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Review by Alex Davis
What We Talk about When We Talk about War is a complex examination of the philosophical, moral, socio-political and historical implications of war as they relate to Canada. Written by Noah Richler, What We Talk about When We Talk about War is a vast and involved work, which examines how Canadians view theirs and their country’s commitment to international wars and events. In it, Noah Richler digs deep into the unconscious decisions and opinions of the Canadian population, looking at Canadian military myths and rhetoric’s and how they shape Canadians opinion of themselves.
What We Talk about When We Talk about War, in my opinion, is a book worthy of joining some of the greatest examinations of human behaviour. Noah Richler writes in a bold and provocative way and with such authority that, even if you don’t agree with him, his arguments are valid and well researched. It is clear that so much time and effort has gone into making this book as solid and free-standing as possible, with well supported opinions and a plethora of excellent references. It is also refreshing to see a book that takes in the whole picture of the past decade; Noah Richler references the end of the Afghanistan commitment, the killing of Osama bin-ladin and Canada’s commitment to the Libya intervention.
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Review By Alex Davis
The Patrol is a memoir of war, written by Canadian Reservist Ryan Flavelle, who worked as a Signaller for the Canadian Army during a seven month tour of Afghanistan. His book, The Patrol is a look at modern warfare — and how it has changed drastically since the days of our forefathers. Ryan Flavelle is a young university graduate who by a great feat of perseverance, has managed to publish his memoirs and provide a stark contrast to the memoirs of previous generations of soldiers. The Patrol is a first-person view of war, the story of a seven month tour told directly through the eyes of a man who was there.
The Patrol is Ryan Flavelle’s first-person account of his many patrols in Afghanistan.
In it, Ryan talks about the boring, foot-slogging patrols from one base to another, and the gripping, intense moments of his career. He tells these stories from his own perspective, as if he were speaking directly from the moment that the events happened, going so far as to explain the sweat that dripped down his face at the moment or the ringing in his ears.
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Written By Alex Davis
Steel Cavalry: The 8th (New Brunswick) Hussars and the Italian Campaign is a story about the history of the 8th New Brunswick Hussars and their exploits in WWII; from their days as a militia troop of horse cavalry, to the battle-hardened tank regiment that they were at the end of the Italian Campaign. Steel Cavalry might as well be the regimental diary of the 8th Hussars, except for the fact that it tells the story of the 8th more than it documents it. It is an interesting book with many different elements to it, told in a way that flows like a novel.
Steel Cavalry has a lot of content to it for what is a fairly small book. It contains the history of the 8th New Brunswick Hussars from their formation in the late 1700’s to the end of their Italian Campaign in WWII. Though it touches very briefly on the history of tanks in modern combat and the history of WWII, the story focuses mainly on the history of the regiment. The author, Lee Windsor, follows the 8th as they change from horses to cars, then motorcycles and finally to the armoured tanks that they were known for. He tells of how they went into Italy as part of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division and fought in the battles of Liri Valley, Cassino and the Gothic Line. For the most part, Steel Cavalry is a fairly informative and complete history of the 8th.
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Redcoated By Alex Davis
Redcoated Ploughboys: the volunteer battalion of incorporated militia of Upper Canada is about the formation, fighting history and dissolution of the Upper Canada incorporated militia, one of Canada’s militia units during the war of 1812. This book is all about the war of 1812, how the incorporated militia fought it and where the battles took place. It has a clear and simple writing style, and a way of conveying lots of facts in a way that does not confuse a reader. In all, Redcoated Ploughboys is a perfect book for the 1812 war enthusiast, or anyone interested in Napoleonic era warfare.
Though the focus of Redcoated Ploughboys is mainly on this small, fairly unremarkable militia unit in the midst of a huge conflict, the author Richard Feltoe manages to hold the readers attention with a clear and concise way of writing. This war re-enactor and museum curator is the first author who has made me understand in plain language, the intricacies of Napoleonic warfare without laying on thick the military jargon and half-understood tactics, not an easy task.
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Review by Alex Davis
Norad and the Soviet Nuclear Threat: Canada’s Secret Electronic Air War is about two countries working together in the defence of North America, during the long Cold War of the 20th century. It goes into a number of different topics in its pages, from the close, but sometimes rocky relationship between the U.S and Canada, to Canada’s radar defence lines, and the hundreds of aircraft and dozens of U.S and Canadian air force squadrons that worked to deter an attack on North America by the Soviet Union. It is a knowledgeable narrative that can be an entertaining and sometimes nostalgic read.
In NORAD and the Soviet Nuclear Threat, author Gordon A.A Wilson reviews several different topics surrounding the entity that is NORAD, but tends to keep the focus centred on Canada’s air commitment to the organization. He gives a brief but entertaining history of the Cold War, and provides a timeline of important events that occurred in the Cold War as well. He talks about the history of Air Defence in Canada, commenting on the might of Canada’s Air Force during WWII and its rapid decline to a pre-war state. In the book, he talks about NORAD’s many headquarters and bunkers, built to survive a nuclear attack by the Russians, the air exercises conducted by U.S and Canadian pilots to prepare for the eventuality, and even speaks about how radar and electronic warfare works.
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