Hostages to Fortune: The United Empire Loyalists and the Making of Canada

In a disappointing and unbalanced analysis, prolific and accomplished author Newman (When the Gods Changed) considers the calamitous effects of the American Revolution on colonists loyal to the British king. The book vividly recounts how the loyalists, far from the crown’s protection and seen as enemies, were victimized and murdered by vengeful neighbors, tracing some particularly brutal individual cases. Migration north offered safety from that persecution but Newman describes the many other risks and hardships that loyalists faced in Canada’s undeveloped wilderness. In 1812, even this refuge was endangered as American troops poured north in a vain attempt to conquer the Canadian colonies. Newman depicts these two events—post-revolutionary flight and steadfast resistance against invasion—as the foundations of modern Canada. Unfortunately, the book plays to Canadian self-regard, presenting loyalists in a generally positive light while making careful note of American misbehavior. Newman covers almost 40 years of complex history in just a little over 200 pages, so his treatment is necessarily superficial, but the book’s shortcomings go beyond that: it verges on Whiggish self-congratulation. Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Canada’s founding, this volume is only suited to readers looking for a shallow and uncritical look at an important part of Canadian history. (Nov.)