In the Point St. Charles of the author's childhood people move for one of two reasons: their apartment is on fire, or the rent is due. Starting in 1968, eight-year-old Kathy Dobson shares her early years growing up in Point St. Charles, an industrial slum in Montreal (now in the process of gentrification). She offers a glimpse into the culture of extreme poverty, giving an insider's view into a neighbourhood then described as the "toughest in Canada."

When student social workers and medical students from McGill University invade the Point, Kathy and her five sisters witness their mother transform from a defeated welfare recipient to an angry and confrontational community organizer who joins in the fight against a city that has turned a blind eye on some of its most vulnerable citizens. When her mother wins the right for Kathy and her two older sisters to attend schools in one of Montreal's richest neighbourhoods,Kathy is thrown into a foreign world with a completely different set of rules, leading to disastrous results.

Kathy Dobson is the author of With a Closed Fist: Growing Up in Canada’s Toughest Neighbourhood (2011). Her journalism has appeared in The Globe and Mail, National Post, Canadian Living, and on CBC Radio. Currently completing her PhD at Carleton University in the School of Journalism and Communication, Kathy Dobson’s research has won numerous awards, including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, and she has been a keynote speaker and guest lecturer at many universities including McGill, Concordia, and the University of Toronto.

Kathy Dobson's profile page

REVIEWS OF THE PREVIOUS EDITION:

"There's in-depth detail here that I have previously seen only in professional texts: the inside scoop on alcoholic fermentation; on fining and filtration; on the malolactic fermentation; on the care and maintenance of oak barrels; on avoiding and treating winemaking problems; and on the making of sparkling port and ice wines."--Thomas Bachelder, winemaker, Le Clos Jordanne

"This is a very good book.geared toward achieving good wine from average grapes through proven methods of balancing aroma, body, clarity, color, taste, and style; In all, it succeeds in achieving these goals. His chapter on oak barrels is perhaps the best I have read. He explains the fundamentals with clarity and thoroughness. His book excels. I highly recommend [it]." --Jack Keller, The Winemaking Homepage

"Home winemakers take note: This is a book you will want to own." --American Wine Society Journal

ajority of amateur winemakers will find that the logical organization makes this an easy read from front to back, as well as a great reference work. For the beginner a quick read will cover the essentials without being inundated by the heavy chemistry. All this for half the price of a half bottle of Icewine -- what a bargain!"--Amateur Winemakers of Canada

"The charts and illustrations in this book are well worth the price in explaining the process of making wine. This book is a valued reference." --beer-wine.com

"I highly recommend that you get a copy of Techniques in Home Winemaking...This book will take you a long way down the road of advanced winemaking." --Wine Designs

With a closed fist

by humpback