Talk:The Pierre Berton Show
![]() | This article is rated Stub-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The National Dream
Berton regularly interviewed important artists, actors, and other public figures. He wrote a book called The Last Good Year regarding Expo 1967. Whom did he interview in 1967? Did he interview any Canadians?
Berton wrote The Invasion of Canada; to America's leaders in 1812, an invasion of Canada seemed to be "a mere matter of marching," as Thomas Jefferson confidently predicted. How could a nation of 8 million fail to subdue a struggling colony of 300,000? Yet, when the campaign of 1812 ended, the only Americans left on Canadian soil missed The National Dream, Berton's next book; in 1871, a tiny nation determined that it would build the world's longest railroad. This bold decision was to forge the shape of the nation.
Using primary sources — diaries, letters, unpublished manuscripts, public documents and newspapers — Pierre Berton has reconstructed the incredible decade of the 1870s, when Canadians of every stripe — contractors, politicians, financiers, surveyors, workingmen, journalists and entrepreneurs — fought for the railway.
The National Dream is above all else the story of people. It is the story of Sanford Fleming, the great engineer who invented Standard Time. All these figures, and dozens more, including the political leaders of the era, come to life with Berton's poignant interviews. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.55.246.199 (talk) 14:38, 9 May 2011 (UTC)