Paul Bennett tells the history of Nova Scotia through 15 key turning points. From Nova Scotia's problems with Confederation to wartime Halifax, the Springhill Mining Disaster, Viola Desmond and Ray Ivany's 'Now or Never' report, Bennett recounts these decisive moments that have shaped the province's destiny.

With rarely seen photography, Bennett shows how these turning points helped define the Nova Scotia we live in today. Each episode helped forge the province's identity, change its trajectory, and shape its collective sense of purpose.

Paul W. Bennet, Ed.D., is a Halifax author, education policy researcher, and well-known news commentator. He is director of Schoolhouse Institute, Halifax, founding Chair of researchED Canada, and the author of nine books, including Canada: A North American Nation, Vanishing Schools, Threatened Communities, and The Last Stand: Schools, Communities and the Future of Rural Nova Scotia. His blog, Educhatter, was honoured in 2018 with the Gold Medal as Top Education Blog in Canada.

Paul Bennett's profile page

"CLARITY"
"Relying on thorough research in secondary sources, Paul Bennett's Turning Points is a work of compelling synthesis and critical analysis. He brings a welcome clarity to complicated issues in Nova Scotian history." —Ken Donovan, retired historian, Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Parks Canada

"LIVELY"
"Paul Bennett's Turning Points is sure to challenge the comfortable assumptions held by insiders and outsiders about Nova Scotia. Bennett reminds readers that this province is dynamic, diverse, often frustrating, and always interesting." —Stephen Henderson, Assistant Professor, Department of History and Classics, Acadia University

"STIRRING"
"Nova Scotia has always been a small place where big things happen. In Turning Points: 15 Pivotal Moments in Nova Scotia's History, Paul Bennett has taken the singular events in its stirring history and connected them together to tell the bigger story of Canada's oldest province." —John DeMont, columnist (Halifax) Chronicle Herald and author The Long Way Home: A Personal History of Nova Scotia

"ENTERTAINING"
"In Turning Points: 15 Pivotal Moments in Nova Scotia's History Paul Bennett explores some of the most important, and contentious, episodes in the history of Nova Scotia. Bennett has written an accessible and entertaining book that highlights his sharp wit, strong opinions, and knowledge of the history of the province." —Blake Brown, Professor, Department of History and Atlantic Canada Studies, Saint Mary's University

"VIBRANT"
"Citing many differing historical perspectives, Paul Bennett has woven the many threads of Nova Scotia's vibrant history into a tapestry of "turning points." From the "Botheration" proposal of 1867 to the toppling of the Cornwallis statue in 2018, Bennett has traced the pivotal struggles that define who and what we are based on who and what we were. Turning points are pressure points and in clear and insightful prose Bennett has provided a much better understanding of how Nova Scotians have dealt with 15 crises in our eventful and at times fractious past." —James H. Morrison, CM,Ph.D.