Mathias Schulze

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies has compiled a collection of articles describing the complex and diverse history of German settlement in the Waterloo [previously Berlin] region of Southern Ontario. German settlers arrived through a number of immigration waves starting in the early 1800s from a variety of locations and faith traditions. This diaspora originated within German-speaking areas of central Europe as well as and from the former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the former Yugoslavia, the steppes of Ukraine and the Soviet Union. This study incorporates over 100 oral histories in detailing a rich multi-generational community life.

This volume will be of great benefit to anyone with an interest in the settlement history of Ontario and Canada and especially in the extensive international German diaspora.… (más)

I won this ebook as part of the Early Review program they have at LibraryThing. I forgot about it until one day the folks at LT reminded me that I have an abysmal record for reviewing free books. I think I am running a solid 17% rate for books received. So I downloaded this book onto Dropbox and once again forgot about it.
Time passed. I grew a beard. I cut off my beard. Then one day I found myself at a speech competition with my youngest daughter and had some time to spare. I re-discovered the emails from LT scolding me for being a cheapskate. So I opened up this ebook and started skimming over the content of the book.

It appears to be more like an extensively researched academic publication rather than the warm stories of Germans leaving their home and settling in Canada. But the preface/forward does mention that the purpose of this book was to record and preserve the oral history of this ethnic group and that part of Canada. So I say well done for preserving their stories, even though I was hoping for a good story along the lines of James Michener.… (más)