Recommended Books

War Child: a Child Soldier's Story

(2009) Emmanuel Jal 

In this powerful book, Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal describes his turbulent childhood in war-torn Sudan, and his journey to becoming an internationally recognised musician. When he was still a very young boy, Jal was forced into a guerilla army by his father. While other children were playing and going to school, Jal was learning how to assemble an AK 47 and going into warzones, where he both witnessed and participated in horrible atrocites. The trauma of his childhood haunted Jal for many years, until he turned to music for solace.

The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present

(2008) Ryan Schreiber

In 1995, while the internet was still in its relative infancy, Ryan Schreiber created a website to review independant music. This website was Pitchfork, and it has since become a definitive (if controversial) arbiter of the music scene. Employing a staff of music critics around the world (including Toronto's own Stuart Berman!), it is credited with providing critical acclaim that helped launch bands like The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, while other bands, suffering from bad reviews, have seen their popularity plummet. In this sweeping survey from 1977 to the present, The Pitchfork 500 presents this website's not-so-humble catalogue of the best independant music of the last 3 decades.

***Author Event!***           

Come meet Pitchfork writer Stuart Berman! He'll be at the Danforth/Coxwell library on Wednesday December 1st.