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The Last Logging Show Reading Guide

The Last Logging Show Reading Guide

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The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era by Aaron Williams is the winner of the 2025 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.

In The Last Logging Show (Harbour Publishing), Williams recounts his life as a forest logger for Husby Forest Products near his village of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. Struggling through the dangers of his occupation, the instability of its future, and the protests of the region’s Indigenous population, Williams paints a sobering yet realistic picture of modern forestry. Working closely with his father, Kelly Williams, he takes the readers on an immersive journey through the BC forests, introducing them to the various machines and personages to encountered there, and walking the reader through the complete process of forestry—from the tree to the sawmill.

Included in this guide:

Learn more about the award and Edna Staebler, and the genre of creative non-fiction.

Synopsis

Sharp snaps precede the thunderous fall of a gigantic cedar tree right at our feet. The chainsaw is hot and heavy in our grip. While we gaze at the new ragged stump we have created, we wonder how long a return to great magnitude would take: but whether we are referring to the tree, or to our occupation, we can no longer tell.

The Last Logging Show details Aaron Williams’s rich experiences with logging and forestry. Alongside his father, Kelly Williams, Williams embarks on a boldly realistic account of logging in the tranquil BC forests. Through a tour of the workings of the intricate machines, the organized protocols and procedures, and the cheeky colleagues, Williams illuminates the details of his logging life in Haida Gwaii.

About Aaron Williams

Aaron Williams is a British Columbia-born non-fiction author currently residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his family. He obtained his MFA from King’s College, Halifax. His works have been published in newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, Reader’s Digest, and the Vancouver Observer.

Discussion Questions

  1. What did you think of the novel’s protagonist and writer, Aaron Williams? Do you think he possesses a genuine passion for forestry? Why or why not? Do you think his account seeks to condemn, praise, or simply offer a neutral outlook on forestry?
  2. If Husby Forest Products did not shut down, do you think Williams and his father would have continued working in the industry? Why or why not? What are some specific examples from the book that support your opinion?
  3. Do you think forestry is ethical? Do you agree with the Haida Gwaii’s Indigenous population regarding the sanctity and privacy of their forests? At the same time, can one sympathize with the loggers?
  4. The book explores themes of solitude and alienation. How does the author portray the idea of isolation in the book? Have you ever felt isolated, either physically or emotionally, from society?
  5. Which character stood out the most to you? Why?
  6. Do you think forestry practices have largely contributed to global warming and climate change? Where can one draw the line between sustainable and unsustainable forestry, while still considering the individuals employed in the industry?
  7. There is a rising tension throughout the book between Husby and the Indigenous peoples of Haida Gwaii. What ‘side’ do you think Williams took?
  8. At one point in the book, Williams states that his outlook on logging became a wholly capitalistic view. Do you think it is possible to separate capitalism from one’s occupation or practice?
  9. Williams describes the life-threatening conditions of forestry a century back. Did those tragic stories surprise you? Did you expect forestry to have been this dangerous?
  10. After finishing The Last Logging Show, what is one thing that you have learned? Did your outlook on blue-collar jobs change or expand? Do you think the reality of forestry is the same in other parts of the world, like Scandinavia?

Further Resources

Interview with Aaron Williams
The Miramachi Reader (posted Oct. 12, 2024)
Read an interview between Aaron Williams and Lindsey Harrington, a Nova Scotia writer, about the thought processes behind The Last Logging Show.

Aaron Williams
Thecommentary.ca (posted Nov. 25, 2024)
Listen to Aaron William’s thoughts on The Last Logging Show in an interview with Joseph Planta.

What it's Really Like to Fight a Wildfire
Canadian Geographic (posted Oct. 16, 2017)
Read about Williams’s personal account on wildfire fighting.

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