War Resisters offers a contemporary perspective on the struggles and triumphs of the American Vietnam War resisters who resettled in Canada on Vancouver Island. This important collection of stories sheds light on an invisible minority, illustrating the courage it took for resisters to leave behind their friends, families, and communities with no certainty of return. Supporters on both sides of the 49th parallel showed compassion to the resisters by helping them escape the US draft and peacefully integrate into Canadian communities. In return, the resisters contributed to their newly adopted communities as farmers, teachers, caregivers, and more.

Through interviews with resisters, author Joline Martin shares previously untold stories about what it was like for them to start new lives on Vancouver Island all the while grappling with the consequences of their decisions to stand against the war. The resisters’ stories blend with historical context to offer a deep and alternate insight into a time of political unrest in the United States. These stories challenge the long-held myths and assumptions about what it meant to be a Vietnam War resister. Edited by Lou Allison from the bestselling Gumboot series’, War Resisters pays homage to the legacy of this courageous community, not only in the lives they built but also in the generosity they continue to pay forward.