Erratic North

A Vietnam Draft Resister's Life in the Canadian Bush

Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Erratic North by Mark Frutkin, Dundurn
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark Frutkin ISBN: 9781459714472
Publisher: Dundurn Publication: August 15, 2008
Imprint: Dundurn Language: English
Author: Mark Frutkin
ISBN: 9781459714472
Publisher: Dundurn
Publication: August 15, 2008
Imprint: Dundurn
Language: English

In geology an erratic is a "boulder or rock formation transported some distance from its original source, as by a glacier." In award-winning novelist Mark Frutkin’s case, his movement from his native Cleveland. Ohio, was instigated by his wish to protest and resist the U.S. military draft during the Vietnam War, and his destination was Canada.

An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 American Vietnam War draft resisters sought sanctuary in Canada. Many of these men stayed, became Canadian citizens, and have made significant contributions to the country, including writers such as William Gibson, George Fetherling, Keith Maillard, and Jay Scott; musicians Jesse Winchester and Jim Byrnes; children’s performer Eric Nagler; and radio personality Andy Barrie.

Although this first nonfiction work by Mark Frutkin looks back at the circumstances and culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s that prompted the author to relocate to Canada, Erratic Northis about many other things. It’s also a lyrical meditation about "returning to nature" in the bush country of Quebec and an account of the crucible that forged one writer. Tying everything together, though, is the overarching theme of the book: a contemplation of humanity’s embrace of war and violence and the countervailing impulse to resist that embrace, specifically as seen in the experience of Frutkin himself; his grandfather Simon, who escaped Tsarist Russia and its military in the 1890s; and Louis Drouin, the Quebec farmer Frutkin bought his original farm from and who resisted conscription in World War II.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In geology an erratic is a "boulder or rock formation transported some distance from its original source, as by a glacier." In award-winning novelist Mark Frutkin’s case, his movement from his native Cleveland. Ohio, was instigated by his wish to protest and resist the U.S. military draft during the Vietnam War, and his destination was Canada.

An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 American Vietnam War draft resisters sought sanctuary in Canada. Many of these men stayed, became Canadian citizens, and have made significant contributions to the country, including writers such as William Gibson, George Fetherling, Keith Maillard, and Jay Scott; musicians Jesse Winchester and Jim Byrnes; children’s performer Eric Nagler; and radio personality Andy Barrie.

Although this first nonfiction work by Mark Frutkin looks back at the circumstances and culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s that prompted the author to relocate to Canada, Erratic Northis about many other things. It’s also a lyrical meditation about "returning to nature" in the bush country of Quebec and an account of the crucible that forged one writer. Tying everything together, though, is the overarching theme of the book: a contemplation of humanity’s embrace of war and violence and the countervailing impulse to resist that embrace, specifically as seen in the experience of Frutkin himself; his grandfather Simon, who escaped Tsarist Russia and its military in the 1890s; and Louis Drouin, the Quebec farmer Frutkin bought his original farm from and who resisted conscription in World War II.

More books from Dundurn

Cover of the book Le marin-citoyen by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Careless at Work by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Discover Ontario by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book The Austin Clarke Library by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book A Trail Called Home by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Algonquin Spring by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book In Search of My Father by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Recipes for Dirty Laundry by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book The Encyclopedia of Home Winemaking by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book From Reindeer Lake to Eskimo Point by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book The Legend of Dion by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Music Express by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Meg Harris Mysteries 7-Book Bundle by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book In Flanders Fields and Other Poems by Mark Frutkin
Cover of the book Do You Ever Cry, Dad? by Mark Frutkin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy