It's a fascinating book. I knew some of the history, but not all of it. For example, I was first made aware of the Riel rebellion because I stayed in the Place Louis Riel (now converted to apartments) during the 1994 Winnipeg Worldcon. There s a section of the book about the Riel rebellion and how it pushed the Canadian government toward building an all-Canadian railroad because, among other things, it seems unlikely that the US government would allow Canadian troops to transit the USA on American railroads in order to get from Ontario to Manitoba.