LATEST REVIEW

When I was in school, Canadian history was a major part of our curriculum over the years, but I doubt I retained more than five percent of what I was taught. If we had had books like James Douglas: Father of British Columbia to read, I would have remembered much more. Julie H. Ferguson’s captivating biography of Sir James Douglas makes history compelling and entertaining.

Written for teen readers, the book provides a detailed, chronological exploration of Douglas’s personal and professional life that include excerpts from his letters and a bit of imagined dialogue. Clearly, James Douglas was a complicated man, not without faults, and Ferguson’s balanced view offers intriguing insight about Douglas’s character. And a strong character this man was as he travelled by canoe and snowshoe throughout Canada numerous times, worked his way up the ranks of HBC, and eventually became the first governor of the Colonies of Vancouver Island. He survived hardship, hunger, family tragedies, and even the gold rush era.

The author provides a timeline of Douglas’s life (1803-1877) accompanied by major events in the U.S., Canada, and Britain before and during that period. The timeline makes a terrific reference point and exemplifies the intense change and challenge Canada experienced in the nineteenth century. Anyone interested in Canadian history should read this beautifully written book, not only for its historical value, but to better understand the man who gave everything he had to help shape this country. You won’t be disappointed.

Debra Purdy Kong, author of Fatal Encryption