The Farfarers

Farley Mowat, writer and Canadian icon, died on May 6, 2014. At the time of his death I listened to an archival interview which the CBC rebroadcast. It occurred to me that I had grossly overlooked his work because I had never looked over anything he wrote. I decided to read one of his books as a tribute/education. I began with People Of The Deer. Since that time I have read the following Mowat books:

The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
Coppermine Journey
Ordeal By Ice
The Serpent's Coil
Never Cry Wolf
The Polar Passion
The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
A Whale For The Killing
Tundra
And No Birds Sang
Walking On The Land

I'm currently reading The Farfarers. I guess you might say that I'm enjoying his writing.

The Farfarers has taken me back to the land once known as Alba, now known as Scotland. With a great deal of horror, I read how the Norse (Vikings) came to Alba and destroyed everything and everyone. Raping and pillaging is just a polite way of describing what they did, not unlike the term 'ethnic cleansing'. I hate that term, by the way.

The Vikings remind me of some people in the Middle East (ISIS). Their 'my way or the highway' approach to life is appalling. One main difference between the Vikings and ISIS is 1300 years of experience. A lot has happened in the intervening years, and we're well aware of our many follies, yet they continue. I guess the perpetrators don't see it this way....

It's a strange world in which we live. Thank goodness we live in Canada. Thank goodness for Farley Mowat. Thank goodness for freedom of speech. Thank goodness for the CBC....

Think about it.