47. The Scotch by John Kenneth Galbraith

Before I read this book, John Kenneth Galbraith was really just a name that I knew was associated with politics in the 50s and 60s.  After having finished this book, I read his wikipedia page and have since learned that he was a towering figure in post-WWII American economics and politics (and during WWII as he is credited with managing price controls and maintaining reasonable inflation during the massive war production boom).  He seemed like a very smart guy who also held on to his values and ideals right to the end of his life.  And most importantly, Canadian!

The Scotch is probably best considered as a minor appendix to his life's work.  It is, though, a very well-written and even fun appendix and especially interesting to me.  I guess I am slowly continuing my studies into the region east of Windsor which is more and more becoming an area I'd love to visit.  I don't think it is all that exciting, but there are lots of long agricultural roads which hide quiet but important chunks of Canadian history.  Oddly, the only other book I have read is The Narrative of Fugitive Slaves, many of which take place not far from the area where Galbraith grew up and yet the only mention of diversity in his book is the English! 

The Scotch is basically Galbraith's ode to his childhood and in particular to the Scottish immigrants who moved to the north shore of Lake Erie near the end of the 19th century and took up farming.  The book is structured in very light and brief chapters, almost like an anthrophological monologue.  He doesn't take himself very seriously and there is no real research.  Most of the knowledge is drawn from his own upbringing.  The descriptions of the land, which he admits is somewhat dull, are still evocative, especially the seasons.  He is an excellent writer, with short, readable sentences that are still often somewhat complex and rich in construction.

He goes through the farming, the social relations, their culture, religion and approaches to education.  The penultimate chapter is particularly funny as he basically rips apart the principal of the high school he went to.  It sounds like the guy thoroughly deserved it as he was ignorant and mean and even worse particularly biased against the country students versus the ones who live in town.

This was a very enjoyable read and gives one an insight into some of the roots of today's Canadian culture, both political and social, with some tiny snippets of actual history, such as the brief period when the United Farmers of Ontario were in power in Ontario.