The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.2002, Blaðsíða 52

136
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 57 #3
Book Reviews
Falcons
GOLD
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Falcons Gold
by Kathleen Arnason
Illustrations by Luther Prokrant
Coastline Publishing, 2002
ISBN 0968911927, $19.95
Reviewed by Ralph Magnusson
Falcons Gold is a very entertaining
story that enables the reader, no matter
what age, to live right in the scene, whether
it be in today’s hockey game or during the
1920s. The young reader sees himself as a
part of the Falcons team. The magic of the
story embodies itself in a puck which was
given to young Eric by his Afi. This puck
brings to life all the excitement of hockey at
its best.
In my youth I would dream of being
on the Maple Leafs team. I can still feel the
excitement that this youngster would feel
when reliving or dreaming the heroic antics
of the Falcon hockey team.
The older reader will enjoy the story of
the Falcons retold again. By using Charlie
Thorson as another character in the tale,
another layer of our Icelandic Canadian
history is told. The Icelandic Hockey
team’s marvellous achievements are all
told.
Winning Olypmic Gold against all
odds, the story unfolds to bring the saga of
the Falcons into countless homes of people
who are not familiar with this wonderful
feat. What a wonderful way of recounting
our history.
The tale is well written, though Kathy
Arnason has said, " I may not be the best
writer, but I am the best dreamer." She
need not be apologizing for this effort. The
book ends with a brief description of actu-
al history of the Falcons story. This is an
added plus to this book.
The illustrations are wonderful. Luther
Prokrant is the man who designed and pro-
duced the large painting of the team. This
painting has travelled to Salt Lake City and
then was housed in the Manitoba
Legislature and has come to be in the
Wevel Cafe in Gimli at the Betel
Waterfront. Luther is not afraid of colour.
His peregrine falcon, the team’s symbol, is
multicoloured, and is present in almost all
the pictures. He had used Charlie
Thorson’s self caricature extremely well
throughout the book. I think this book will
be a treasure to those families lucky enough
to own it.