Mark Bourrie

Good to see @drmarkbourrie.bsky.social getting recognition.
During my too-brief stint in the Parliamentary Press Gallery (a lifetime ago), I noticed its caste structure. A few stars, some egos, duds too, many diggers, and others just underrated. From my POV, he was among that last group. No more. 👏

Jean de Brebeuf: when Indigenous-European contact went terribly wrong This time of year, my thoughts turn to 17th century warfare and collateral causalties.

Making saints in Ontario's cottage country:
open.substack.com/pub/markbour...

Save Canadian stories, save the country Reflections on a post-national state's post-national non-fiction, and some analysis of Richard Stursberg's "Lament for a Literature: The Collapse of Canadian Publishing"

What can we do to foster Canadian non-fiction?
open.substack.com/pub/markbour...

Books are doing far better than magazines, newspapers and magazines. But fewer books by Canadian authors are being sold.

Greetings from Ottawa!!!

I'm not sure what the fix is. Obviously, mass media executives believe this trope is the most profitable, likely because it resonates with middling people whose best years were high school. The sick thing is that the leaders of that culture - men and women - got their power by reading and writing.

The nerd, the weak kid who reads rather than socialize or compete in sports and has no chance of attracting a girl, is such a common trope. The idea of the well-rounded man, socially skilled and well-read, is beyond American culture.

Men made up the bulk of Pierre Berton's audience. Now, the anti-intellectualism of American mass culture pressures adolescent boys to give up reading. Look at how movies made for teens portray boys who are smart and who read.

When they do, they often like it. But they rarely find out about Canadian stories. They're rarely made into movies and TV shows anymore. They've fallen out of Canadian mass culture. And, most distressingly, young men are actually discouraged from becoming readers.

I think we have some systemic issues in Canadian non-fiction story telling. They're not the ones people fight over. They're not issues of woke vs non-woke, social history vs political and military. The real problem is that so few Canadians read any of it.

When I was a 'tween, I wanted to be a historian. I was encouraged by family members and great teachers. I wish more of them were still here to see this.
quillandquire.com/omni/mark-bo...

Congratulations to Canada's finest historian. He has detail and drive. He loves his country. We need him so badly right now.

One can hope...

Spinels are a girl's best friend Canada came late to the diamond trade, and the stones aren't an investment. Here are some other gems, some Canadian. You can go elbows-up when you shop for jewelry, even if you don't want a diamond..

Spinels are a girl's best friend:
I am into fossils, not gems, but I do love pretty things and I keep an eye on what's happening in the world of precious stones. Here's my take, including a warning about Trump and the gem market:
open.substack.com/pub/markbour...

A media partnership with an AI company is on the same level as inviting six people with bubonic plague into your bed.

Canada in a nutshell.

"It is possible, Noakes notes, that Alexander nursed a grievance against Pugliese for his critical reporting on the Afghanistan mission or other episodes, such as Alexander’s championing while in office of the controversial “Victims of Communism” monument"

The Biblioasis Holiday Book Guide: Part III Plus, our 2026 Subscription Clubs are here!

The Biblioasis Holiday Book Guide: Part III
open.substack.com/pub/digitalb...

The Robar case gets weirder Or, more from wilderness of mirrors

It's important to remember, and Mr. Wark clearly makes this point, that David Pugliese did absolutely nothing wrong:

The Robar case gets weirder
open.substack.com/pub/wesleywa...

Thanks so much, Heather!

This is a great and perceptive book. The guy’s weird and he always will be. He does not know how to be.

YouTube video by Big Think Men are dying at alarming rates | Richard Reeves

This video is worth watching. It's an overview of the situation of young men, but it's not manosphere. I wish he had gone into the social stigma attached to men who read and think, this anti-nerd trope that has driven three generations of young men away from books.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnA9...

A good read. Fair-minded but no excuses

Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre - Biblioasis One of The Hill Times’ Top 100 Best Books in 2025 As Canada heads towards a pivotal election, bestselling author Mark Bourrie charts the rise of Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre […]

As Pierre Poilievre's leadership goes on the block, it's a good time to read Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre. I guarantee you'll learn a lot about what makes him tick. You have time to read it and give it to someone for Christmas.
It's available everywhere.
www.biblioasis.com/shop/new-rel...

Thanks. The other one is so toxic. I never feel better when I spend time on it.

I've posted pictures of some of my fossils to Instagram.
www.instagram.com/ontariotrilo...

Nuremberg: The Film, The Trial, The Verdict Michael Shermer reviews “Nuremberg” (2025), dir. James Vanderbilt. Starring Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, and Leo Woodall.

I want Dr. Gilbert's book:
www.skeptic.com/article/nure...

The Great Lakes hurricane blizzard that killed 300 people. You think the weather was bad this week? You should have been in Ontario in 1913!

You think this week's snow was bad? Read about the Great Lakes hurricane blizzard that killed 300 people. open.substack.com/pub/markbour...

When confessions are not confessions Kids can be talked into just about anything

When confessions are not confessions
open.substack.com/pub/markbour...