Lilac Moon: Dreaming of the Real West

Toronto, CAN: HarperCollins Publishers. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 2005. First Edition. Hardcover. Full number line.. 256 pages. WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be a Westerner? What is the Western experience and, by extension, what makes up the Western soul? In Lilac Moon, Sharon Butala inspires, delights and challenges us to think about the West in fresh ways. Beginning with a day in the life of the real West, she transports us to her Saskatchewan ranch, where a soft lilac moon lights the vast rolling landscape. Then, in a series of wide-ranging chapters that ponder the question "What makes a Westerner?" she considers the myths, the history, the peoples of the three prairie provinces.From the pioneer past to Western stereotypes, from racial and ethnic inequalities to party politics, from rural myths to urban realities, Lilac Moon effortlessly interweaves strands of history, family, politics and culture. Butala’s intense personal connection -- her blended English/French roots run five generations deep in the Western landscape -- and her elegant style combine to create a book rich in insight and an abiding love for the vast region she knows so well.Published on the centennial anniversary of the entry of Alberta and Saskatchewan into Confederation, this is a book not just for Westerners, but for all Canadians who want to know -- and understand -- one of the seminal dreams of our nation. .