Book Name : The west beyond the west : A History of British Columbia
Author: Jean Barman
Genre : Non-Fiction/ History
Book Post : 32
What is it about?: As the name says this is a book about the history of British Columbia. It starts from the time of contact between the native people and Europeans to more recent years till 2000.
How I came to read it : A recent discussion about BC’s history rekindled my desire to read another book on the subject having already read a couple of books before I moved to Canada.
Did I like it?: Yes I did. This is an amazing book. Not only does it cover the mainstream flow of events but it also looks on the contributions of people who are often forgotten while writing these histories. Like women, immigrants and native people. I can see why its one of the best books on the history of the province. The depth of its coverage is amazing and it offers some insightful points about what BC is today and why it is so. It covers all the important events in BC’s history like the fur trade, the gold rush, the railway, the world wars and immigration. There are separate chapters on Native people, reform, equality and finally the British Columbian identity. At 400+ pages long it might not be a breezy read but its a must for anyone who is serious about knowing the history of the land where they reside. There are always aspects of history which do not look good in the present and the author does not mince words when it comes to writing about these. She presents a good balanced view.
Jean Barman, the author, is a professor emeritus of my alma mater, the University of British Columbia which makes it that bit more interesting for me. But irrespective of that fact this is a wonderful book. Totally worth the time spent on it.
An excerpt from the book that I loved:
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