New Vallee book

In the 1970s, Windsor import Brian Vallee was among the Toronto Sun newsroom employees who helped kick-start the Little Paper That Grew.

Brian moved on after three years to become an award-winning CBC producer and best-selling author (Life With Billy etc.), but more than 30 years later, he still talks fondly about his Sun years.

Sun vets who fondly remember Life With Brian will be applauding the piano-playing author on the release this month of his latest book - The War On Women: Elly Armour, Jane Hurshman, and Criminal Violence in Canadian Homes.

Published by Key Porter Books, the 376-page non-fiction book includes a foreword by Stephen Lewis, internationally acclaimed humanitarian and "one of Canada's most respected commentators on social affairs, international development and human rights."

Says Key Porter:

"Twenty years ago, in an international bestselling book entitled Life with Billy, investigative journalist and documentary producer Brian Vallée shone a spotlight on the dirty little secret of what was then known as “domestic abuse.”

In The War on Women Vallée revisits the domestic battlefield, revealing that the War on Women by the intimate men in their lives continues; that the fallen in this War are more likely to be ignored than honoured; that the refugee camps of this War are called “shelters”; and that the number of men being killed by their spouses has dropped by more than 70 percent since the inception of shelters, while the number of women being killed has dropped by less than 25 percent. That’s right, shelters save men’s lives!

Vallée was compelled to revisit the domestic battlefield when he was contacted by Calgary music promoter Elly Armour, who harboured a dark secret. She had once been a battered wife. In Nova Scotia in 1951, her husband brutally beat her and forced his way into a locked room where she was trying to hide. A teenaged mother of two with a third on the way, Elly shot her husband dead with his own hunting rifle. She was charged with the capital murder of Vernon Ince.

Through the years, Elly never talked about the shooting or the abuse. Not until more than half a century later when, her health failing and upset at the number of women still being murdered and abused by their intimate partners, Miss Elly contacted Brian Vallee and asked him to reveal her secrets."

Brian's new book goes on sale Nov. 30. All the best with The War On Women, Brian.

It has been a productive year in the book department for former Sun staffers, with George Anthony, Day One entertainment editor, writing a book about celebrity interviewer Brian Linehan, and Ken Robertson, Day Oner and former city editor, writing a book about life at Windcharm, his Barrie-area retreat.

Numerous Toronto Sun writers and editors have authored books on a wide range of topics. TSF's list includes 32 authors from the ranks of the Toronto Sun.

Sun Family authors not on the TSF list or are soon to be published can drop us a line.