"Uprising" – a book review

"Uprising" is a 2010 novel by Canadian author Douglas Bland. It has now been released in a paperback edition, which has lowered the book price by one-half. Published by the Dundurn Press (Toronto), "Uprising" covers a modern day Native insurrection which takes place inside Canada.

The fictional work is partly based in Akwesasne. The headquarters for the "Native People's Army" is based somewhere in Hogansburg. Somehow the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council was removed because the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne appears to be administering the entire reserve. The movement is led by a charismatic activist from Alberta named Molly Grace.

The plot shows how a series of smaller incidents comes together, leading to a bigger outcome for the Canadian government to deal with in suppressing the rebellion.

The key to the success of the "Uprising" movement is the ability for the rebels to draw support from disillusioned Canadian Armed Forces veterans. These trained personnel help to plan the early raids to acquire military equipment used throughout the book. Reservations located south of the imaginary line also provide support for Molly Grace and her team, showing how the United States is vitally weaved into the overall plot outcome.

The author Bland is a retired Canadian Army command staff officer who is now on the faculty of Queen's University in Ontario. He has served as an advisor to previous Canadian Prime Ministers. Adding to his military insight is his academic study on First Nation social conditions which was published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for Public Policy in 2013. The study found that the combination of an ever-growing Native population and a lack of economic prospects for their employment puts great pressure on the status quo within Canada. Bland has pointed to the Idle No More Movement as an example of how a rebellion might quickly come together.

"The most startling response to the book came from public officials, and some military officers who suggested that you shouldn't have written the book, it gives the Natives too many ideas on how to use their power. It's the most dangerous book in Canada. The fact is that since the rebellion in Oka and the insurgency in Caledonia it is obvious that the radical leaders in the First Nations don't need any coaching from the outside," stated Bland in an interview.

A copy of "Uprising" has been donated to the Akwesasne Library and Cultural Center and it is now available for borrowing. I found the book worth the time it took to read it.