"Nationalism Without Walls": A Book Review by Susan Crean

Book Review in Geist 22

Richard Gwyn tries to get away with two puns in the title of his book Nationalism Without Walls: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Canadian (McClelland & Stewart), trading off on both André Malraux's cultural manifesto of the 1960s Museum Without Walls, and Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

Read Susan Crean's book review of "Nationalism Without Walls: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Canadian," online here.

About Susan Crean

Susan Crean is a cultural critic, author, and activist. A writer for over 30 years, Crean's expertise is in Canadian history, art and culture, topics on which she has written extensively. She has been a pioneer of creative non-fiction in Canada, and is the author of seven books, the first, Who’s Afraid of Canadian Culture, appearing in 1976. Her next major work, The Laughing One – A Journey to Emily Carr, was nominated for a Governor General’s award and won a BC Book Prize in 2001. Crean published her memoir, Finding Mr Wong, in 2018, a work that recreates the life of her family's cook, Wong Dong Wong, beginning with his journey from China to Vancouver, following his work as a domestic servant in Toronto to his eventual citizenship and retirement. Crean spent a number of years researching Wong's story, visiting China in search of Mr. Wong's home village, to better understanding of where Wong came from, what his prospects were as an orphan, and what his journey to Canada was like. Finding Mr Wong recently reached the top 10 list of Best Canadian History books by Canada`s History magazine. READ MORE