These short stories are meant to be fun and are that. This is not deep meaningful literature. More like what you'll want to read while drinking beer and eating chips. Hey, nothing wrong with that! What's not to like? If you can find it, buy it!

Does Uncle Sam and Jack Canuck share a common history in regards to their agrarian movments? This was the question ask by Paul Sharp in his thoughtful book "The Agrarian Revolt in Western Canada: A Survey Showing American Parrallels". Orgainally published in 1948 this monograph does a fine job of illustrating with remarkable adroitness the narrative of the agrarian sedition in Western Canada. In his opening chapter Sharp shows well that "It was the existence of cheap land to the south that was largely responsible for the delay"1 in devolpment and settelment of the canadian prairies. Sharp goes on to show that by 1909 "the same type of land could be purchased"2 in canada at two dollars instead of 50 per acre. In his next three chapters Sharp developes for the reader a picture of the growth in farmers' associations between 1889 and 1915. The following three chapters are dedicated to the affects of World War One on the farmers' movement, also discussed in these chapters was the establishment of farmer leagues which were exclusively for politcal action. The last chapters delt with the epidemic of organized agrarians between 1918 and 1922 including the eventual collapse of the movement.

Dr. Sharp does a skilled job of showing simlarities or parrallels between the American and Canadian farmers movements. However intersting and obvious historical parallels may appear to be, understanding them well does not necessarily mean a complete comprehension of the past. In fact utilizing such methods to apprecate the elapsed may obfuscate ones survey of the prior. The dissimilarities are just as important to understanding the past as similarities may be.

Francis Bacon felt that through thought, we were capable of understanding the human potential and some universal truths. However, he named four false idols that could prevent us from that higher understanding about the human experience. He felt that if we were not ever aware of these idols we could be led away from the truth. An idol is something with a false or misleading meaning not necessarily pertaining to religion. One of these idols of which he warns us of is the "The Idol of the Cave...For every one has a cave or den of his own, which refracts and discolors the light of nature..." This idol seems to be what we call bias. Consequently the way we see and perceive our world is obscured by our own cave. Hence, our experiences and ideals form our cave. The cave then discolors our study of past in its own unique way. Studying the parallels can become its own cave unless all efforts to remain honest and detached are used. The enterprise to authentically know the past is already handicapted by a scholars cave. Sharp added an extra layer to that stuggle by focusing on the parallels.

Sharp utilized a plethora of varied sources such as newspapers, goverment documents, even political prapaganda. However much importance and reliance was placed on primary evidence like the Grain Growers Guide, and the Nonpartisan Leader or other nonpartisan newspapers. These sources can provide much useful evidance about the state of the movement, major uncertainty faced by farmers, even strife within the movement, along with other helpful information. These sources also give a one-sided and partial narrative focusing the authors attention away from a comprehensive awareness. This reviewer can not help but wonder if more impartial evidence had been used for the study, if the picture painted, by Sharp would have been in piercing contrast.

However Sharp must be commended for his efforts to show the reader the whole picture as a North American. Because of environmental factors, clearly the Canadian and the American farmers shared many of the same hardships and frustrations. In his effort to show the parallels, considerable worthy evidence was provided to show that there was much ingrained dissatisfaction within the farming community towards the market system, and it's apprent inability to give everyone an opportunity. "Railroads were attacked for charging exorbitant rates and for failure to provide sufficient cars to handle the farmers' crops."6 as early as 1890. Sharp used this evidence and much like it to prove that unfairness was a fundamental part of farming, long before the revolt had poltical consequences in the late 1910's and that there were years of education and awareness on behalf of the farmers prior to the revolt. Furthermore there was "...growing sentiment that political action alone could save the western farmer."7 well before the turn of the century.

Sharps most meaningful contribution to the discussion of cooperatives and grain growing was that the farmers perceived the market driven grain industry as unfair to farmers. Beginning in 1901 with the formation of the Territorial Grain Growers' Association or TGGA8 farmers began a critique of the mercantilistic system that was grain selling, and transporting in western Canada during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Out of the early farmers movement came a fundamental principle of cooperation which was predominantly antagonistic to market economics. Moreover Canadian farmers concept of cooperation was interventionist in its approach. Chiefly affected by the governments policy setting authority during the First World War the agrarian revolt perceived such market control as essential for survival.

Sharp did leave an important qusetion unaswered. Was the agrarain revolt a politcal or economic awakening. Sharp provides some evidence that indicates the revolt was primarily a political manifestation. However he also uses information that identfies the revolt in a dualistic form, both political and economic. These dualing ideas create confusion for the reader and can ultimately obscure some of the leading concepts. Nevertheless many interesting ideas, and concepts about the underlying factors surounding the agrarain movement have been brocked by Sharp and though the abstractions are sometimes twofold they do create awareness and may ultimately provided the necessary historical foundations for future scholars to find answers.

This book is in the end a noteworthy jumping off place for one who wishes to study the agrarian movement in western canada between 1885 and 1928. Sharp has provided much historical context for the scholar, which makes this book a good first read on the subject. It is the opinion of this reviewer that too much attention was paid to the parallels between America and Canada: and that the real value of the work was its effort to prove the intrinsic frustration of farmers and their class consciences. Moreover Sharp's book leads us on an entriguing path of study about how the mercantilism of farming led farmers to politcal, economic action. Finally, Sharp and the the publisher should be complimented for a job well done.