Margaret Atwood grew up here, but our library patrons prefer non-Canadian authors

Amid Donald Trump's on-again, off-again trade tariffs, many Saultites are altering their purchasing habits to buy as many Canadian products as possible.

But if Sault Ste. Marie Public Library's just-released list of most-circulated books for 2024 is any indication, local readers may need to curb their enthusiasm for non-Canadian literature.

A SooToday review of the 19 books on the latest list found not one of them was penned by a Canadian author.

There's certainly no lack of excellent Canadian writers with Sault Ste. Marie connections.

Margaret Atwood, considered one of the most celebrated authors in Canadian history, spent much of her adolescence here.

Author and disability activist Diane Sims, originally from Sault Ste. Marie, was named to the Order of Canada last year.

You Get Bigger as You Go: Bruce Cockburn's Influence and Evolution, a book written by Sault Ste. Marie's M.D. Dunn, was a finalist for book of the year in arts/music/performance from the 2024 Independent Author's Network (I.A.N.) Book Awards.

Wade's Wiggly Antlers, written by Louise Bradford, a member of Batchewana First Nation, was featured in McDonalds Canada Happy Meals in 2020 to promote childhood literacy.

To view a list of Sault Ste. Marie and area authors, click here.

Here's the full list of most-borrowed books for the past year:

ADULT

Fiction

1. Long Shadows - David Baldacci\Desert Star - Michael Connelly (tied - both American)

2. The Exchange - John Grisham (American)

3. The Judge’s List - John Grisham (American)

Non-Fiction

1. Ireland: in Word and Image - Jay Ben Adlersberg (American)

2. Limitless: Upgrade your Brain - Jim Kwik (American)

3. Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones - Dolly Parton (American)

YOUNG ADULT