A Graphic Look at Canadians at War

Canada at War: A Graphic History of World War Two by Paul Keery
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Graphic books are a new format for me and this is the first one that is not a novel. It looks at the role Canada's military had in World War 2. But since the text had very little flow, it felt like the illustrations are the driving force of this book. The text is only there to set the scene or give some added information. World War 2 is such a massive subject that there truly is no way to get at it in such a short book, so it helped immensely that I had a solid knowledge of the topic.

Canada at War jumps around and highlights a specific person, then a specific battle, then a specific division of the military, and then suddenly mixes in a bunch of statistics. And if you don't particularly like this style of illustration, you probably won't get much from this book. However, I did like the illustrations and once I approached the book as a series of vignettes about Canada's involvement in World War 2, I was able to appreciate it. I especially liked it when they highlighted the sacrificial contributions of someone who won some award for courage or valor. But the statistics have their story to tell too.

Because Canada and Britain worked so closely during World War 2, if you are from England you might enjoy this book too. But it will appeal predominantly to Canadians, although I was sorry to see the huge contributions made by French Canadians almost completely ignored. But like I said, this is predominantly the illustrator's Show and Tell and what he considered important and inspired him to draw.

If you're looking for a page-turning, thrill-ride, this "ain't" it. But if you want to see some wonderful artwork, learn a bit more about Canada's involvement in WW 2 and feel some Canadian pride, then this will be a good fit for you. I got my copy from the library, which may be a good idea to help you decide if you like the illustrations too before you pay money for a paperback copy of it. Some people may consider it dry, but after sitting through years of Canadian History classes that truly were dry, this graphic, historical ebook is like a trip to the oasis. I didn't come to Canada at War with any specific expectations and when I just accepted it for what it is, a short glance into my country at war through the eyes and talents of a couple of people, I found it interesting and enjoyable. Definitely not for everyone, but for me, I considered it well worth my time.

I should mention that due to the nature of the topic I would not recommend it for children. However, considering the restrained depiction of the horrors of war, I feel okay to recommend it to those who consider themselves "sensitive" readers.

Thanks for reading my review.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

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