Ben Galeski
Books by Ben Galeski
Ben Galeski’s novel Starvation Cove depicts the famous mystery of the Franklin Expedition in a vivid and gripping story of endurance and suspense which the author brings to life with another kind of mystery.
The Good Heart is a story of faith-filled resilience amid horrendous destruction and incalculable hardship as experienced by Canadian infantry in the First World War, and the reconstruction of humanity at its conclusion.
I enjoyed The Good Heart immensely. It is so grounded in reality, and your descriptive prose completely transported me to First World War France. Joe Benson's journey from start to finish is so compelling.
- Quinton Amundson, The Catholic Register
I was thrilled to arrive at the conclusion of Starvation Cove, having tried to guess at how the author would handle the narrative within a Catholic as well as a logical milieu. As I read on, the story turned into a true tour de force with a very satisfying pace, structure and resolution of the theme.
~ Joseph Stalmach
The story is told through the narration of one Joseph Andrews, a mid-rank officer of one of the expedition’s ships abandoned in polar ice…The author is very skillful at taking the reader through the harrowing end of the expedition’s days and the lives of the last of its crew members…Galeski has carefully researched his subject…the characters are treated with respect and compassion as their number dwindles to the surprise ending.
~ Gregg Norman, author of A Gift of Scars
Ben Galeski’s second novel. “The Good Heart”, tells the story of young Joseph Benson who leaves his ranch home and family in Alberta to enlist with the Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight in World War I. In the trenches in France, Joseph and his comrades are exposed to the horrors of one of the ugliest, most brutal wars ever fought. Through it all he has only his faith and his inner strength of character to sustain him. Galeski’s prose style and command of language are both rock solid. He handles the often-difficult device of flashback masterfully to segue back and forth between the joys of family life at home and the gruesome reality of life in the trenches, thus underlining the sea change that young recruits like Joseph went through. He pulls no punches in his descriptions of the dark side of war and a young soldier’s life in a foreign land far from home. The reader is settled in the time and place of WWI in France with the authority that comes of meticulous research. Ben Galeski is a fine writer who has told a profoundly human story in “The Good Heart”. When I read his work I find myself constantly wishing for more.
- Gregg Norman, author of A Gift of Scars
The story is told through the narration of one Joseph Andrews, a mid-rank officer of one of the expedition’s ships abandoned in polar ice…The author is very skillful at taking the reader through the harrowing end of the expedition’s days and the lives of the last of its crew members…Galeski has carefully researched his subject…the characters are treated with respect and compassion as their number dwindles to the surprise ending.
~ Gregg Norman, author of A Gift of Scars
I was thrilled to arrive at the conclusion of Starvation Cove, having tried to guess at how the author would handle the narrative within a Catholic as well as a logical milieu. As I read on, the story turned into a true tour de force with a very satisfying pace, structure and resolution of the
theme.
~ Joseph Stalmach
Ben Galeski’s second novel. “The Good Heart”, tells the story of young Joseph Benson who leaves his ranch home and family in Alberta to enlist with the Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight in World War I. In the trenches in France, Joseph and his comrades are exposed to the horrors of one of the ugliest, most brutal wars ever fought. Through it all he has only his faith and his inner strength of character to sustain him. Galeski’s prose style and command of language are both rock solid. He handles the often-difficult device of flashback masterfully to segue back and forth between the joys of family life at home and the gruesome reality of life in
the trenches, thus underlining the sea change that young recruits like Joseph went through. He pulls no punches in his descriptions of the dark side of war and a young soldier’s life in a foreign land far from home. The reader is settled in the time and place of WWI in France with the authority that comes of meticulous research. Ben Galeski is a fine writer who has told a profoundly human story in “The Good Heart”. When I read his work I find myself constantly wishing for more.
- Gregg Norman, author of A Gift of Scars
Ben Galeski
Ben Galeski is a devoted husband and father of five children. He grew up on the edge of the Rocky Mountains in beautiful Bragg Creek, Alberta and now lives in Brooks where he teaches high school students for Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division. Ben loves to read, spend time with his family and naturally, loves to write. He is currently working on his third book.
STUDY THE BOOK WITH YOUR CLASS
Using Catholic Fiction in the classroom is an excellent strategy for permeating Catholic beliefs into the classroom. If you are a teacher in a Catholic school, and are interested in using one of his books in your ELA classroom, Ben would be excited to assist you in any way possible, making himself available for consultation during the unit planning process and for an “author talk” via zoom (or in person if possible) during the implantation/instructional phase. As well, Ben has used Catholic fiction in his own English classroom (Michael O’Brien’s The Lighthouse in English 10-1) and would be happy to share his experiences in creating a unique novel study from the ground up.
“The Importance of Catholic Fiction in Permeation of Faith in Catholic Schools”
Ben presented to colleagues at Christ The Redeemer School Division’s 2023 Faith Days, and
would be happy to deliver this presentation to other educators who are invested in Catholic
education.
HIRE BEN TO SPEAK ON THE FOLLOWING TOPIC:
