Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The National Dream:
The Great Railway, 1871-1881
Pierre Berton
1970
This is the first of two books chronicling the planning and building of the transcontinental Canadian railway.
Pierre Berton has over a dozen excellent books. Any area of Canadian history towards which he has turned his attention has been fortunate. I only wish he had focussed on even more. Two of his books are about the history of the railroad, and they are two books that any full study of Canadian history would be impossible without.
As usual, Berton's history is a story of characters. It focuses on John A. MacDonald and his commitment to build the railroad. Sandford Fleming, George Grant, Hugh Alan, George Etienne Cartier and Edward Blake play their roles in the first round of political fighting. Once MacDonald's government falls and returns almost a decade later the only one who is still around and fighting is MacDonald himself. His political skill and persistence is remarkable. He is genuinely committed to the building of Canadian unity, and he risks his political life, health, and income to realize it. By the end of the book, after 15 years, the railway is still a long way off, but MacDonald has assured that it will be built.
Attention, not enough, but at least some, in this book is devoted to the inevitable bulldozing of the Native way of life by the railroad. The book isn't about natives, but it is such a glaring side effect of the railroad that it would be insulting to avoid it. The railroad symbolizes so much, good and bad. To the natives it was a spike driven right through the heart of their territory. For nomadic plains tribes, the railroad was the end.
The book is excellent. At some points heavy on parliamentary dialogue, but it's scope, while thick sometimes, almost adds an element of respect to the debate. That an entire book can be devoted to solely political dealing without even touching the actual building of the railroad is a tribute to how important those dealings were. That the book can be readable and nearly riveting is a tribute to Berton and his storytelling.
The Great Railway, 1871-1881
Pierre Berton
1970
This is the first of two books chronicling the planning and building of the transcontinental Canadian railway.
Pierre Berton has over a dozen excellent books. Any area of Canadian history towards which he has turned his attention has been fortunate. I only wish he had focussed on even more. Two of his books are about the history of the railroad, and they are two books that any full study of Canadian history would be impossible without.
As usual, Berton's history is a story of characters. It focuses on John A. MacDonald and his commitment to build the railroad. Sandford Fleming, George Grant, Hugh Alan, George Etienne Cartier and Edward Blake play their roles in the first round of political fighting. Once MacDonald's government falls and returns almost a decade later the only one who is still around and fighting is MacDonald himself. His political skill and persistence is remarkable. He is genuinely committed to the building of Canadian unity, and he risks his political life, health, and income to realize it. By the end of the book, after 15 years, the railway is still a long way off, but MacDonald has assured that it will be built.
Attention, not enough, but at least some, in this book is devoted to the inevitable bulldozing of the Native way of life by the railroad. The book isn't about natives, but it is such a glaring side effect of the railroad that it would be insulting to avoid it. The railroad symbolizes so much, good and bad. To the natives it was a spike driven right through the heart of their territory. For nomadic plains tribes, the railroad was the end.
The book is excellent. At some points heavy on parliamentary dialogue, but it's scope, while thick sometimes, almost adds an element of respect to the debate. That an entire book can be devoted to solely political dealing without even touching the actual building of the railroad is a tribute to how important those dealings were. That the book can be readable and nearly riveting is a tribute to Berton and his storytelling.
# posted by mz @ 12:26 PM 
