The Picton Branch Library has been busy this spring with several recent events selling out completely. We’re delighted to have filled the flex space with readers keen to hear from Adam Shoalts, Vickery Bowles and Jeff Rubin, and we’re on track for another full house for an upcoming talk featuring Mark Bourrie on July 11. If you are interested in attending, get your $20 tickets soon at peclibrary.org or at any branch of the library to avoid disappointment.

Mark Bourrie is an Ottawa-based author, lawyer, and journalist. He holds a master’s in journalism from Carleton University and a PhD in history from the University of Ottawa. In 2017, he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree and was called to the bar in 2018. His previous books including Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Espirit Raddison and Big Men Fear Me: The Fast Life and Quick Death of Canada’s Most Powerful Media Mogul continue to be well-read at the library.  On July 11 at 7 p.m., he’ll join us to discuss his latest book, Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia.   As Bourrie says about the book, “This is the story of the collision of two worlds. In the early 1600s, the Jesuits—the Catholic Church’s most ferocious warriors for Christ—tried to create their own nation on the Great Lakes and turn the Huron (Wendat) Confederacy into a model Jesuit state. At the centre of their campaign was missionary Jean de Brébeuf, a mystic who sought to die a martyr’s death. He lived among a proud people who valued kindness and rights for all, especially women. In the end, Huronia was destroyed. Brébeuf became a Catholic saint, and the Jesuit’s “martyrdom” became one of the founding myths of Canada.”

The book received high praise from Canadian historian and writer Charlotte Gray who said: “Crosses in the Sky is dramatic and enthralling . . . Bourrie has done more than any other Canadian historian writing for a general audience to disinter the root causes of degenerating settler-Indigenous relations and disrupted Indigenous societies in the 400 years since Brébeuf’s death. And he has done it with attention-grabbing panache.”

Bourrie’s books are always well-researched and thought provoking and this latest release is no exception. It’s available now from the library and copies will be for sale at the talk on July 11.

UPCOMING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: Join professional animator Nicole Breedyk for a hands-on animation workshop using low-tech supplies. Bring your questions about working in animation.  Best for ages 10+. No charge. Bloomfield Branch Library Friday, July 12 from 2 – 4 p.m. Register by calling (613) 393-3400.