Books about Canadian history.

April 15, 2008 7:26 AM

I'm interested in learning more about Canadian history, and two things I'd like to start with (because I learned damn near NOTHING about them in school) are the Acadians and the Great Explusion, and the October Crisis and the FLQ. Can anyone recommend some books?
posted by Imperfect to society & culture (8 comments total)

Do you read french? A very thorough reference book for the october crisis is F.L.Q. Histoire d'un mouvement clandestin by Louis Fournier. A chronological description of the events, easy to read and very informative.
posted by ddaavviidd at 7:38 AM on April 15

Interesting chapters on the October Crisis in these two Trudeau bios: The Northern Magus and Trudeau and Our Times Vol. 1.
posted by meerkatty at 7:40 AM on April 15

During breaks from more scholarly works, you might enjoy reading Bones to Ashes, by Kathy Reichs. It's fiction, but the setting and dialog are thoroughly researched, which is typical of Reichs. It's a mystery set among the Acadians. Lots of interesting references that may help you get a feel for the Acadian mindset.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:29 AM on April 15

If you are interested in historical novels, I would recommend Three Hills Home by Alfred Silver about the Acadian expulsion.
posted by carolr at 9:16 AM on April 15

One of the best books I have read on Canadian History is Will Ferguson's "Canadian History for Dummies". Yes, I know, I am not a fan of the dummies series but it is a great superficial treatment of Canadian history that de-bunks a lot of our myths and is a good jumping off point for more in-depth reading. Sorry, I haven't read much on the Acadian or the FLQ so I can't recommend anything specific but I know there are tonnes published about both events.
posted by saucysault at 9:44 AM on April 15

an excellent & detailed work on the Acadian expulsion is John Mack Faragher's "A Great and Noble Scheme"

here's a few reviews to read
posted by jammy at 10:26 AM on April 15

Roger Riendeau's A Brief History of Canada is a good general history.
posted by russilwvong at 11:12 AM on April 15

for the gummint's perspective on the October Crisis, there's William Tetley's book The October Crisis: An Insider's View - Tetley was a cabinet minister at the time & makes the case that the War Measures Act and general governmental response was justified & worked out for the best

what's maybe more interesting is the collection of background documents that his website features free for the reading
posted by jammy at 2:41 PM on April 15