“ltpgtltstronggtPraise for ltemgtCrosses in the SkyltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtltemgtCrosses in the Skyltemgt 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 settlerIndigenous relations and disrupted Indigenous societies in the 400 years since Brbeufs death And he has done it with attentiongrabbing panacheltbr gtltstronggtCharlotte Gray ltemgtGlobe and MailltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtBourries latest like its Charles Taylor Prizewinning predecessor ltemgtBush Runnerltemgt focuses on the clash between European and Indigenous cultures in 17thcentury colonial North America Here its the events leading to the violent ruin of Huronia traditional home of the HuronWendat people as they were experienced by the French Jesuit missionary and mystic Jean de Brbeufltbr gtltstronggtEmily Donaldson ltemgtGlobe and MailltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtIn 2019 Mark Bourrie published ltemgtBush Runnerltemgt a biography of the adventurer PierreEsprit Radisson that was compelling authoritative not a little disturbingand a significant contribution to the history of 17thcentury North America as I wrote at the time The same can be said about Bourries latest ltemgtCrosses in the Sky Jean de Brbeuf and the Destruction of Huronialtemgt In reinterpreting the Jesuits martyrdom against the backdrop of Huronias destruction Bourrie presents a revisionist historyltbr gtltstronggtKen McGoogan ltemgtToronto StarltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtBourries colloquial writing style and storytelling skill make ltemgtCrosses in the Skyltemgt an interesting and accessible retelling of an important chapter in Canadian historyltbr gtltstronggtKate Jaimet ltemgtCanadas HistoryltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtGripping stuff grippingly toldltbr gtltemgtltstronggtLiterary Review of CanadaltstronggtltemgtltpgtltpgtBourrie is fast becoming the dean of Canadian literary nonfiction Bourrie also manages to be panoramic in his historical descriptions of Huronia while concurrently focusing on biographical details of Brbeufs missionary work This treatment of the problematic legacy of both the cleric and his religious order is top drawerltbr gtltemgtltstronggtWinnipeg Free PressltstronggtltemgtltpgtltpgtltemgtCrosses in the Skyltemgt paints a detailed and nuanced portrait of that destruction enriching our modern understanding of a time and people who have been stereotyped or simply ignored for too longltbr gtltemgtltstronggtOttawa Review of BooksltstronggtltemgtltpgtltpgtIn ltemgtCrossesltemgt the first secular biography of Brbeuf Bourrie takes the accepted Sunday school version and humanizes it Here the Jesuits arent quite so noble the Hurons are not so pure and the Iroquois are no longer onedimensional villains This is a ripping yarn in the classic sense with plenty of actionepic canoe voyages battles and of course martyrdomand it marks Bourries second foray into the early history of the French in Canadaltbr gtltstronggtIan Coutts ltemgtZoomerltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtltemgtCrosses in the Skyltemgt provides a detailed account of the giantframed missionary who walked among the Hurons This patron saint of Canada has long been given plenty of attention by Jesuits whether for his missionary spirit or for his extreme suffering It is good to see his legend now given serious historical treatmentltbr gtltstronggtMichael Taube ltemgtWashington ExaminerltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtA fascinating and engrossing tale a meticulously researched book It told me on nearly every page something I did not know about the history of this province of the lives lived here in the 17th centuryltbr gtltstronggtEdith CodyRice ltemgtMillstone NewsltemgtltstronggtltpgtltpgtBourrie looks at how such early encounters between French colonists and missionaries and Indigenous Peoples continue to resonate in those same relationshipsltbr gtltemgtltstronggtQuill amp QuireltstronggtltemgtltpgtltpgtltstronggtPraise for Mark Bourrieltstronggtltbr gtltbr gtBourries book positively sings ltemgtBig Men Fear Meltemgt is thoroughly researched and the prose is clean and engaging McCullagh deserves to be known He made ltemgtThe Globeltemgt the dominant voice in English Canadian journalism Bourries biography does him full justiceltbr gtltstronggtltemgtGlobe and Mailltemgtltstronggtltbr gtltbr gtThere are many threads to untangle here and Bourriejournalist academic and lawyerunpicks them all Spanning the first half of 20thcentury Ontario George McCullaghs life and times become an engrossing tale of ambition politics and bipolar illnessits like little else were likely to read this year It was a tumultuous life and Bourrie tells it with wit and humourltbr gtltstronggtNancy Wigston ltemgtToronto Starltemgtltstronggtltbr gtltbr gtThis is a joy of a biography Bourrie a historian whose last book brought explorer Pierre Radisson to life has done right by McCullagh and not just with the marvellous title Canada doesnt like tall poppies It didnt end well But what a ride it wasltbr gtltstronggtHeather Mallick ltemgtToronto Starltemgtltstronggtltbr gtltbr gtA remarkable biography of an even more remarkable 17thcentury individual Beautifully written and endlessly thoughtprovokingltbr gtltstronggtltemgtMacleansltemgtltstronggtltbr gtltbr gtBourries writing is grounded in a strong sense of place partly because of his own extensive knowledge of the land and partly because of Radissons descriptive storytelling abilities a valuable and rare glimpse into 17thcentury North Americaltbr gtltstronggtltemgtCanadian Geographicltemgtltstronggtltpgt”