Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta

Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

Aritha van Herk writes with passion and vigor about her home province.
She interprets Alberta’s political and social history as a reaction to
the province’s lowly status—a “stray adopted into
Confederation,” welcomed for its resources but not much else. This and
an innate maverick nature encourages Albertans to “step out of bounds,
refuse to do as we are told, take risks, and then laugh when we fall
down and hit the ground.”

In discussing the fur trade and early political history, van Herk is
too careful (very unAlbertan), but her book comes alive with her account
of the Lougheed years. Her most vicious words are reserved for political
figures, and especially the current premier (though I can’t help but
wonder if she doesn’t really admire that quintessential Alberta
populist maverick). Van Hark is at her lyrical best in the introspective
sections that precede most chapters. Mavericks may gloss over the
complexities of Alberta’s past, but it weaves an immensely colorful
and nuanced tapestry of the present.