Candace Savage

Argues that the birds' powers of abstraction, memory, and creativity are equal to many mammals

The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays

Bird Brains

*Finalist, Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Non-Fiction When Candace Savage and her partner buy a house in the romantic little town of Eastend, she has no idea what awaits her. At first she enjoys exploring the area around their new home, including the boyhood haunts of the celebrated American writer Wallace Stegner, the back roads of the Cypress Hills, the dinosaur skeletons at the T.Rex Discovery Centre, the fossils to be found in the dust-dry hills. She also revels in her encounters with the wild inhabitants of this mysterious land-three coyotes in a ditch at night, their eyes glinting in the dark; a deer at the window; a cougar pussy-footing it through a gully a few minutes' walk from town. But as Savage explores further, she uncovers a darker reality-a story of cruelty and survival set in the still-recent past--and finds that she must reassess the story she grew up with as the daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of prairie homesteaders. Beautifully written, impeccably researched, and imbued with Savage's passion for this place, A Geography of Blood offers both a shocking new version of plains history and an unforgettable portrait of the windswept, shining country of the Cypress Hills.

Unearthing Memory from a Prairie Landscape

A Geography of Blood

Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World (Greystone Nature)

Crows

Candace Sherk Savage

Describes the life and behaviour of 16 representative species of corvids that are found throughout North America and Europe.

Nellie McClung was an extremely controversial figure in the first half of the 20th century: cartoonists viciously lampooned her and Conservatives burned her in effigy. But women across the country loved her. A spirited, witty and compassionate crusader, McClung was a best-selling author, a member of Parliament and a fervent advocate of women's rights. She was also the happily married mother of five, and a woman who loved a fancy hat. In telling this story, Candace Savage has drawn a vivid portrait of Nellie McLung and the times in which she lived. Incorporating McClung's own published writings--her autobiography, novels, short stories and articles--and informed by interviews with many who knew her, Our Nell is an immediate and intimate portrait of a remarkable Canadian woman.

A Scrapbook Biography of Nellie L. McClung

Our Nell

The author of Strangers in the House examines nature’s connection to herself and humanity in this collection of essays. Curious by Nature showcases Candace Savage’s exploration of the varied ways we relate to wildlife from our retelling of fairytales about the big, bad wolf to our struggles to find a balance between harvesting trees and allowing grizzly bears the space to roam. Along the way, she asks intriguing questions to which she sets out to find answers, such as what brings out the mothering instinct in mammals, what are the forces behind the spectacular displays of the northern lights, and just how do crows calculate the optimum height from which to drop their whelks? Savage has spent the last twenty-five years exploring our complex relationships with the natural world: our prejudices, our growing body of scientific knowledge, our awe. She is particularly interested in bridging the gap between mythology and science, between longing and fact. Creating a livable future for ourselves and for other species, she believes, calls for both knowledge and love, and a deep sense of the value of wildness. This book is a record of Savage’s ongoing quest to engage readers in a conversation that enriches our lives and the lives of the animals whose stories she tells. Praise for Curious by Nature “Whimsical . . . . Though Savage is distressed by this “destruction that we, as high-end consumers of the world's splendor, are leaving in our wake,” the purpose of her essays is not to incite indignation but "to bring the ungraspable reality of the non-human world into clearer focus.” In this she succeeds admirably.” —Publishers Weekly

One Woman's Exploration of the Natural World

Curious by Nature

Outline: The natural and environmental history of the Great Plains.

A Natural History

Prairie

A renowned author investigates the dark and shocking history of her prairie house. When researching the first occupant of her Saskatoon home, Candace Savage discovers a family more fascinating and heartbreaking than she expected. Napoléon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in the 1920s, an era when French-speakers like him were deemed “undesirable” by the political and social elite, who sought to populate the Canadian prairies with WASPs only. In an atmosphere poisoned first by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan, Napoléon and his young family adopted anglicized names and did their best to disguise their “foreignness.” In Strangers in the House, Savage scours public records and historical accounts and interviews several of Napoléon’s descendants, including his youngest son, to reveal a family story marked by challenge and resilience. In the process, she examines a troubling episode in Canadian history, one with surprising relevance today.

Strangers in the House

A Playful Category

Beauty Queens

A treasure trove of stories, poems, and information on the brainy, black-feathered bird that’s rich in insight and humor. This revised and expanded edition of Candace Savage’s best-selling book about ravens and crows is enhanced by additional paintings, drawings, and photos, as well as a fascinating selection of first-person stories and poems about remarkable encounters with crows. In one story, a pack of crows brilliantly thwarts an attack by a Golden Eagle; in another, a mischievous crow rescues the author from grief. And in a third piece, after nursing a battered baby crow back to health until it flies off with other crows, Louise Erdrich hauntingly describes her altered awareness as she listens for the “dark laugh” of crows while she works. Based on two decades of audacious research by scientists around the world, the book also provides an unprecedented, evidence-based glimpse into corvids’ intellectual, social, and emotional lives. But whether viewed through the lens of science, myth, or everyday experience, the result is always the same. These birds are so smart—and so mysterious—they take your breath away. Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute. Praise for Crows “A beautifully crafted celebration of these birds.” —Nature “A deft juxtaposition of interesting anecdotes and firsthand accounts of scientific discoveries.” —Canadian Literature “Surprising avian revelations are contained within the pages of Savage’s glorious festival of crow arcana.” —Alberta Views

Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World

Explains the causes of auroras, looks at the myths and legends surrounding them, and describes current aurora research

The Mysterious Northern Lights

Aurora

“A wonderful way to introduce young readers to the natural world that lurks just outside their windows.” —Globe Books Will Franny ever prove to her dad that crows and kids can be friends? Franny has a new friend—a crow who brings her presents in its beak. Like a red button! And a silver heart! Franny’s dad doesn’t believe her. He says crows and kids can’t be friends. But Franny knows better. How will Franny prove her new playmate is real? And what will the crafty crow bring next? Award-winning author Candace Savage, whose crow expertise is lauded in popular books such as Bird Brains, motivates families to be present when exploring parks, backyards, balconies, city streets, beaches, and skies. Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute

Hello, Crow

This revised and expanded edition of Candace Savage’s best-selling book about ravens and crows is enhanced by additional paintings, drawings, and photos, as well as a fascinating selection of first-person stories and poems about remarkable encounters with crows. In one story, a pack of crows brilliantly thwarts an attack by a Golden Eagle; in another, a mischievous crow rescues the author from grief. And in a third piece, after nursing a battered baby crow back to health until it flies off with other crows, Louise Erdrich hauntingly describes her altered awareness as she listens for the "dark laugh” of crows while she works. Based on two decades of audacious research by scientists around the world, the book also provides an unprecedented, evidence-based glimpse into corvids’ intellectual, social, and emotional lives. But whether viewed through the lens of science, myth, or everyday experience, the result is always the same. These birds are so smart--and so mysterious--they take your breath away.

Love them or loathe them, beauty pageants are still a part of our cultural history. In this book Candace Savage explores this neglected aspect of our recent past to provide a fascinating narrative history of the beauty pageant.'

A renowned author investigates the dark and shocking history of her prairie house. When researching the first occupant of her Saskatoon home, Candace Savage discovers a family more fascinating and heartbreaking than she expected Napoléon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in the 1920s, an era when French-speakers like him were deemed “undesirable” by the political and social elite, who sought to populate the Canadian prairies with WASPs only. In an atmosphere poisoned first by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan, Napoléon and his young family adopted anglicized names and did their best to disguise their “foreignness.” In Strangers in the House, Savage scours public records and historical accounts and interviews several of Napoléon’s descendants, including his youngest son, to reveal a family story marked by challenge and resilience. In the process, she examines a troubling episode in Canadian history, one with surprising relevance today. Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute

A Prairie Story of Bigotry and Belonging

The witch has always been a figure electric with possibility and, sometimes, with menace. A legendary shapeshifter, she has recast her image to fulfil the dreams and nightmares of each passing century. She is the devouring mother, the vengeful wife, the possessed devil worshipper, the resentful old hag and the high priestess. Yet throughout her proud and painful history, she has remained shrouded in mystery.

The Wild Ride from Wicked to Wicca

Witch

Explains the causes of auroras, looks at the myths and legends surrounding them, and describes current aurora research.

When Candace Savage and her partner buy a house near the Saskatchewan-Montana border, her naturalist’s instinct propels her to explore the area. She takes pleasure in the Wild West setting, discovering hidden back roads, dinosaur skeletons at the discovery center, and fossils in the dust-dry hills. She also revels in her encounters with the land’s wild inhabitants -- wolves, cougars and howling coyotes. But as Savage explores further, she uncovers a darker reality -- the little-known history of the Native people who were displaced from their homes, forced onto reserves, and deliberately starved -- and finds that she must reassess her own family’s history as prairie sodbusters. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, A Geography of Blood offers both a shocking new version of Western history and an unforgettable portrait of the windswept, shining country of Cypress Hills, a holy place that helps us remember.

Candace Savage

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