Misconceiving Canada: The Struggle for National Unity

It is regrettable, therefore, that these perfectly human, understandable and reasonable reactions would probably prevent many (if not all) Canadians from reading this excellent book by Kenneth McRoberts about Canadian history, politics, society and (yes) constitutional development. It is sufficiently detailed to raise, answer and explain many questions and concerns about how Canada got to where it found itself at the end of the 20th century. Yet, the details do not slow down the book's momentum. In fact, Professor McRoberts' clear and detailed style keeps one wide awake while making such supposedly esoteric topics like the compact theory, federal-provincial division of powers, bilingualsim, biculturalism and multiculturalism, etc. perfectly and readily understandable. His chronicle of events and individuals, of successes and failures, of near successes and near failures, and of the thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears of ordinary Canadians should be required reading for all high school and university students (whether or not they are taking a history course), for all Canadians who care about Canada, its people, its potential and its future, and for all non-Canadians who wonder why such a nice bunch of folks like Canadians with such a nice country as Canada periodically have come close to destroying their country.