Five books have been named to the 2025 Canada Reads shortlist.
The annual battle of the books is set to take place from March 17-20, and is looking this year for “one book to change the narrative.” This year’s varied shortlist includes a mix of fiction and nonfiction, with one title from an independent Canadian press and another from an academic publisher.
The five contenders and their champions are:
- Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey (Simon & Schuster), championed by Olympic gold medallist swimmer Maggie MacNeil.
- A Two-Spirit Journey: : The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby, with Mary Louisa Plummer (University of Manitoba Press), championed by podcaster and wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild.
- Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Random House Canada), championed by Heartland actor and filmmaker Michelle Morgan.
- Jennie’s Boy by Wayne Johnston (Knopf Canada/PRHC), championed by bestselling thriller writer Linwood Barclay.
- Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew (Arsenal Pulp Press), championed by pastry chef and neuroscientist Saïd M’Dahoma.
The finalists were selected from a 15-book longlist announced earlier this month.
Comedian Ali Hassan will be hosting this year’s Canada Reads competition, marking his ninth year in the role.
This year marks the 24th year of Canada Reads, which premiered in 2002. Last year’s winner was Catherine Leroux’s The Future, translated by Susan Ouriou and published by independent press Biblioasis.