JOHN BOYKO is the author of seven previous books, including Cold Fire: Kennedy's Northern Front, which was shortlisted for the J.W. Dafoe Literary Award for non-fiction, and Blood and Daring: How Canada Fought the American Civil War and Forged a Nation, which was shortlisted for a Governor General's Literary Award for its English-to-French translation, Voisins et ennemis. La guerre de Sécession et l'invention du Canada. Boyko is an op-ed contributor to the Globe and Mail, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Maclean's, and more. He also writes entries for the Canadian Encyclopedia. Boyko has earned degrees from Trent, Queen's and McMaster universities, served on and chaired many boards, and been elected to municipal office. He lives in Lakefield, Ontario.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
“A wonderful and seamless popular history full of colourful
characters, intrigue and political backstabbing of the first order.
Though there is no secret as to how the book ends . . . [Boyko]
deftly adds enough suspense to keep readers turning the pages. . .
. Boyko’s accomplished narrative is precisely the kind of popular
history that deserves a wide audience.” —National Post
“A thrilling, near-theatrical look at the years leading up to
Confederation. . . . The authoritative narration is clear, precise,
and entirely enjoyable for non-scholars. The book presents a
startlingly unfamiliar and ominously dangerous period in
Canadian-American relations; the world’s longest undefended border
was in danger of bursting into flames, unless a unified country
could emerge from the tangle of British colonies. It’s the birth of
Canada in all its glory and muck.” —Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
“Boyko has spun a compelling narrative. Better still, it’s
supported by just the right measure of academic rigour.” —Winnipeg
Free Press
“A fast-paced read, and Boyko skillfully weaves together the
complex and conflict-filled Canadian, British and American wartime
policy.” —The Globe and Mail
“In the middle of the nineteenth century, Canada was at a risk
never matched before or since. After threatening invasion during
the Civil War, the United States looked northwards after it was won
to fulfill its Manifest Destiny. Historian John Boyko tells this
story in Blood and Daring. . . . With verve and passion and
impeccable research, Boyko makes this vital story come
alive.” —Richard Gwyn, award-winning author of John A. and
Nation Maker
“The American Civil War involved more of the North American
continent than the Union and the Confederacy. Forty thousand
Canadians fought in Union armies, Confederate agents operated in
Canadian provinces, and the Canadian-American border was the scene
of skirmishes that threatened to escalate into a larger
conflict. In this lively and eye-opening book, John Boyko
shows how the war and its aftermath not only gave the United States
a new birth of freedom; it also gave birth to the new nation of
Canada.” —James M. McPherson, Princeton University’s Pulitzer
Prize–winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
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