Canada Reads host Ali Hassan poses with panellists (l-r) Yanic Trusdale, Lisa Ray, Joe Zee, Ziya Tong, and Chuck Comeau (CBC)

The five books that will be featured on the CBC’s annual battle-of-the-books, Canada Reads, have been announced, along with the Canadian personality defending each title.

• Homes, Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung (Freehand Books), defended by Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau
• Brother, David Chariandy (McClelland & Stewart), defended by actor Lisa Ray
• By Chance Alone, Max Eisen (HarperCollins), defended by television host Ziya Tong
• Suzanne, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette; Rhonda Mullins, trans. (Coach House Books), defended by actor Yanic Trusdale
• The Woo-Woo: How I Survived Ice Hockey, Drug Raids, Demons, and My Crazy Chinese Family, Lindsay Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press), defended by fashion editor Joe Zee

The Canada Reads debates will air March 25 – 28 on CBC at 3 p.m. (3:30 NT). Books featured in the competition traditionally receive significant sales bumps, with last year’s winning book, Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents (HarperCollins), ending 2018 as the fifth bestselling Canadian book of the year.