The Millions: 9/11 Book Controversy Up North

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September 07, 2006

9/11 Book Controversy Up North

Canadian writer David Bernans is embroiled in controversy after being barred from reading his novel, North of 9/11, a fictional account of the reaction to 9/11 in Canada. He had planned to do a reading on the campus of Concordia University in Montreal, but "after filling out an online application to hold a public reading on campus, Bernans received an e-mail on July 25 stating his request had been declined by Concordia's 'risk management team,'" according to news reports.

A description of the book:

North of 9/11 is the story of Concordia student, Sarah Murphy, a political activist determined to stem the tide of war mania emanating from the United States, and racist hysteria affecting her friends Hassan and Hakim. Sarah overhears a conversation between her father, and the executive of a Montreal-based aerospace manufacturer involved in production for the Pentagon.
Sarah and her friends plan a non-violent direct action to draw attention to Canada's participation in US war efforts. Activists are questioned by the RCMP, phones are tapped, movements are shadowed. The RCMP closes in on the presumed sleeper cell while bombs fall on Afghanistan.

Update: The Guardian picks up the story, says the University is calling this a mix up due to human error. Bernans isn't buying it.

- C. Max Magee @ 8:10 AM ~ comments: 1 ~ Links to this post

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Check out the timeline of events and media coverage on the publisher's web site.

www.cumuluspress.com

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