24 - Wednesday, May 6, 1992 - North Shore News An intimate link American journalist Edith Iglauer knows Canadians better than we know ourselves The Strangers Next Door, Edith Iglauer, Harbour Publishing, $26.95 REAT JOURNALISM has very little to do with “fine writing.” It depends more on the persistent curiosi- ty of a child going through the “But why?” phase and the stubborn patience to back it up. Edith tglauer demonstrated the latter quality by sitting on hard benches outside the editorial of- fices of the three hometown dailies in Cleveland, Ohio, for most of the summer after her col- lege graduation, and though she still claims to be in awe of “fine writing,” this retrospective coilec- tion charts the development of her own subtle signature style. Lots of people know how to write; Iglauer knows how to listen and how to use her own attentive, non-intrusive presence as an in- timate link between the reader and the subject. In the early interviews of black singer Marian Anderson, you can see the self-conscious scaffolding of what will become the polished, seamless style of her incisive pro- files of Pierre Elliot Trudeau, ar- chitect Arthur Erickson and Haida sculptor Bill Reid. What puts Iglauer in the major leagues isn’t her ability to unob- trusively hob-nob with movers and shakers over a glass of white wine; it’s her application of those skills to some of the great untold stories and unsung heroes of her time. Entranced by an early New York exhibition of Inuit art, Iglaser became a kind of American expert Celebrate the startoftie ° «1892 Cruise Season at “FIRST ARRIV: Saturday May 9th, 3:30pm to sailing x. 6pm) Dockside at Canada Pls John Moore BOOK REVIEW on Canada; an outsider who knows us better than we know ourselves. The title piece of this collection, an attempt to explain Canadians to Americans, is as acute as it was in 1973, but her true and lasting gift to this country she has come to call home are the portraits of our own otherwise anonymous heroes: Don Snowden, the federal bureaucrat who revitalized Inuit communities with innovative “cooperative capitalism’’ more in line with traditional cultural values, described in her book, In- uit journey, and John Denison, the taciturn road-builder of Denison’‘s Ice Road. In that context, the success of her book Fishing With John (a eo @% 6 99 @e * surprise to Iglauer herself) is not so remarkable. John Daly was a West Coast fisherman — to any other journal- ist, a grizzled, oil-skinned cliche. Iglauer met him in 1973, went fishing with him in ’74, ostensibly on what her mentor, legendary New Yorker editor William Shawn, called a “reporter at large” assignment, married him and lived with him until his death five years later. You could call that losing your objectivity, but what Iglauer really did in writing about John Daly was to bring those finely honed skills usually devoted to the high and mighty (and a lot more besides) to bear on a single, supposedly ordi- nary life. in an age of all-too-glamorous villains, demented dictators, drug billionaires, sleazeball televangelists, and serial killers, Edith Iglauer has a rare gift for fin- ding real human heroes — and in Canada, of all places. She is an expatriate we can gratefully claim as one of our Own. Are we off our Rocker ? FREE entry to our Mothers day draw for your choice of our Rocking Chairs. Largest selection of unpainted furniture in Western Canada. All fully asserted and ready to. go Our 3 Drawer chen, Birch $ 1444 Tax O.C.A.Y. Furniture 12542 BRIDGEPORT PD, RICHMOND 278-4779 A leader in floor care products since 1924, needs a teachable, stable, part- time or full-time service/sales representative to call on existing customers in this area. No investment. Opportunity to earn as much as $437.46 on one package or $200 $300 in service. Call 800-421-1597 for details. Zephyr heats from Italy usual 3 Sai ©. 389 *70" Louis Garneau Helmets L.G. 6 ‘69° weg: 99 : Norco Bikeguard 6. Locks usual Ss Al 6° ‘30” Band many more GREAT DEALS! EVERYONE'S INVITED! = ,° © music ¢ live entertainment © streamers, flags and bailoons © giveaways for the kids! Join the fun when the Port of Vancouver bids “Bon Voyage” to Princess Cruises’ shiny new Regal Princess ~ not only the first cruise ship of the season, but also the biggest ever to visit the port. Regal Princess is the first of 20 cruise ships which will make a combined total of nearly 230 sailings from the Port of Vancouver this season. HELP LAUNCH THE '02 CRUISE SEASON IN STYLE! 30° Day ™ Money Back Guarantee ona Merchandise wy & Repairé