Story of a Nation: Defining Moments in Our History

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

This book is a “must-buy” for every school, public, and home
library. Twelve Canadian writers, including Roch Carrier, David
Macfarlane, and Timothy Findley, have each contributed a substantial
essay. Each writer was asked to respond to the question, “What are the
great events in Canadian history?” Many chose an intimate incident
with symbolic resonance. In Thomas King’s hilarious tale, “Where the
Borg Are,” a young Native boy’s fresh interpretation of the Indian
Act of 1875-76 puzzles and upsets his non-Native teacher. In Alberto
Manguel’s “An Act of Atonement (The Red River Colony, 1826),” the
American continent is described as “a bookish invention.”

This short story collection should put to rest the notion that
Canadians are a serious, even humorless group of people. Literature,
history, tragedy, and farce are woven together into fresh and
challenging views of our complex nation. The anthology includes many
black-and-white photos, both modern and archival. Three cheers for
history with a difference, one that catches (as the cover suggests)
“the joy, sorrow, anger and passion of more than two centuries of our
history.”