I Am Canada: Prisoner of Dieppe World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942 (I Am Canada)
About this book
A young soldier's gritty account of “the bloodiest nine hours in Canadian military history” — the tragic Dieppe raid of WWII
Alistair “Allie” Morrison lets his friend Mackie talk him into enlisting for WWII, even though he’s only 18. After months of endless training Allie’s eager for battle. But his first action is not just any battle . . . it’s the disastrous raid on the German-held port of Dieppe.
He and his unit are under orders to take one of the main beaches, but they disembark from their landing craft onto a killing ground. As Allie gets his bearings and makes sense of the horror on every side, he witnesses friends advance into a massacre.
All told, almost a thousand Canadian soldiers died that day. In the resulting chaotic evacuation, Allie and Mackie are captured as POWs and sent to Stalag VIIIB in Germany. Still shell-shocked from their fighting, the soldiers struggle to maintain their courage. Others, like Mackie, are determined to plot an escape and outwit their captors, at any cost.
Historian Jack Granatstein vetted Prisoner of Dieppe to ensure historical accuracy.
Reviews
Praise for I Am Canada
“. . . the chief characters are eminently likeable and quietly heroic, and their tales utterly engrossing.” —The Globe and Mail
“. . . makes history come alive through an expert mix of fact and fiction.” —The Quill & Quire, starred review.
“. . . its lively writing style will maintain reader interest throughout.” —CM: Canadian Materials, 3 1/2 stars out of 4
“I was riveted by the story . . . . It’s very well written. The book is filled with the details of the life of a soldier and POW, but it never dragged. The pacing was quick and yet nothing is taken from the characterizations.” — Chrisbookarama.com
