Rachel Giese wins $25K Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for book on modern masculinity

By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Toronto journalist Rachel Giese’s debut book on the state of modern masculinity has won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

The editorial director of LGBTQ publication Xtra took the $25,000 honour for “Boys: What It Means to Become a Man” (Patrick Crean Editions).

Drawing from scholarly research and original reporting, the book examines the place of boys and men in a society striving towards gender equality.

In its citation, the prize jury said no reader can walk away from “Boys” without rethinking their own ideas about manliness and how young men should be raised.

“Boys” beat out four other shortlisted titles for the award at the Politics and the Pen gala in Ottawa on Wednesday night.

The remaining finalists, who each receive $2,500, were: 

– Sarah Cox for “Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand Against Big Hydro” (On Point Press)

– Jacques Poitras for “Pipe Dreams: The Fight for Canada’s Energy Future” (Viking Canada)

– Harley Rustad for “Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees” (House of Anansi Press)

– Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung for “Homes: A Refugee Story” (Freehand Books)

The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize is handed out annually to a literary non-fiction title capturing a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers with the potential to shape or influence thinking on political life within the country.

The award is presented by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, and was established in 2000 in honour of the late Windsor, Ont., MP Shaughnessy Cohen.

The Canadian Press

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