Vimy (Paperback)

Pierre Berton's approach is unique, and makes for a breathtaking read. In the Author's Note he says "My purpose... has been to tell not just what happened but also WHAT IT WAS LIKE. I have tried to look at the Vimy experience from the point of view of the man in the mud as well as from that of the senior planners."
He has achieved his goal... one gets the sense that the author ran through the trenches and across "No Man's Land" himself with a videocamera on that thunderous morning. Not only do we see the root and stem of every tactical achievement and blunder, we hear, see and smell, and FEEL what took place as well, in as much as it is possible. The research is extensive and meticulous, as can be seen in the Acknowledgements and Source List at the end of the book.

It just so happens that I live within sight of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, here in the capital city of Canada. High up in that Tower the single word "Vimy" is carved. For me, reading this book shifts a tremendous load of significance onto that single word.
Vimy stands for more than a battle won, it stands for Canadian ingenuity, innovation, courage, Canadian dash and daring, Canadian enterprise. Life! Freedom!
It has become commonplace to say that Canada came of age at Vimy Ridge.
This is an immeasurably important, beautifully written book. Read Vimy, "lest we forget."

Now this isn't the first piece I've read by Mr. Berton. I've also thoroughly enjoyed many of his others, including The Invasion of Canada, Flames Across the Border, and Marching to War. It is however, my favourite one to date.

Vimy tells the stories of a number of the Canadian participants in the Great War. It follows them as they prepare for, then engage in, and come out victorious from the Battle of Vimy Ridge, a battle that has become a national symbol of pride for Canada.

After reading this book, it is easy to understand why Canada is so proud of its accomplishment during the First World War. A young nation, with little military experience and somewhat unruly soldiers, came in with fresh ideas and accomplished what the British, and the French, countries with centuries of military knowledge, could not.

This book reads more like a good novel than like a historical fact-sheet. At times it's hard to follow because of the number of people involved in the different stories, but otherwise, it's a literary masterpiece. The graphic imagery of the trenches and the battlefields paint a very vivid picture in one's imagination, and the feelings emoted by the characters become very real to the reader throughout the book.

This is a true testament to the resolve of the Canadian people, but it is also an eye-opening account of the horrors of war. It is important for Canadian to know what role we played on the world stage in the World War 1, and this is the perfect book to read to understand that.