Candice Putnam (left) and Briana Ehnes with the 2019 winner of Red Deer Reads, 'Life on the Ground Floor' by James Maskalyk, MD, as well as the runners-up. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

the winner is...

Title exploring life in the emergency room wins Red Deer Reads 2019

Aug 22, 2019 | 7:00 PM

The winner of this year’s Red Deer Reads competition strays a bit from the beaten path, according to organizers.

Life on the Ground Floor-Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine, a national bestseller by Dr. James Maskalyk, was announced as this year’s most voted for title Thursday night at the Timberlands branch of Red Deer Public Library (RDPL).

Briana Ehnes, Red Deer Reads co-chair, and manager of adult services, says Maskalyk took non-fiction and crafted it into a very intriguing story.

“It is about his experience working on the ground floor emergency room in Toronto as well as some work he does overseas,” Ehnes explains. “The book talks about the human experience, his aging parents, the symptoms we all experience when we’re unwell, and he talks about medical details, which I found fascinating.”

Maskalyk’s medical work has also taken place in countries like Ethiopia where technology and education are not as readily available.

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On the purpose behind holding Red Deer Reads, which took a hiatus in 2018 after its first three years, Ehnes says the goal is to bring exposure to Canadian lit and shared reading experiences, as well as build community.

“This is where everyone’s reading the same book at the same time and talking about it,” she notes. “That’s what has happened with Red Deer Reads; whichever book wins, people are chiming in on Twitter and Facebook, and we have conversations with customers about why they did or didn’t like it.”

A chance to meet the author is happening Thursday, October 17 from 7-9 p.m. at the downtown branch of RDPL. Tickets are free, but must be acquired through Eventbrite.

This year’s runners-up are Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, and A Good Wife by Samra Zafar. A winner was chosen after RDPL unveiled the three finalists in the spring, followed by a public vote.

Life on the Ground Floor joins We’re All in This Together by Amy Jones (2017), The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson (2016), and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2015) as a winner of Red Deer Reads.

Among others, Maskalyk’s story has also been recognized as a CBC Best Non-fiction Book of the Year and won the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Non-fiction. It was published in 2017.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Title exploring life in the emergency room wins Red Deer Reads 2019

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