No comments about Quebec Boy: An Autobiography.

No comments about Modernist Photographs from the National Gallery of Canada.

1 comments about I've Got a Home in Gloryland: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad.

1. Karolyn Smardz-Frost, Canadian archaeologist and historian pieces together the story of the Blackburns, young American slaves who were man and wife. They fled to freedom in 1831, a full generation before the abolition of slavery in the US, and made their way to Detroit. Soon after that they were noticed, arrested and, on the brink of being returned to Kentucky for punishment and, no doubt, permanent separation, they made it into Canada, who had a no-return policy for escaped slaves.
   
   
   Using the results of 20 years of research, Smardz-Frost writes a compelling narrative of the Blackburns' story, filling in the details with information about the period, geography, laws and views toward slavery.
   
   This story is a poignant reminder of the horrors of slavery. Without getting preachy - the author's matter-of-fact approach to the sale, ownership, brutalization and sexual abuse of slaves drives the point home quite well. While hardly ignorant of the period, one point was made that I had never thought of. White masters frequently fathered children with female slaves and then sold the offspring - their own children - as slaves. Their own children. Hell's not hot enough for some people.
   
   Don't get me wrong, this book does not club the reader over the head about the issue, but you cannot come away from the story unchanged.
   
   I also am glad that our Northern neighbor, Canada provided shelter for the escapees rather than return them to the lives in bondage. Good call.
   
   And Good job, Karolyn.

No comments about Louis 'David' Riel: Prophet of the New World.

1 comments about Faith of Fools: A Journal of the Klondike Gold Rush.

1. I was floored by this book. It is diary of a group of men traveling to the yukon in search of gold. I was amazed at the things that they went through. In our relatively easy modren life, It is good to read about what extremes people would go through in the old days. To say that they had a rough journey would be an understatement. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a feel for what it must have been like to ber part of the gold rush in the Yukon territory.

3 comments about Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Volume II.

1. This series offers a very readable translation of the original French Canadian-language series, adding drawings, historical briefs and appendices that are especially of interest to American-born descendents of Quebec's pioneer families. For history buffs, this series also offers insights into the motivations of New France's immigrants and portrays highlights of daily life, social activities and civil actions among the colonists. Some of the profiles were prepared by family historians, who often wrote longer works on the same subject. My ancestor, Jean Le Brodeur, is featured in Chapter 13 by Clement Brodeur of Quebec. The information is valuable on its own merits and as a starting point for further research. Most French Canadian descendents are related to many of the persons portrayed in this series, due to the close-knit society and intermarriages among relatively few families. So several volumes may be of interest. This series extends general and specific knowledge of the Quebecois pioneers. - Gary Brodeu



2. "Our French-Canadian Ancestors" by Thomas J. Laforest is an excellent resource on the early French Canadian history. It includes genealogical information of the early settlers and a little about the lifestyle of about 20 different families. It's got a great historical reference about the King's Daughters. I was fortunate enough to find many connecting links to a family tree of my ancestors. Excellent resource to begin a collection of French Canadian information.



3. Thanks to these volumes I was able obtain a great of information on my French-Canadian ancestors corroborating material I had found before and filling some missing blanks.

No comments about Baseball's Canadian-American League: A History of Its Inception, Franchises, Participants, Locales, Statistics, Demise and Legacy, 1936-1951.

No comments about Studs Terkel.

1 comments about Benedict Arnold: A Traitor in Our Midst.

1. Mr. Wilson, a Canadian journalist, has done a remarkable job bringing the little-known aspects of Benedict Arnold to life.

   He skillfully describes the political, personal and social factors which made Arnold the man that he was (both good and bad). The focus is on Arnold as an adult, following him through his days as a Yankee trader, as a superb General and leader of men, as a "turncoat", and then as a trader, husband, father and litigant. His years in eastern Canada and England are dealt with in some detail.

   Like so many others, Benedict Arnold was, to me, more a symbol than a man. I knew the basic events surrounding the "incident", but virtually nothing else. Thanks to Barry Wilson, this is no longer the case.

No comments about Exploring the Frozen North: Pierre Berton's History for Young Canadians.