What is on your Canadian reading list? 

“I normally have several books on the go at any time, both fiction and non-fiction. On the non-fiction side, I’m looking forward to reading Tim Cook’s The Madman and the Butcher, one of the last books by him I have left to read. His untimely death made for the loss of a national treasure, and his books are essential for anyone seeking to understand Canadian military history. On the fiction side, I’m a big sci-fi fan and recently really enjoyed Dennis Taylor’s We are Legion (We are Bob) and look forward to reading more of his books in the ‘Bobiverse.’” 

What inspired you to share your story in Into the Breach? 

“We do not have a tradition in Canada of senior military leaders writing of their experiences. Indeed, based on what I have been able to determine, there are only about a dozen Canadian Generals who have written books since before the First World War, to the chagrin of many historians. This fact, reinforced by many over the years telling me that I should capture the history of the unique events I was part of, was part of the inspiration to write. Sharing the lessons of these experiences to benefit others, including future military leaders, also motivated me. Finally, the act of writing helped me come to grips with the question, after 40 years of military service, of what it all meant.” 

What moment in your life felt straight out of a novel? 

“There were many instances that felt completely surreal, circumstances that one couldn’t make up. From some experiences in Afghanistan and Korea, to responding to non-stop crises around the world, many times I felt as if I was in a work of fiction, and had to remind myself that, yes, it was indeed real.” 

What is one book you think everyone should read? 

“Over the latter part of my time serving in the military, I became a fan of Stoic philosophy. Ryan Holiday’s modern works on it are fantastic and I recommend them all. Indeed, I assigned his Ego Is the Enemy as reading for our Canadian Armed Forces generals and admirals.” 

What book feels like home to you? 

“I first read The Lord of the Rings as a young teenager and go back to it every several years. It very much feels like home. The dog-eared copy that I’ve had for almost five decades is my most treasured book.” 

Who are your favourite writers? 

“For three-and-a-half decades I have been a fan of Robert D. Kaplan. He provides a unique combination of travel guide, history, geopolitics, and philosophy to make for incredibly insightful works. I find his work so insightful that I gave a copy of his The Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate, and the Burden of Power to our last prime minister. 

Likewise, I find anything that Hal Brands writes on geopolitical and security issues well worth reading. His Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China was excellent. 

I am a fan of many science fiction writers, such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Larry Niven. More contemporarily, I really enjoy John Scalzi, especially his Old Man’s War. 

Likewise, I quite enjoy historical fiction, by such authors at Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, and Steven Pressfield. On the last one, it was Pressfield’s discussion of the writing process in his The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles that helped me through my own writing journey.” 

What book title best describes your life? 

“I hope I chose a fitting one for my memoirs with Into the Breach. That said, there are a number of titles that captures various aspects of my life and military service, even if their content is very different: The Jungle is Neutral, by F. Spencer Chapman, Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Weight of Command, a title used by several authors in various genres, including J.L. Granatstein and Michael Mammay, and Duty by Robert M. Gates.” 

Your favourite Canadian author, past or present? 

“I have a number. George Stanley wrote the first comprehensive military history of Canada, Canada's Soldiers, 1604-1954: The Military History of An Unmilitary People, a great book which I have gifted to a number of foreign officials. I am a big fan of Tim Cook’s works, as mentioned above. 

I am also a big fan of Jack Whyte, especially The Camulod Chronicles, my favourite take on the Arthurian legend.”