Donner Book Prize

The Donner Prize

2007 / 2008 Short List

Enter the Babylon System: Unpacking Gun Culture from Samuel Colt to 50 Cent
by Rodrigo Bascuñán and Christian Pearce (Random House)

Enter the Babylon System is a hard-hitting history of a multi-billion dollar industry and its impact on our popular culture. From the factory floor where firearms are manufactured to the halls of government where laws take shape, to the offices of corporate media where decisions are made to take financial advantage of our enduring fascination with the image of the gun, this book explores the various forms of entertainment that bombard our senses with the seductive allure of violence. The book is an eye-opener and highly informative, providing a rich insight into the nature of gun subculture.

Rodrigo Bascuñán is the publisher and co-owner of Pound magazine. Although he has never been shot at, he comes from a long line of Chileans who have. Christian Pearce is the editor and co-owner of Pound magazine. He studies law in Vancouver.

Young Thugs: Inside the Dangerous World of Canadian Street Gangs
by Michael C. Chettleburgh (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.)

When 15-year-old Jane Creba was caught in the crossfire of a gang battle in downtown Toronto in December 2005, the headlines were filled with the story of how an "American" problem had come to Toronto. The truth is that gangs have been around for many years, and not just in Toronto. They are a homegrown problem infesting cities and towns across the country. Young Thugs exposes how gangs work and what attracts thousands of young Canadians to them each year, from Halifax to Winnipeg to Vancouver, dealing clearly and informatively with a largely ignored issue of importance. Michael C. Chettleburgh writes in an accessible and non-condescending style exploring a range of policy options.

Michael C. Chettleburgh is one of Canada's foremost authorities on youth gangs. He has developed street-gang awareness training programs for law enforcement agencies, is a keynote speaker at many youth crime conferences, and a frequent media commentator on criminal justice issues.

Fueling Our Future: An Introduction to Sustainable Energy
by Robert L. Evans (Cambridge University Press)

Informing the important debate about climate change and energy use, Fueling Our Future provides a concise overview of current energy demands and supply patterns. It presents a balanced view of how our reliance on fossil fuels can be changed over time so that we have a much more sustainable energy system in the near future. Written in a non-technical and accessible style, the book appeals to a wide range of readers without scientific backgrounds. Robert L. Evans reviews policy options in a balanced, analytical style, and he is careful to avoid the trap of assigning the problem's resolution to only one, or a handful, of remedies.

Robert L. Evans is the Director of the Clean Energy Research Center at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of over 140 publications and holds four U.S. patents.

The People's House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention
by David E. Smith (University of Toronto Press)

Through an examination of academic, judicial, political and legal commentary, David E. Smith, one of Canada's foremost experts in the field of political science, explores the ramifications of many of the changes currently being proposed to Canada's political system. The People's House of Commons is a solid study of the House and considers the competing political models and inherent tensions and their affect on public understanding. Smith's analysis is detailed, reminding readers of the historical foundations of Canadian parliamentary, constitutional and electoral democracy - a must read for political leaders, political aficionados, and members of the public interested in the future of Canada's parliamentary system.

David E. Smith is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan and Senior Policy Fellow at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy.

The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar
by Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang (Viking Canada)

As Canadian soldiers continue to fight an insurgency unlike any they have encountered before and the country struggles to understand its role both in the war and within the international community's effort to aid Afghanistan, The Unexpected War provides not only a revelatory narrative but an informed assessment of Canada's descent into the war. Using gripping language, the book confronts the boiling debate over the appropriate role for Canada, its military and its foreign policy in global security measures. This is a book that is hard to put down: clearly written, fast-paced and enormously informative.

Janice Gross Stein is the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science and the Director of the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto. Eugene Lang is a public policy consultant and writer, and served as chief of staff to two ministers of national defence from 2002 to 2006.