TORONTO 鈥� Books about the state of masculinity, a young boy鈥檚 immigration story and clashes between industry and environmentalism have been nominated for the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
The Writers鈥� Trust of sa国际传媒 named five finalists on Wednesday vying for the award honouring a literary non-fiction book on politics.
Rachel Giese, the editorial director of LGBTQ publication Xtra, is in the running for Boys: What It Means to Become a Man, (Patrick Crean Editions) which explores how societal expectations of manhood can shape boys鈥� development.
Edmonton high school student Abu Bakr al Rabeeah is nominated for Homes: A Refugee Story (Freehand Books), alongside English teacher Winnie Yeung, who helped recount his journey of growing up in Iraq and Syria and escaping a war zone to build a new life in sa国际传媒.
Victoria-based journalist Sarah Cox is a contender for Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley鈥檚 Stand against Big Hydro (On Point Press) about the controversial construction of a third dam on the Peace River.
New Brunswick reporter Jacques Poitras earned a nod for Pipe Dreams: The Fight for sa国际传媒鈥檚 Energy Future (Viking sa国际传媒) about the ill-fated Energy East pipeline proposal.
Rounding out the short list is Harley Rustad, a features editor at The Walrus, for Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of sa国际传媒鈥檚 Last Great Trees (House of Anansi Press) about a 20-storey Douglas fir on Vancouver Island that survived a clearcut by the logging industry.
This year鈥檚 winner will be announced at an Ottawa gala on May 15.
