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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday April 20, 2007 - 35 Perspectives on politics, prisoners and pedophiles By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The perspectives of a political prisoner, pedophile and pioneer are the stuff of authors Sally Armstrong, Barbara Gowdy and Marina Nemat's latest works. All three women were the main attractions of Sunday's Authors Brunch at the Oakville Club, presented by Bookers. The sheer presence of this local independent bookstore is a godsend in Gowdy's mind. "It's such a relief to walk into Bookers and know the staff have actually read the books and remember the names of the authors," said Gowdy. She told the roomful of 100 people about the time she walked into a chain store unannounced, offering to autograph some of her books, only to be told by a staff person that writing in books wasn't allowed. Gowdy's latest work Helpless combines tension, fear, terror and guilt from several characters' points of view: a single mom, young girl, abductor, abductor's girlfriend and landlord. She intended to write a book about a mom's love for her child, as it is expressed through the saga of her daughter's abduction. But to break the tension of the tale, Gowdy switched tracks and moved into Ron's head. Fictionally ruminating in the mind of a grown man who mentally struggles with his unholy desire for young girls was less difficult for Gowdy than writing from a mother's perspective. "I'm not a mom," she said. Ron is the character who gets the most attention from readers and reviewers and is most commonly described as a pedophile. "I call him an abductor because he never acts on his love for little girls," said Gowdy. Ron actually believes he loves the girl and wants to protect her from abuse she is facing in her home life. The imprisonment and subsequent torture of Marina Nemat is told in her memoir Prisoner of Tehran. In 1982, the 15-year-old's middleclass life of listening to the BeeGees, reading all about the Bronte sisters' lives on the Moors and frolicking in the summers on the beaches of the Caspian Sea came to a screeching halt. Iranian Shiite leader Ayatollah Khomeini's strict Islamic rule at the time and Nemat's resistance to it led to two years, two months and 12 days in Tehran's infamous Evin prison. She was among 30,000 15 to 20-year-olds incarcerated for their vocal opposition. "Every day was about life and death in that horrific place," said Nemat who immigrated to Canada in 1991. The book was a therapeutic response to the silence Nemat endured LIESA KORTMANN/ OAKVILLE BEAVER NEW BOOKS: At the recent Bookers Brunch with Authors are Barbara Gowdy (Helpless), Sally Armstrong (The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor) and Marina Nemat (Prisoner of Tehran: A Memoir). See Books page 36 Committed to supporting our town: Each year, The Oakville Beaver contributes over $300,000 in support of our community Canada's award-winning newspaper 905-845-3824 · www.oakvillebeaver.com Lady Chelsea Welcomes Back Wednesday, June 6, 2007 At Le Dome Banquet Hall 1173 North Service Rd E, Oakville, ON Cocktails/Dine Around Dinner 6:30-8:30 p.m. Host Bar Silent Auction/Raffle Show 9:15 p.m. Tickets $150 per person/Tables of 10 All proceeds to the Oakville & District Humane Society Building Fund For tickets contact Trudy Barber 905-617-1400 Tracy Powell 416-917-5315 JIMMY KEYS NNENNA FREELON Sunday April 29th at 8:00 pm Five time Grammy Award nominated jazz vocalist, Nnenna Freelon makes her first appearance at the Oakville Centre for a night of exceptional music. Nnenna has won the Billie Holiday Award from the Academie du Jazz, the Eubie Blake Award and made her feature film debut in Mel Gibson's "What Women Want". Please welcome the new "first lady of Jazz" to Oakville for what is sure to be a night to remember! The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts Call 905-815-2021 or 1-888-489-7784 or order on-line www.oakvillecentre.ca