This was my light vacation reading this summer. Despite the fact that my daughter had trouble understanding how a book with over 1000 pages could be called short and many people would find any sort of history as 'light' reading that is exactly what it was for me.
The first edition of this book came out almost 40 years ago (1983) and so it leaves me pondering how (other than discussion of events that have taken place in the intervening years) has changed in successive editions. Has Morton changed his interpretation and description of events based on newer understandings? Has the book just gotten longer or have conclusions varied over the various editions?
As is relatively common with histories, this is essentially a political and economic history of Canada (and really a survey at that....1000 pages that cover everything from the beginning of European colonization -- with a brief discussion of pre-contact life -- to the first decade of the 21st century is certainly a short survey not a detailed history). It makes reference to how those events impacted the general public but is not a people's history by any stretch of the imagination. It is not about "how did the average population live in these various eras". However the piece I found most lacking was real discussion of the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada over the years. There were some references to the growing political influence of organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations however there was little if any real discussion of what the TRC termed "Cultural Genocide". AS this is one of the greatest issue facing Canadians as we decide who we are as a nation in the 21st Century I find this to be a definite lack in the book.
In the end though it met my desire for a light enjoyable vacation read. I was reminded of some things, I learned some things, I looked at some things is a different light. Good read.
