Bestsellers at FriesenPress
Democratizing Finance
Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement by Clifford N. Rosenthal
Decades before Occupy Wall Street challenged the American financial system, activists began organizing alternatives to provide capital to “unbankable” communities and the poor. With roots in the civil rights, anti-poverty, and other progressive movements, they brought little training in finance. They formed nonprofit loan funds, credit unions, and even a new bank—organizations that by 1992 became known as “community development financial institutions,” or CDFIs. By melding their vision with...
The Audacity of Inclusion
Fighting for the Equality of Persons Labelled Intellectually Disabled by Dulcie McCallum
One beautiful, surprisingly warm spring morning on the isolated islands of Haida Gwaii, an insight smacked Dulcie McCallum in the face with the force of an unexpected tsunami: at the heart of it all, the law was the culprit. Rather than promoting rights, the law was itself the taproot of injustice. For people with an intellectual disability, the law is what defines their disadvantage, not their disability. For every child diagnosed with the label of intellectual disability, there remains a...
Under the Stars at Rainy River
by MNO Kenora Metis Council
Ten-year old Meng is homesick and lonely after moving to Fort Frances, Ontario. How will she make friends? Who will want to play with her? Befriended by Wendy, the Métis lady next door, and Pepper, Wendy’s rambunctious dog, Meng gradually comes to learn about the vibrant Métis community around her. She’s introduced to Métis culture and history, and in the process, learns how to fish, make a shore lunch, and dance the Métis jig. Under the Stars at Rainy River is a children’s book about the...
Doug and The Slugs
50,000 Slug Fans Can't be Wrong by John Burton
John Burton is a co-founding member of the notorious band Doug and The Slugs. Introduced to Doug Bennett by John ‘Wally’ Watson in the summer of 1977, Doug and the author quickly formed the personal and musical chemistry that led to the meteoric rise of the band from a basement Halloween party to national recognition in less than two years. Doug and The Slugs—50,000 Slug Fans Can’t be Wrong is a real page turner written in a conversational style and definitely the author’s own voice. There...
Lucy's Adventures
Exploring the Meadow by Gina Tanner
Lucy the dog is ready for an adventure. Today she’s going to the meadow to play with her friend, Millie the bee. Millie is busy collecting pollen, and Lucy can’t wait to learn all about it. Why are bees so important to the environment? What is pollen, and what is nectar, and how do bees help plants grow? Together Millie and Lucy will learn all about this wonderful mystery of nature! Children are often afraid of bees, but these small creatures do so much for the environment. Lucy's Adventures...
Running with the Angels
A bereaved mother's journey from hopelessness to HOPE by Colette (Ruel) Howery
"Running with the Angels" is the story of a mother's sudden loss of her son; a loss that shattered her to the core of her being. Writing a book did not enter her mind as she worked through her intense grief. However words seemed to write themselves as the author studied, journaled, jotted notes on scrap paper, recorded her thoughts and feelings, wiped the tears off her face and documents, kept writing in a confused mixture of English, French and occasional swear words. Persisting through the...
Create Awesome
Journaling Your Way to an Intentional Life by Douglas W. Bundock
In Create Awesome: Journaling Your Way to an Intentional Life, Douglas Bundock guides readers on how to journal their way to an intentional life, creating awesome in their everyday lives. The book is divided into eight chapters, each dedicated to a tenet: Faith, Goals, Giving, Kindness, Gratitude, Passion, Confidence, and Legacy. These tenets provide a roadmap for developing new patterns that cultivate a life filled with awesomeness. Douglas shares his personal experiences with each tenet...
Yoga as Origami
Themes from Katonah Yoga by Kat Villain
The practices of the body hold the power to transform the habits of the mind. Understanding the body’s fundamental proportions, folds, and fits is the key to establishing a safe and effective yoga practice and achieving optimal health and well-being. Katonah Yoga, a type of Hatha yoga developed by Nevine Michaan, combines Daoist concepts with sacred geometries and the archetypal measurements of the human body. Like origami, postures are both a precise geometric puzzle and a disciplined...
The Unknown Canadian Pipe Smoker
by Fraser Moss
Pipe smoking has a long and complex history with its origins in the New World before spreading to Europe and beyond. But when it comes to Canada’s involvement with pipe smoking, many Canadians—avid pipe smokers or not—have no idea the significant contributions the nation has made to the lifestyle. No book has ever been published on the history of briar pipe smoking in Canada. Until now. The Unknown Canadian Pipe Smoker is the first of its kind. Part historical overview, part literary...
Down on the Farm, Way Back When
by Stephen Nelson
Dad would warn me to stay back from the barn door when he let the cows out for the first time at the end of a long winter. After taking a few steps outside, you might see a mature cow do something you wouldn’t expect: Jump in the air! Quite a feat, considering a mature cow weighs about 1,500 pounds. Stephen Nelson’s childhood memories are an impressionist painting of another time; a time when each family on the shared phone line had a particular ring, and a time when a little boy carefully...