Jennifer Reid interviewed for Louis Riel Day

Arielle Godbout interviewed Jennifer Reid, author of Louis Riel and the Creation of Modern Canada for the February 15 issue of The Lance:

A book about the father of Manitoba and his role in the Canadian identity is coming home.

University of Maine professor Jennifer Reid’s book, Louis Riel and the Creation of Modern Canada, was first published in the United States in 2008 and was recently picked up for reprinting by University of Manitoba Press.

The book will be released on Mon., Feb. 20, Louis Riel Day.

“I’m really happy,” said Reid, a Canadian who grew up in Arnprior, Ont.

Reid said she initially wanted to have her book published in Canada, but couldn’t find a publisher and settled for release in the United States.

To have the University of Manitoba Press republish her book brings it full-circle, she said.

“It’s the audience it was intended for,” Reid said.

Glenn Bergen, managing editor of University of Manitoba Press, said it only made sense to reprint Reid’s book.

“It’s our story, it’s a Manitoban story, and it was one that we felt should reach a wider audience in Canada,” he said.

Reid’s book examines the plight of modern countries as they grapple with identity, an age-old issue that is growing as immigration levels continue to climb, she said.

Canada has dealt with its diversity better than most countries, Reid said.

“Riel is important because he’s a symbol of that,” she explained.

Since his execution, Reid said, Riel has been used by almost everyone — historians, politicians, musicians and even the creator of a graphic novel — to represent their own agendas.

“In Riel, you can find anything you want in terms of Canadian issues,” said Reid, adding she believes it demonstrates the desire of Canadians to make peace with the diverse identities within the country.

“We keep going back to this person who brings together all these dichotomies to make into a hero.”

Meanwhile, she said, other countries are struggling because they feel they need a single identity to define everything.

While Reid’s book has yet to be published in Canada, she said Canadians have been reading it. Despite the fact it’s an academic work, it is reaching a wider audience, she added.

“I’ve had a lot of non-academics tell me they enjoyed it,” she said.