On Vacation with BC History
Books on British Columbia’s history are summer sidekicks for many of us. Packed into suitcases and taken on vacation, tucked into a bag and carted off to the beach, or read at home without switching on a lamp in the sunny evening hours. I usually stash a book in the tractor when our farm is cutting hay in July to keep myself amused in the middle of a hot field, when inevitably, the best laid plans go awry.
Most of the books reviewed this summer cover well-known topics in British Columbia history, but the authors bring fresh perspectives, take an in-depth look at the story, or challenge what we think we know.
Where is your favourite summer reading spot? Maybe one of the books reviewed in this issue will accompany you there!
Coming soon: Past Forward in the Fall 2019 issue
I am excited to announce that a new section on digital media is set to launch this fall. Past Forward will highlight websites, podcasts and apps that explore British Columbia’s diverse history through stories and experiences. Don’t miss Past Forward in the next issue.
Aimee
Emily Carr is one of Canada’s most prominent artists. Her iconic paintings and fascinating life have inspired a plethora of books, but the latest was unexpected — a biography of her beloved pet monkey, Woo.
From Woo’s origins on the Indonesian island of Java to her death around 1938, author Grant Hayter-Menzies pieces together the Javanese macaque’s story and reflected on her role in Emily Carr’s life. Woo was the subject of at least two of her owner’s paintings and a section of Carr’s book, , was devoted to the monkey’s mischievous antics. Woo is likely the most well-known symbol of Carr’s eccentricities, immortalized on Carr’s
