CO-WINNER OF THE C.P. STACEY AWARD
The definitive account of Canadians fighting in the Second World War written by Canada's premier military historian.

Tim Cook, Canada's leading war historian, ventures deep into the Second World War in this epic two-volume story of heroism and horror, loss and longing, and sacrifice and endurance.

Written in Cook's compelling narrative style, this book shows in impressive detail how soldiers, airmen, and sailors fought—the evolving tactics, weapons of war, logistics, and technology. He also examines the war as an engine of transformation for Canada. With a population of fewer than twelve million, Canada embraced its role as an arsenal of democracy, exporting war supplies, feeding its allies, and raising a million-strong armed forces that served and fought in nearly every theatre of war. The six-year-long exertion caused disruption, provoked nationwide industrialization, ushered in changes to gender roles, exacerbated the tension between English and French, and forged a new sense of Canadian identity. It showed that Canadians were willing to bear almost any burden and to pay the ultimate price in the pursuit of victory.

TIM COOK is the Great War historian at the Canadian War Museum, as well as an adjunct professor at Carleton University. He is the author of five other books, including Shock Troops, which won the prestigious Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction in 2009. He was also awarded the Ottawa Book Award and the J.W. Dafoe Prize for At the Sharp End. Cook lives in Ottawa with his family.

Tim Cook's profile page

"A clear-eyed look at the successes and many failures of Canada's early war effort, within the larger context of the international story and the situation of the times." —Ottawa Citizen

"A genuinely captivating work of historical reportage and analysis.... The Necessary War grapples with the question of how one lives knowing each day might literally be your last." —The Globe and Mail
“The Necessary War is the ultimate exploration of WWII and its impact of Canadians.… A thorough and engaging chronicle of a war that devastated the entire world.” —CBC Books
“I’ve read well-written books that explain this war from the government and military hierarchy’s persepctive, and equally crafted accounts drawing mainly from combatants’ and families’ diaries. The Necessary War excels in both areas.” —FFW Weekly