Mattea Roach, championing Ducks by Kate Beaton, wins Canada Reads 2023

After a blistering few days of debates, the Canada Reads 2023 winner has been crowned.

Jeopardy!star Mattea Roach has wonCanada Reads2023. In an emotional finale, the book they championed, Kate Beaton's2022 graphic memoir Ducks, survived the elimination vote on March 30, 2023.

• Watch the Canada Reads 2023 finale

Roachsuccessfully arguedthatDucks an autobiographical graphic memoir that recounts authorBeaton'stime spent working in the Alberta oil sands best fits theCanada Reads2023theme as the "one book to shift your perspective."After getting a job in the campsto pay off her student debt, she recounts her experiences with economic migration, sexism and environmental destruction through an illustrated narrative.

• Kate Beaton's affectingDucksdives into the lonely life of labour in Alberta's oilsands

"Going out there, I knew that I wasn't going to have a good time. I knew I wasn't gonna like it, but I knew that I should be grateful for the job I was going to get. The fact that somebody was going to hire me and give me money was the good thing. Back home, they were calling it things like 'money jail,'"Beaton told ShelaghRogers duringan interview onThe Next Chapter.

LISTEN | Kate Beaton talks to Shelagh Rogers aboutDucks:

The Next Chapter12:58Kate Beaton on Ducks

Kate Beaton talks to Shelagh Rogers about her graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.

Ducksis the first book in a comics style ever to win Canada Reads. Jeff Lemire's Essex County,the onlygraphic novel to appear in the debates,was voted off in the first round in 2011. It wasdefended by Sara Quin.

In 2022,Duckswas named atop Canadian comicby CBC Booksand was alsoone of two Canadian books on Barack Obama's list of favourite books of 2022.

• Read an excerpt fromDucksnow

"We are all implicated in the story Ducks tells. Ducks is one woman's story, but it is the story of an industry that we all rely on in some way. Whether we are people living in Alberta who go to work in the sands ... Whether we're people that live in central Canada who benefit from the wealth this industry creates. We are all implicated," Roach said during Canada Reads 2023 finale.

"The issues of my book that take place in 2008, they're happening right now. If you want to change perspective now, action follows suit," Beatontold the CBC in an interview after learning that Duckshad won.

6:12Jeopardy! and Canada Reads champion Mattea Roach defends Kate Beaton's Ducks

Jeopardy! and Canada Reads champion Mattea Roach joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about their love for Kate Beaton's graphic novel Ducks, and who might make a strong ally in this year's competition.

Station ElevenbyEmily St. John Mandelwas the runner-up.Actor, director andchoreographer Michael Greyeyeschampioned the novel.

Station Elevenis a dystopian novel that takes place on an Earthundone by disease, following the interconnected lives of several characters actors,artists and those closest to them before and after the plague.One travels the wasteland performing Shakespearean plays with a troupe, while anotherattempts to build community at an abandoned airport and another amasses followers for a dangerous cause.

• Emily St. John Mandel'sStation Elevenis a 'love letter' to the modern world

Mandel's other novels includeThe Glass Hotel,which was afinalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize,andSea of Tranquility,whichwasone of two Canadian books on Barack Obama's list of favourite books of 2022.Station Elevenwas adapted into a TV series for HBO Max.

While Mandel's book is already highly successful, Roachultimately won 3-2 on the final day.

Canada Reads 2023 book trailer: Ducks by Kate Beaton

2 years ago

Duration 1:24

Jeopardy! super-champion, writer, and podcast host Mattea Roach will champion Ducks by Kate Beaton on Canada Reads 2023.

Roachis the most successfulCanadian competitor inJeopardy!history. In the spring of 2022, they won a record-setting 23 games. They appeared in the2022 edition ofJeopardy!'s tournament of championsandwill star in theJeopardy! Mastersspin-off.They are also a writer and podcast host. They are originally from Halifax, but currently live in Toronto.

The Canada Reads 2023winner was a strong defender of Ducksthroughout the debates, arguing for the advantages of the graphic memoir medium while also acknowledging the merits of the other books in contention. Ultimately, they put an effective case forward for why Beaton's book should be the one every Canadian reads right now.

"It's the story of an industry we use every day," they said during the finale.

Canada Reads31:36Canada Reads 2023: Get to know Ducks

In this introduction to the comic Ducks by Kate Beaton, discover what the book is about and why Jeopardy! Super-champion Mattea Roach chose it for Canada Reads 2023.

Beatonlaunched her career by publishing the comic stripHark! A Vagrantonline. Thewebcomic, which touched on historical and literary topics withcomedic flair,gained a following of 500,000 monthly visitors and was eventually turned into a bestselling book.Her success continued with the collectionStep Aside, Pops!and two children's books,King BabyandThe Princess and the Pony.

The other three books were eliminated earlier in the week. Horror novelMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was eliminated onDay One having been championed by TikTok creator Tasnim Geedi. Michael Christie's Greenwood, championed by actor and filmmaker Keegan Connor Tracy, was eliminated on Day Two, and Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah, which was championed by Bhangra dancer and viral video star Gurdeep Pandher, was voted off onDay Three.

• How the book champions voted in the finale

This year's show was hosted byAli Hassan. The contenders and their chosen books are:

• Jeopardy!super-champMattea Roach championsDucksby Kate Beaton
• Actor Keegan Connor Tracy championsGreenwoodby Michael Christie
• Bhangra dancer Gurdeep Pandher championsHotlineby Dimitri Nasrallah
• TikTok creatorTasnim Geedi championsMexican Gothicby Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Actor Michael Greyeyes championsStation Elevenby Emily St. John Mandel

WARNING:The books chosen for Canada Reads deal with difficult topics, such astrauma and abuse. These stories may be shared during the broadcast.Click this link to find publicly available resources for support.