion, Living a dream, Our Canadian Heroes, Grateful to be Canadian, and How the world views Canada. I like that each short story starts with a quote just under the title. After reading this book, I want to visit all the provinces and territories in Canada. Visiting Banff and Lake Louise has always been on my bucket list and I hope one day to explore the province of Alberta to enjoy the majesty of those beautiful snow-capped mountain peaks.