Marching As To War
February 7, 2010
I bought Pierre Berton’s Marching as to War years ago. I even read a good one-quarter to one-third of it before it got accidentally abandoned. (I meant to set it aside to read something else and then never really got back to it. Oops.)
When I decided to read off my own shelves this year, and to read by colour , it was on the top of my list. It was a great reason to pick it up again and even though I had a bookmark still in it from where I left off I started over again.
Marching as to War is looks at Canadian politics and military history between 1899, the start of the Boer War and 1953, the end of the Korean War. While it’s meant to be more of a military history, Berton realized that you can’t look at that period without looking at the politics. For example, you can’t truly understand how unprepared we were for WWII until you look at the Depression-era politics of the 1930s.
One thing that I appreciate about Berton is that he tends not to take a rah-rah approach to looking at the past. He all but says, “Yep, we sure screwed that up” in a few places. It often feels like so many Canadian historians are afraid to say anything bad about anyone (unless it’s politically motivated). He also has a way of complimenting people for some things while criticizing them for others. He gives people their due, whether it be good or bad or both. You know that he realizes that people have layers.
But what I like most about reading anything that Berton writes is his writing style. He’s entertaining. He makes me laugh out loud. And when it comes to Canadian historians that’s a rare, but much appreciated, trait. I have about half a dozen of his books around here.
I does make me a little bit sad though, that for all his work he’ll mostly be remembered by those younger than me as “that dude that taught us how to roll a joint on the Rick Mercer show.” (Which I thought was awesome, don’t get me wrong.) Oh well, maybe some of them will become Canadian history majors and discover him.
February 7th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I keep meaning to read his work. I keep thinking about how much you like him. Maybe not this one though- I’m not much of a war reader.
I remember that short and yes, it is awesome.
Chrisbookarama´s last blog ..Blog Luv Fest: Week 1
[Reply]
sassymonkey Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 7:14 am
He’s written a lot of non-war books. You should give one a try.
[Reply]
February 7th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
I enjoyed Berton’s The Arctic Grail (I am particulary interested in Arctic exploration for some odd reason – and yet I hate cold) I recall in my undergraduate history years Berton was referred to patronizingly as a “popular historian”, but I have never quite understood why it is bad to write in a style that people can actually enjoy.
[Reply]
sassymonkey Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Oh, because the regular people’s should not like history and it should not be written in a way that makes it accessible. Then they might actually know something!
I do wonder if that’s changed at all since Canada: A People’s History came out and people became hungry for Canadian history to be presented in a palatable way. I was in university at the time and one of my professors was in on one of the “Town Hall” things that CBC was doing.
Regarding the Arctic – I’ve had Mrs Franklin’s Revenge sitting on my shelf for a couple of years. Have you read it?
[Reply]
Melanie Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Ummm, no, haven’t read it yet! Actually I just sent my copy to my Dad for Xmas…he he. I read McGoogan’s “Fatal Passage: the story of John Rae” which was fantastic, and fully intend to read the Lady Franklin one too – when I get another copy
[Reply]
February 7th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
LOL: “It often feels like so many Canadian historians are afraid to say anything bad about anyone” – that is the truth of pretty much most of us Canadians, not just historians. lol.
Court´s last blog ..Reading is a right, not a privilege
[Reply]
sassymonkey Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 7:19 am
Well, yes Court. That is true. Though after MacKenzie King died and we found out that that he was a nutter we have no problem calling him a loon.
[Reply]