Ruth Rodgers

 This section lists historical fiction novels and other writings by Ruth Rodgers. The books are available from the author (rodgers.ruth@gmail.com), at Talewind Books in Sechelt, British Columbia ((604) 885-2527), Earthfair Books in Madeira Park, BC, and as ebooks and ‘print-on-demand’ via Amazon.ca (be sure to spell Rodgers with the ‘d’ and add the book title to your search!)

My seventh book launched on August 24th, 2024. In Plain Sight explores the coming of white settlement and the Northwest Mounted Police to Alberta’s southern prairies, and the dire impact on the indigenous Blackfoot. Told through the eyes of a young English ‘remittance man’ fascinated by the Blackfoot people and their culture, the story focuses on the great changes of the late 1800s in this area of the new Dominion of Canada, while also revealing the interesting gender roles of this culture. Available from me, at Talewind Books in Sechelt, EarthFair in Madeira Park, and through Amazon (ebook and print).

“The narrative through Will’s voice flowed and stayed credible to his character. Other characters gripped me, while at the same time drawing me into the Blackfoot story. This is a compelling research initiative that deserves reading by Canadians across this country – indigenous and others. Thank you for a stunning book that has the potential to move us to an understanding that is required before reconciliation.” Joyce Gwilliam

“This exciting tale closely tracks the Mountie’s March West and brings those early police officers back to life.”  Dr. Peter German, RCMP Deputy Comm’r (ret’d)

“Ruth Rodgers' latest heavy hitter, In Plain Sight, cuts to the core of cultural clashes. Rodgers’ thorough research and always engaging prose, reveal how impatience and ignorance fuel misunderstandings. It’s time we make ‘In Plain Sight’ mandatory in our education curriculum as a catalyst for a more compassionate and harmonious future.” Rosanna Elves

“"Eye-opening and enjoyable – two words that don’t often pair together! Yet Ruth masterfully weaves the rough edges of history with adventure and romance, transporting the reader through a time of sweeping change." Coralee Brin, author of Finding California

My third book i(2021) departs from the Sunshine Coast series above. Here’s its back cover text:

African American sleeping car porter Stanley Grimes and Chinese Canadian laundry girl Su Lin Lee had nothing in common. Nevertheless, their unlikely friendship would last for decades, through persecution and promise, through hard times and success. They would learn that there are times to bow your head to the inevitable and times to stand up and fight against an unfair fate. They would learn what it was to be Canadian.

This Fair Land explores a pivotal time in Canadian history, when the country was brought together for the first time by the transcontinental railroad and yet still deeply divided by racial prejudices and ingrained attitudes of class and entitlement.

Reader reviews:

“This is a GREAT BOOK!  I sincerely enjoyed the journey back in time, an authentic story about the hidden truths of our Canadian history related to racism, complete with the correct terminology and dialect. She has inspired my heart by sharing a story of friendship and resilience in a time when hope was suffocated for those who were marginalized.  It is evident that Ruth was committed to the authenticity of the story.  A MUST read, if you want to learn about our history through the lens of our Afro-descendants and Chinese community members.”  CG

"I thoroughly enjoyed it! You captured the fears, hopes, and dreams of disadvantaged peoples in Canada in a unique way. You also captured tragedy and despair, which is part of the lived experience. I think your perspective will be welcome particularly at this time when race is being tackled head on." JV

“I had trouble putting it down at times. Historical fiction is my favourite genre; needless to say, it really piqued my interest to read about the history of the CPR through the eyes of your characters. I liked how you showed the depth of the racial divides early on across Canada.” KY

“I would like to thank you for bringing awareness to what the Chinese and Black communities had to deal with during the 1880’s - 1920’s.  As a young female Vietnamese/Chinese Canadian myself, I learned a lot about what happened in the past.  As much as it pains me reading the story and knowing how accurate it was for a person of colour and especially a female having limited power, it has made me realize how extremely grateful I am that we have moved past most of these limitations, even though racism still continues today.” JC

“I enjoyed your first 2 books and I am now reading and enjoying your third. I am reading it slowly as I want to make it last and this slower pace has allowed me lots of time to contemplate the themes that you explore in the novel. Of course, I had long ago accepted that much of our history is quite shameful and in light of the current events, it seems to continue to be that way. The unmarked graves, the disproportionate use of violent force against any person of colour, and the resurgence of white privilege under the guise of freedom, all point to how much more work we need to do. Your book and the author’s notes have made me realize that it’s not enough to feel sad, rather being educated about our history and finding ways to change our society for the better are more appropriate ways to confront the hard truths.

Your writing just gets better and better and I hope I can look forward to reading another thought provoking novel written by you. Thanks for all of the hard work that went in to This Fair Land. (I loved the nod to Lightfoot’s song.)” KB

From a review in The Coast Reporter, July 15, 2021, by Rik Jespersen:

Ruth Rodgers’ third historical novel is a departure from her previous two, Those Who Wander, and Those Who Stay, both of which were set on the Sunshine Coast in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The new book, This Fair Land, is told in the same period but takes us to Vancouver, the B.C. Interior, and much of the way back east.

A Halfmoon Bay author, painter, and former teacher, Rodgers “explores a pivotal time in Canadian history, when the country was brought together for the first time by the transcontinental railroad and yet still deeply divided by racial prejudices and ingrained attitudes of class and entitlement,” as she wrote in a release announcing her July 6 online book launch.

The novel’s chapters alternate with the stories of Stanley, a Black porter on the Canadian Pacific Railway’s sleeper-cars, and Su Lin, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who, through her own wit and pluck, also wins a job working on the newly minted passenger trains.

As we are reminded to this day, most colonizers and settlers of this country treated the non-white inhabitants abominably, far into the 20th century. This Fair Land, which takes us to 1924 in freewheeling Montreal, tells of the Black and Chinese experiences through Stanley and Su Lin, who respond to their cruelly difficult and sometimes perilous circumstances with quiet outrage and, ultimately, winning determination.

“Canadian history fascinates me because even though I was raised and schooled in Canada, I have discovered that there are all kinds of stories about Canada that I knew nothing about,” Rodgers said at the book launch. “What keeps me interested in writing is ferreting out these sorts of hidden stories about Canadian history, that show us to be maybe a little bit different than we thought we were.”

Rodgers’ unearthed nuggets of our documented past are often not pretty, but weaving them into the narrative brings both the unvarnished reality and the fiction to life.

https://www.amazon.ca/This-Fair-Land-Ruth-Rodgers-ebook/dp/B0965Z183S/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ruth+rodgers+This+Fair+Land&qid=1623529430&sr=8-1

New this October (2021), a children’s book: Dalton and the Teddy Bear Repair, about a little boy who overcomes his fear of clowns by taking his raggedy teddy to the teddy bear repair clinic, where clown-faced Dr. Cavalcade helps him address his anxiety. Written by Deborah Greaves and illustrated by me, the book is being sold in aid of the Sechelt Hospital Foundation. Contact me (rodgers.ruth@gmail.com) to find out where to buy it ($20).

A third installment in the Sunshine Coast series, Those Who Return, will launch May 13th, 2022. It focuses on the same time frame and theme as the first two books in the series, but is a stand-alone novel following four generations of a Japanese-Canadian family as they struggle against prejudice and outright racism to succeed in their new land. Available from me, at Talewind Books in Sechelt, Earthfair in Madeira Park, and on Amazon.ca.

From reviewers of Those Who Return:

“What a wonderful book! Through your thorough research and the characters you have created, you have explained the struggles of Japanese Canadians’ integration into Canada and the devastating impact of the war. I had so many feelings as I read: nostalgia, sadness, happiness, anger, hopelessness, and optimism. I feel that your book will help readers to a greater understanding of the diverse cultures in our world.” Doreen Campbell (WWII internee)

“Reading Those Who Return felt like a journey back to my grandmother. As I read, I remembered many stories that she shared about her life including her time at Hastings Park and then the New Denver Japanese Internment Camp. Despite hardships, racism, and rejection, she had an unwavering loyalty and gratitude to Canada and an immense pride in being a Canadian citizen. Reading this book filled with such rich characters has helped me to understand her pride. Thank you for writing this beautiful book, Ruth.“ Michelle Smart

“Anyone interested in Canadian history should read this book. It has been a real revelation to me, an immigrant, that Canada treated the Japanese immigrants, many of whom were Canadian citizens, so poorly. The author weaves the story of three generations whose strength, resilience, and resolve are confronted by true national and international events beyond their control. It is a testament to how strongly families and communities can survive, and even thrive, against almost insurmountable conditions.” Chris Fliesser

“This book was a very emotional read. My parents seldom spoke of their experiences in Haney where they bought land, cleared it, and started a successful strawberry and chicken farm. The farm and equipment were all confiscated when they were relocated to the sugar beet fields of southern Alberta. My parents never expressed bitterness. There was a common Japanese saying ‘shikata-ga-nai’ which means ‘it can’t be helped.’ A successful future can’t be forged with hate. Through hard work, ethics, integrity, generosity, perseverance, humbleness, and kindness, we try to become worthy Canadian citizens.” Ken Oka

Here’s a departure from my focus on Canadian history. This book is a fictionalized biography of my mother’s war years in Cambridge, England. It’s a bit memoir, a bit history—hope you enjoy it! Available at all my usual outlets and on Amazon too.

And here’s another new book for 2023! This one is Canadian history, but the adventures of these four intrepid female journalists from the late 1800s-early 1900s range far and wide. Founding members of the Canadian Women’s Press Club, Robertine Barry, Kit Cameron, Kate Simpson Hayes, and Agnes Deans Cameron exemplify the keen intelligence and fighting spirit that made them role models for all the women who have fought down through the decades to be taken as serious newspaperwomen and journalists.

From the back cover/ reviews:

Through storytelling, dialogue, adventures and mishaps, Ruth’s four main characters come alive. This is a memorable tale that disturbs, entertains, and underlines facts that now won’t be easily forgotten by this old girl who came out of a Canadian University journalism graduate school and was assigned to the Women’s Page beat in a big city daily in 1970.  I wish I’d read Ruth’s story about these courageous few who challenged the norms of their time to pave the road for me before I struggled to earn my first byline.

                                           Sue Carruthers, ICD.D, FAHP

What remarkable women Agnes, Robertine, Kit, and Kate were! Their stories - heartbreaking, adventurous, courageous, painfully bound by convention - are enthralling. The quotes from their own work make one want to read more.                                                        

Rose Norton

Between the Lines is a vital piece of Canadian history, offering captivating insights into the lives of four Canadian visionaries. It serves as a powerful reminder that defying societal norms is often the key to progress. Ruth has brought us a story to be cherished and remembered!                                                                       

Rosanna Elves, B.A.

Energizing...puts flesh onto the bones of four trailblazing women and captures our hearts with their joys and sorrows as they navigate great societal change.

     C.R. Brin, M.Arch, Architect AIBC

 For me, the book is an inspirational read precisely because of the characters’ real-life complexity, and its symphonic structure (sonata, scherzo, finale). I greatly admire how you wove such a compelling narrative out of sometimes sinuous threads.

Michael Gurney, Arts Reporter