PREFACE ONE

Life is a journey. How many times have we been reminded of this truism? Perhaps by a well-meaning friend, or a passing bumper-sticker, only to forget a few moments later as the buzz of self-talk resumes and we focus on the immanency of the day. The human psyche is wired for survival... food, clothing and shelter are basic instincts, and of course if we can provide a little (or a lot) more, we can change survival into actual living. Priorities demand we ease the transition of our journey by doing all of those things we need to do to make life pleasant, rather than focusing on the journey itself. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens when we are busy doing other things."

Louise Kennedy is one of those remarkable people who are able to examine (her) life's journey; face realistically the bad times, remembering them without resentment, rather than shutting them out or paving them over. Louise has focused on her fascinating journey, and recorded it for posterity in this amazing book.

When Louise and I met for the first time, with the goal of examining her manuscript, editing, proof-reading, and shaping it for publication, I was immediately charmed by her unassuming demeanor and engaging personality. As I read through her copious notes, I marveled at her tenacious writing skills, her excellent memory, and the fact that she has survived the abuse, sexual trauma, alcoholism and tragedy that have been her constant companions, to become a whole person.

She lost three of her children, two to accidental death and one to murder.

One frequently meets what I categorize as the walking wounded, especially in the world of writing. Many people suffered abuse during childhood, and (mistakenly) believe their story would make a best seller, particularly as a result of having been frequently prodded by friends and relatives, saying you should write a book. In truth very few do write that book for varying reasons, which is just as well, for very few would make it.

Louise's story is truly one of survival; she has suffered throughout her life.

It is an odyssey in which is encapsulated an extraordinary determination to exorcise the ghosts of her past, and indeed her present, despite countless disappointments and obstacles. We readers find ourselves rooting for her, but as the title suggests, she inexplicably continues to make the wrong choices.

We would be wrong to fall into the trap of her apparent inaction, the subterfuge that suggests she was the author of her own fate, and "why did she do this?' or "she could have easily walked away from that, so what's the matter with her?"

Who knows what role fate plays in the spirituality of our choices? For most life-changing decisions are made in that aura. Do we really make them single-handedly, or are they predetermined? I would rather make countless mistakes than fail to make a decision at all, thereby becoming a victim of inertia, for within each mistake there are a plethora of lessons to be learned.

Perhaps there is more to Lord Alfred Tennyson's, "Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" than meets the eye.

I suspect there are many readers who will identify with Louise, as they recognize themselves in her struggles. For those who don't, for those who had a life devoid of abuse, struggle and heartache, within these pages a story of an incredible woman awaits you.

Thomas Langley-Smith
January 16, 2003

El Sueño de Oro is a day-by-day account of an expedition for gold in Alaska from August of 1897 to August of 1899. The "log" was created by the leader of the expedition, William Mills Coffee, then of Santa Cruz, California.

The log entries create a flowing story of the El Sueño expedition from San Francisco to the Bering Sea and up the Yukon River in Alaska. The El Sueño party searched for gold by dog sled, boat and on foot during the harsh winters of Alaska, where the temperatures were recorded as low as -80 degrees. During the two years there were mutinies, deaths, marriages, amputations, shipwrecks and various accounts of the Alaskan wilderness.

The book is an historical account of one man's search for gold, very well documented with photos, maps of probable gold locations and claims, and financial records of the expedition. The Master Carpenter Certificates of the two ships involved with the expedition, "Bessie K" and "El Sueño", are included.

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Once, the north coast of British Columbia was dotted with cannery villages. Now only a few plants remain. In Gladys Young Blyth's new history of the northern salmon canning industry, many remarkable photographs- of the canneries, the fish boats, the workers- provide glimpses of by gone days in an industry that has been of vital significance to the development of the province. For each of the thirty-eight canneries on the Nass and Skeena Rivers the author gives a short history, the location, and a physical description of the plant. Her chronology of early- day to present methods of fishing and processing provides the reader with a clear understanding of how the industry functioned. Who were the cannery workers? How did they live in those isolated locations on the B.C. north coast? These and other questions are answered in this fascinating pictorial history.

Victoria: Where Dreams Come True is the fascinating and heartfelt memoir of Victoria-born entrepreneur Morris Kersey. Kersey, now in his late 80s, rose from near-poverty in a rural district outside of the city to becoming the owner of several successful businesses - from travel agencies to service stations to coffee shops to a peanut butter factory.

Along the way Morris Kersey has had the change to ride the Concorde, travel on the Orient Express and the QE2, and experience South Africa's Blue Train.

Joe Irving, an ironworker from British ColumbiaÕs interior recounts his life of being born and raised in the Kootenay region. Born in 1911 his tales start with historical accounts and memories from life in a new frontier before the times of roads and electricity. As a young man growing up through the depression and other challenges of the time, Joe got a start in the construction and ironworker trades. From there he became a prominent figure in the iron trade and was part of that generation that built the bridges, dams, and power line infrastructure that British Columbians take for granted today. With a keen mind for detail, JoeÕs stories wonderfully describe the tools and challenges of the day, and span Western North America from Washington to the Yukon. Of course, the Kootenays, where Joe was born and raised, hold a special place in his heart and play prominently in his tales. Mixed with humour and opinion, JoeÕs lively descriptions will leave you daydreaming of times gone by.

Canada in the 1840s: The Nation's Illustrated Diary, makes available rare Canadian material extracted from the first illustrated newspaper, the Illustrated London News. This paper began publishing in 1842 and the excerpts on Canada have been carefully compiled from original copies in the possession of the author.

All important events of the 1840s are included as they appeared at the time, but presented with modern, professional layout and a larger print style than was used in the original newspaper. There are 87 wood engravings and the book is fully indexed.

The 1840s was a time of change - political fervor led to riots, borders with the United States were settled and there was even talk of annexation. Canada's population of approximately two million was rapidly increasing with the influx of emigrants, especially from Ireland. This diary presents the best opportunity to read first hand about the events as they occurred which shaped the history of Canada.

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Seniors of the pulp and paper town of Powell River, BC remember two major events in their lives, the Great Depression and WWII. Some have lived 80 + years in the community, others recall events from other Canadian provinces. The were children during the Great Depression and young adults during WWII. A collection of 70 stories.

This ... booklet exposes the 10-year administration of Jean Chretien for its failure to observe the basic rules of ethics. The ends seem to justify the means. After detailing all the pledges made in 1993 and subsequently broken, the author examines the various areas of government policy, or lack thereof. He is particularly revealing, and scathing, when discussing bilingualism, multiculturalism, national defence, Indian affairs, and so-called Canadian rights. He introduces a note of levity in his amusing 'interview' with Sheila Copps on Canadian heritage.

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True tales of situations met and often endured while living a wandering life, the story describes the career of a Bell Canada employee through promising beginnings to humiliation, defeat and revival after his shock is mistakenly understood as his standing in the way of a plan to cover up a tragic act of negligence.

Work takes him on the road from day one, and the nature of travel as a condition of employment is demonstrated by a close look at the people met at work and in the town of the week.

To everyone who uses a telephone, its time to meet the people behind the service.

The purpose of the book is to explore several aspects of the history of medicine and social conditions in pre-Confederation Nova Scotia with special emphasis on the impact which pestilent diseases had on both the Halifax and the rural populations. As with my previous book on eighteenth-century medicine, this book is written within the context of general Nova Scotian history identifying the roles played by the Lieutenant-Governor, the Council, the House of Assembly, and the town and city governments of Halifax, in the provision of health care. In addition to providing a very detailed analysis of the education, training, and practise of physicians and surgeons during the period, the book presents the first discussion of the rancorous war of words which raged in Halifax newspapers between regulars and quacks prior to the passage of the Medical Act of 1828. The book also includes the first account of the impact made by the several alternative medical therapies which appeared in Nova Scotia during the first half of the nineteenth-century. Finally, the book contains a comprehensive study of the Halifax Poor House hospital. Letters from inmates in that asylum and from patients in its hospital provide a window into that unpleasant place, the existence of which thwarted Halifax medical practitioners from realizing their desideratum: a general public hospital, all during the pre-Confederation period.

I was four and half years old and living in Halifax with my seven siblings the day my city was devastated by an exploding ship in the harbour. It threw me to the floor as our windows collapsed. In the days, weeks, months and years that followed, this vivid, terrifying moment and the stories of altered lives dominated our daily thoughts and conversations. As CEO of the Northern Electric Company in Halifax, my father was heavily involved in the immediate demands. Years later I felt driven to record my family experiences and to study thoroughly the record of those awful days. As I wrote, I was struck by the overwhelming determination, heroism and cooperation that the unheralded citizens of Halifax demonstrated in the face of death, destruction and snowstorms.

For centuries women have known that when war came they would be needed for their sheets torn up for bandages, for clothing and for food. So, the women of Halifax met in August 1914 and made tentative plans should Halifax be attacked. Some don't believe it. Yet war was very frightening in a seaport city. And these Halifax ladies were the women who, two years before, gathered at city hall behind long tables with pen and paper to assist survivors of the Titanic to identify bodies gathered up from the sea and brought to Halifax on our own ships.

When the Explosion went off the wife of a judge met her friend and arrived at the city hall by 9:30 a.m. They swept up glass and plaster knowing that the women would be coming soon with everything they had mustered. At 11:30 a.m. one of the city councillors came downstairs and said to the women "Give everything to everybody who asks". Half-naked, blackened, bloodied people had been coming in all morning. The women were ready with "everything for everybody" because the ladies had planned for an attack.

Maps of the Yukon River (Yukon Territory, Canada) drawn in historical style as used by pilots of the paddlewheelers on the famous "Trail of '98" gold rush to the Klondike. Short stories and 42 photos in this 68 page, spiral-bound book provide personal insights into contemporary river lifestyles and the rich history of the Yukon River.

This is the third edition of this regional bestseller-- it was first published in 1975 and revised in 1980-- over 4,000 copies have been sold to canoeists, rafters and other adventurers who have taken this spectacular wilderness voyage. It includes 64 "strip maps" which illustrate the route from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

Rich in social history and geographical interest, Voices in the Wind contains a wide variety of short stories, poetry, memories and excerpts from emerging autobiographies. Since it is an anthology of work from 24 individual authors it contains a wonderful variation in themes and styles. There are a number of poignant non-fiction stories by World War II survivors, numerous light-hearted and humorous tales and two stories written by a woman who boarded with Emily Carr as a child.

Runner-up for the Vancity 2005 Book Prize

In 1970, the Abortion Caravan travelled from Vancouver to Ottawa to demand legalization of "A Women's Right to Choose.' Nearly 500 women from across Canada joined them in dramatic actions on Mother's Day weekend - causing the House of Commons to abruptly adjourn in the midst of debate. However, the abortion law remained in the Criminal Code for nearly two more decades. BC feminists returned home and fought for repeal of the law, and to defeat anti-abortion take-overs of public hospitals. It was illegal to perform abortions in free-standing clinics.

When Dr. Henry Morgentaler won his case before the Canadian Supreme Court in 1988, and abortion became fully legal, it took Vancouver feminists only months to open BC's first abortion clinic. 'Everywoman's Health Centre' has survived against the odds -blockades, break-ins, death threats, financial problems, and a relentless anti-abortion court case. The whole social and political structure of the province was put on tilt. The reactions of government, hospitals, doctors, community organizations, political parties, the labour movement, and above all, women, are the stuff of this book. Winning Choice on Abortion tells all the stories, from the personal to the political, from the'Abortion Caravan' through the first year of 'Everywoman's Health Centre.'

In the 1930's, when Hitler's Nazi party was growing in Germany, it also gained popularity in the Sudetenland, inhabited by a German-speaking population that had been added to Czechoslovakia in 1919. A minority group, the Social Democrats, became active in opposing that party. When Britain's Neville Chamberlain ceded the area to Germany in 1938 as the "Price for Peace," these people were in danger of incarceration or even execution. Of those who escaped, a number were able to immigrate to Canada.

Although none of them had any training or experience in agriculture, being office or factory workers in towns or cities of central Europe, they were admitted to Canada providing that they become farmers. A group of about 518 ranging in age from 1 month to 54 years were brought to Tupper, BC, in the Peace River District, under the supervision of the Canadian Colonization Association, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, to develop their own farms out of a virtual wilderness. This book is the story of their first five years there.