1 comments about Safe Haven: The Refugee Experience of Five Families (Ethnocultural Voices Series).

1. This material formed a display at the Royal Ontario Museum; it works even better between book covers. It should be mandatory reading for Canadians - and few could help but respond to this intimate introduction to selected refugee families. The material was compiled back when Canada's refugee policies were worthy of international recognition. That time has passed. From time to time, "the refugee issue" splashes across headlines and quickly fades from view - having left little insight but rather the unmistakable whiff of problem and cost.

   The refugee families selected are representative of the major refugee movements of the recent past. Both photos and text help place these personal stories within the larger context. However, the strength of the book is the personal glimpse of individuals' hopes and fears, losses mourned and futures planned. The reader sees that individuals differ in their responses to this devastating circumstance. The book is a useful antidote to the tendency to view the refugees' plight as simply a political or economic concern. The reader may better question the belated and begrudging response currently given to refugees who request safe haven in Canada. The process of moving past mourning lives torn asunder in order to plan lives to be built sits in painful hiatus while government appointees decide whether individuals are welcomed or forced back into the maelstroms from which they fled. Send this excellent book to our elected representatives.

No comments about After the Rebellion: The Later Years of William Lyon Mackenzie.

2 comments about Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland.

1. Seary's in-depth study of nearly three thousand family names of Newfoundland, arose from his work on the study of place names of the island. As his study progressed, Seary became fascinated with tracking families as they migrated along the coast or changed their names to avoid detection by Britain and France. His pursuit of the rise of Newfoundland surnames illustrates that relationships, place of origin, occupation, and even nicknames played very important roles.

   The core of his research comes from the Official List of Electors 1955 chosen because it was the most comprehensive list of names and the communites to which they were linked before the massive resettlement programs of the 1960's. The sources of his information are vast as he quotes from scholarly works from England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and the Channel Islands as well as the many censuses taken in Newfoundland since 1675 in his attempt to get at the origin of the name.

   Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland attempts to trace each name to a geographical origin in England, France, Ireland, etc. as well as trace its linguistic origin. This will provide the reader of this text with answers to such questions as; What does the name mean? Where is the name found in Newfoundland? When was the first recorded incidence of it in a particular region? Of course, this information is invaluable to any researcher of family history.

   The real value to the student of genealogy, is that as Seary lists the early instances of each name in various places in Newfoundland, he provides us with all kinds of tidbits of information about the person - how they were killed, where they worked, their father, etc. And as expected from a scholar such as Seary, all of this information is referenced back to an original source document!




2. Excellent source of Genealogical information on family surnames, helps you find the places that you should be looking for your family. Doesn't do your genealogy for you but most certainly helps.
   Names are listed in Alphabetical order, no index necessary
   There are 4 editions available but the 1988 corrected Edition is the best

No comments about Honore Jaxon: Prairie Visionary.

4 comments about Air Monopoly: How Robert Milton's Air Canada Won - and Lost - Control of Canada's Skies.

1. I bought this book the first day out and read through it in about 3 days. I found it quite exceptional for its historical perspective, but not particularly insightful. The author spends the entire book trying very hard not to put any editorial spin on anything which doesn't really make it very readable, but becomes a great reference material down the line.

   My initial thought when I finished reading it was that this book may become the Canadian equivalent of "Hard Landing", the book by Thomas Petzinger which has become the de-facto mass market textbook on the impact of US airline deregulation.

   This book is definitely a must-have for industry professionals and hardcore airline affectionados, but a casual reader is probably better served to wait for the paperback or deep discount.




2. Everyone claims to be an expert on airlines. Frankly-some of these so called "airline history" books are dead wrong. The Canadian saga has been going on for about as long as the Star Wars series, except here thousands of people's livelihoods and the economic wealth of a nation are at stake. Air Monopoly is balanced, well told and VERY interesting.



3. I don't know much about this book, but that Keith McArthur is one sexy dude. Did you see that jacket photo? Whoa...



4. I have to take exception to Jon Shell's editorial comment about the author. It is totally irrelevant and disrespectful of the thoughtful and compelling treatment Mr. McArthur gives to Canada's airline industry.
   
   However, that said, I actually had the opportunity to meet Mr. McArthur at a book signing. He has a very strong grip, an icy stare and a boyish shock of blond hair reminiscent of Robert Redford circa 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'. I suspect Mr. McArthur will go far in the entertainment industry.

1 comments about Season of Rage: Hugh Burnett and the Struggle for Civil Rights.

1. Much of the book consists of material on developments in civil rights generally, especially in the United States. This is useful context, and would be instructive for those who are just being introduced to the topic (younger high school students, for example); if it were extracted, it would make up something pamphlet-size. The material on Dresden is good but limited -- again, by itself, it would make a pamphlet. In total, the book has the feel of two quite good pamphlets amalgamated -- an interesting sidelight, but less substantial than I had hoped.

No comments about Queen Victoria - The Story of Her Life and Reign.

No comments about Grey Owl: The Curious Life of Archie Belaney (An Amazing Stories Book) (Amazing Stories).

No comments about Missing in Action: An Rcaf Navigator's Story.

No comments about Taste for Paprika: A Memoir.