Eloise Lewis – författare

Stephen Barker was in his mid-thirties and leading a pretty normal life … until his world was turned upside down when he went blind.

In this inspiring and humorous memoir, Stephen chronicles how, within a relatively short time span, he had to face the fear and the challenges of blindness and the trauma of losing close family members to cancer.

The turning point came when he discovered the Lions Foundation Dog Guides program and was given his “new set of eyes,” a black Labrador named Zulu. With his furry guardian angel, the first of two guide dogs over a period of ten years, he regained his independence and a reason to live. His descriptions of training at the dog guides school and the day-to-day incidents that he faces as a blind person make for at times hilarious and always fascinating and insightful reading.

Stephen’s sense of humour and hope, combined with the kindness shown to him by so many people, help him overcome everything that life throws at him. His path from light into darkness was one of self-discovery as he came to understand that he went blind for a reason.

His journey has brought him to a different form of light, with the conviction that you never really see until you stop seeing.

Now he’s paying it forward — and still making people laugh.

This delightful collection of colourful anecdotes from Fay Pettapiece''s upbringing and married life in urban and rural British Columbia brings on both laughter and tears -- but more of the former than the latter. The Years Between is a fascinating reflection of British Columbia''s history, as told from the perspective of an only child whose father''s sundry jobs hauled the family from one challenge to the next around the province, and whose grandmother lived a pioneer type of life in Bella Coola.

The author recounts hilarious stories of naively trying to breed a variety of animals for profit, all through trial-and-error; of using her smarts and determination to excel at various jobs, as well as her career as a dietitian; of the adventures she and her family experienced in a series of boats they owned over the years, each determinedly referred to as the "never-again."

There are also more serious historic tales of injustices to Indigenous Peoples, of politics and pollution in Victoria, and of the ravages of pulmonary fibrosis that took her husband too soon. 

All the stories combine to make this book a thoroughly enjoyable read.