Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

History Post-confederation (1867-)

- Scapegoat

the extraordinary legal proceedings following the 1917 Halifax Explosion

edited by Joel Zemel

designed by SVP productions

managing editor Francis Mitchell

consultant editor Jeanne Howell

Publisher
New World Publishing
Initial publish date
Apr 2014
Category
Post-Confederation (1867-)
  • Book

    ISBN
    9780968492093
    Publish Date
    Apr 2014
    List Price
    $39.95

Add it to your shelf

Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 16 to 18
  • Grade: 11 to 12

Description

In this unique telling of the legal proceedings following the 1917 Halifax Explosion, Joel Zemel utilizes the first-hand courtroom testimony of the officers and men of S/S Mont Blanc and S/S Imo as well as Royal Canadian Navy personnel and other key witnesses to describe the events leading up to the disaster and beyond.

The film documentary editing style of the author brings an immediacy to the events as if they were happening in real-time as the reader is placed on the decks of the ships, in the wheelhouses and on the adjacent Halifax and Dartmouth shores as the tragedy unfolds.

The courtroom dramas following the explosion are also brought to life with the same techniques as the evolution of the scapegoating of Captain Le Médec, Pilot Francis Mackey and the chief examining officer of the port, Acting Commander F. Evan Wyatt becomes apparent.

Many enduring questions are answered and many myths dispelled. Scapegoat is an enjoyable and informative reading experience that ultimately shows human reactions to tumultuous events are, at the very least, consistent throughout time - whether the distant past or present day.

About the authors

Awards

  • Short-listed, Atlantic Book Awards

Contributor Notes

Joel Zemel lives and works in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is a professional guitarist and teacher and has been involved in the Halifax music scene for the past forty-five years. He specializes in jazz but is well-versed in blues & folk styles and is adept at these genres on both electric & acoustic guitar. He worked for many years performing on local and national television programmes, in live theatre and concert venues. He has been involved in numerous commercial recording projects as a musician, arranger and producer. Over the years, he has performed with many diverse national and international personalities.

Joel spent several years as a documentary filmmaker. He produced, directed and composed music for own independent films, My Doctor’s Family (1993) and Sonja (1995). He was a part of the local independent film community as an editor and sound recordist. He still creates soundscapes for experimental films. He became interested in the field of historical research in 1998 and is listed as on HRM Archive’s list of professional researchers. He turned to writing in 2006 and until 2012, was a full-time caregiver at home.

Recently, Joel completed and self-published his first book, a non-fiction work entitled Scapegoat - the extraordinary legal proceedings following the 1917 Halifax Explosion, which was licensed to New World Publishing (Canada) in 2014. He is presently editing his novel, The Fiddler’s Refrain; slated for publication in 2015. He presently maintains an online music and film information website, www.svproductions.com and a Halifax Explosion and related history website, www.halifaxexplosion.net.

Other titles by

Other titles by

Other titles by

- From Sorrow to Strength

:a Father's Story of Loss

edited by Jude Avery
editor-in-chief Francis Mitchell
guest editor Virginia Houston

- Three Centuries of Public Art: Volume II

New, Old and Forgotten

by (author) Barbara DeLory
maps by Janet Soley
managing editor Francis Mitchell
associate editor Virginia Houston

- Nightigale's Vision

Nurses' Voices from the 1920s and 1930s

by (author) Barbara Keddy
designed by Janet Soley
managing editor Francis Mitchell
edited by Candida Hadley
guest editor Virginia Houston

- The Lamp Was Heavy

Nova Scotia Nurses-in-Training in the 1950s

by (author) Barbara Keddy
managing editor Francis Mitchell
edited by Brenda Connors
cover design or artwork by Bob Brooks

- The First Acadian

Charles de St Etienne de La Tour

by (author) Peter L. McCreath
compiled by Janet Soley
managing editor Francis Mitchell
guest editor Virginia Houston

- Joie de Vivre - Love of Life

Isolated Acadians celebrate their culture through traditions and folklore

edited by Jude Avery
guest editor Virginia Houston & Alexander Bridge
managing editor Francis Mitchell
designed by Janet Soley
cover design or artwork by Mary Delorey
compiled by Janet oley

- Abraham Beverley Walker

Lawyer, Lecturer, Activist

by (author) Peter Little
edited by Francis Mitchell
guest editor Virginia Houston
compiled by New World Publishing

- Historic Halifax Streetscapes

then and now, V.1 - Three walking tours

by (author) Barbara DeLory
photographs by Damian Lidgard & Francis Mitchell
edited by Anne Curry
cover design or artwork by Janet Soley
foreword by David Garrett

The CITADEL on Stage

British Military Theatre, Sports, and Recreation in Colonial Halifax

by (author) Alex Boutilier
edited by Joel Zemel
editor-in-chief Francis Mitchell
volume editor A.D. Boutilier

- Scapegoat, 100th Anniversary Edition

the extraordinary legal proceedings following the 1917 Halifax Explosion

edited by Joel Zemel
designed by SVP productions
managing editor Francis Mitchell
consultant editor Jeanne Howell

Other titles by

Related lists