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Riel: A Life Of Revolution
Published to widespread critical acclaim, A Life of Revolution proved that an intimate and revealing portrait of one of our most enduring ―and most misunderstood―legends could be an almost instant national bestseller. -Who is Louis Riel?’ Maggie Siggins asks, and comes up with some fascinating answers. Seen by many as an unrepentant traitor, a messianic prophet and a pathetic tyrant, Siggins uncovers the real Louis Riel―a complex man full of contradiction and angst, a charismatic visionary and poet, a humanitarian who gave up prestige and wealth to fight for the Métis people. Infused with atmosphere and detail, this fascinating portrait is illuminating in its accounts of the people and events that moulded the enigmatic rebel. Revealing a man passionate about forging an equitable and just relationship between native and white people, A Life of Revolution is more relevant today than ever before.
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 3, 2024
“The highly politicized, partisan psychological attacks by establishment historians will diminish [Louis Riel] no more than similar attacks can wipe away the beauty of Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflowers and starry nights, or, embarrass every other soul who loved humanity too much for his/her own good.”
- Douglas Daniels
I don’t remember how my teachers painted Louis Riel. I remember learning that he was a Metis leader who fought against the government and was hung for his rebellious actions. I can’t quite remember whether we were taught he was the villain or the hero. I know most people have been taught that he was the villain. The belief that Louis Riel was an insane religious madman devoted to overthrowing the Canadian government at all costs has been perpetuated by that same government for over a century. We have made some progress towards dismantling this belief but there is still a long way to go. A play I saw at the Stratford Festival this past summer Women of the Fur Trade brought Louis Riel back to my attention. When I learned that the cast and crew read this book to learn about Louis Riel, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Maggie Siggins does a thorough job of chronicling the life of Louis Riel. She uses a wide range of evidence, including Louis’ own beautiful writings, to piece together this complex man. She keeps every detail firmly rooted in the context of the time, never letting us forget the evidence against the government’s claims that Louis manipulated the Metis to gain power for himself, was insane, and was leading an unjustified rebellion, among others. It’s quite obvious that Maggie is on Louis’ side, but I think she still provides a complete picture of his life, ultimately allowing us to draw our own conclusions. I have firmly concluded that he was not the villain the Canadian public has been made to believe. He was not so simple as that.
My main takeaway from this read is that Louis Riel was an extremely complicated man and that my country's government has used him to discredit Indigenous people, their rights, and their activism. Louis' vision was simple but nothing else about him was. He was a man with intense emotions, big dreams, and unmovable loyalties. He was an all or nothing kind of person. Every moment of his life attests his statement that, “‘I have nothing but my heart and I have given it long ago to my country.’” He may not have made the best decisions every time, but they were always with the goal of improving life for his people and all of their neighbours. The rights of the white settlers and the local Indigenous people were always taken into consideration by Louis. He knew that communal cooperation was the key to the success of the Red River and North-West rebellions.
“‘I wish ardently to procure the glory of God as much as possible. And yet I am considered an eccentric. People scorn me, they laugh at me, they shrug their shoulders when they speak of me…I work without ceasing for the good of society. And the newspapers vilify me. I am put in prison…And for all my deeds I am treated as a public nuisance.’” - Louis Riel
Louis's writings and the writings of his friends, all shared by Maggie in this book, reveal he always did his very best to ensure the fight was fair. He remained a firmly anti-violent man his entire life. He abhorred the idea anyone people being killed, and even hesitated to dispose of his enemies in that manner. His religious upbringing greatly influenced his lifelong belief that he lived to serve his people on behalf of God, and murder did not align with that belief. The execution of Thomas Scott, one of the very few times Louis approved violence, would unfortunately become the main case the Canadian government would use to discredit Louis and his rebellions. The other would be the case of his sanity.
“Thomas Scott became an instant symbol–the up-standing, courageous young British loyalist toiling to civilize the West on behalf of the Canadian people, cut down in his youth by savages.”
So much of this book made me furious with my country. Not that I needed convincing that Sir John A. Macdonald was not a founder to be proud of, but his treatment of Louis Riel and the Western Indigenous people has cemented that belief. Of course, it was not just John A. who did everything in his power to destroy Louis and crush the rebellions. How dare this government grant an 'unconditional pardon' to every member of the Red River Rebellion except Louis! How dare they infringe on the democratic rights of the Manitoban people by forcing Louis Riel out of his fairly earned seat in the House of Commons! If he had tried to take his seat he would have been arrested and tried for treason. How dare they continue to ignore his contributions to modern Canada! He is the founder of the Metis nation, Manitoba, and a significant contributor to the founding of Saskatchewan. Those are the reasons for the backlash and outpouring of rage and grief after Louis' execution.
“There was no doubt in the minds of Francophone journalists that Riel was condemned to hang because he was French-speaking, Catholic, and a Half-breed.” This is one of the many reasons a thick tension between Quebec and the rest of Canada remains today.
He was a powerful advocate for many oppressed groups – the French, Metis, and First Nations. He deserves the same recognition as any of the other founding fathers.
“The little courtroom was, in effect, a national stage where many of the antipathies and hatreds which had bedeviled Canadian society since the British conquest were played out. As the historian George F.G. Stanley put it, it was a drama of ‘east vs. west, Ontario vs Quebec, Organism vs Catholicism, Anglo-Saxon vs French.’ And in the middle of it was one man fighting to save his life.”
- Douglas Daniels
I don’t remember how my teachers painted Louis Riel. I remember learning that he was a Metis leader who fought against the government and was hung for his rebellious actions. I can’t quite remember whether we were taught he was the villain or the hero. I know most people have been taught that he was the villain. The belief that Louis Riel was an insane religious madman devoted to overthrowing the Canadian government at all costs has been perpetuated by that same government for over a century. We have made some progress towards dismantling this belief but there is still a long way to go. A play I saw at the Stratford Festival this past summer Women of the Fur Trade brought Louis Riel back to my attention. When I learned that the cast and crew read this book to learn about Louis Riel, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Maggie Siggins does a thorough job of chronicling the life of Louis Riel. She uses a wide range of evidence, including Louis’ own beautiful writings, to piece together this complex man. She keeps every detail firmly rooted in the context of the time, never letting us forget the evidence against the government’s claims that Louis manipulated the Metis to gain power for himself, was insane, and was leading an unjustified rebellion, among others. It’s quite obvious that Maggie is on Louis’ side, but I think she still provides a complete picture of his life, ultimately allowing us to draw our own conclusions. I have firmly concluded that he was not the villain the Canadian public has been made to believe. He was not so simple as that.
My main takeaway from this read is that Louis Riel was an extremely complicated man and that my country's government has used him to discredit Indigenous people, their rights, and their activism. Louis' vision was simple but nothing else about him was. He was a man with intense emotions, big dreams, and unmovable loyalties. He was an all or nothing kind of person. Every moment of his life attests his statement that, “‘I have nothing but my heart and I have given it long ago to my country.’” He may not have made the best decisions every time, but they were always with the goal of improving life for his people and all of their neighbours. The rights of the white settlers and the local Indigenous people were always taken into consideration by Louis. He knew that communal cooperation was the key to the success of the Red River and North-West rebellions.
“‘I wish ardently to procure the glory of God as much as possible. And yet I am considered an eccentric. People scorn me, they laugh at me, they shrug their shoulders when they speak of me…I work without ceasing for the good of society. And the newspapers vilify me. I am put in prison…And for all my deeds I am treated as a public nuisance.’” - Louis Riel
Louis's writings and the writings of his friends, all shared by Maggie in this book, reveal he always did his very best to ensure the fight was fair. He remained a firmly anti-violent man his entire life. He abhorred the idea anyone people being killed, and even hesitated to dispose of his enemies in that manner. His religious upbringing greatly influenced his lifelong belief that he lived to serve his people on behalf of God, and murder did not align with that belief. The execution of Thomas Scott, one of the very few times Louis approved violence, would unfortunately become the main case the Canadian government would use to discredit Louis and his rebellions. The other would be the case of his sanity.
“Thomas Scott became an instant symbol–the up-standing, courageous young British loyalist toiling to civilize the West on behalf of the Canadian people, cut down in his youth by savages.”
So much of this book made me furious with my country. Not that I needed convincing that Sir John A. Macdonald was not a founder to be proud of, but his treatment of Louis Riel and the Western Indigenous people has cemented that belief. Of course, it was not just John A. who did everything in his power to destroy Louis and crush the rebellions. How dare this government grant an 'unconditional pardon' to every member of the Red River Rebellion except Louis! How dare they infringe on the democratic rights of the Manitoban people by forcing Louis Riel out of his fairly earned seat in the House of Commons! If he had tried to take his seat he would have been arrested and tried for treason. How dare they continue to ignore his contributions to modern Canada! He is the founder of the Metis nation, Manitoba, and a significant contributor to the founding of Saskatchewan. Those are the reasons for the backlash and outpouring of rage and grief after Louis' execution.
“There was no doubt in the minds of Francophone journalists that Riel was condemned to hang because he was French-speaking, Catholic, and a Half-breed.” This is one of the many reasons a thick tension between Quebec and the rest of Canada remains today.
He was a powerful advocate for many oppressed groups – the French, Metis, and First Nations. He deserves the same recognition as any of the other founding fathers.
“The little courtroom was, in effect, a national stage where many of the antipathies and hatreds which had bedeviled Canadian society since the British conquest were played out. As the historian George F.G. Stanley put it, it was a drama of ‘east vs. west, Ontario vs Quebec, Organism vs Catholicism, Anglo-Saxon vs French.’ And in the middle of it was one man fighting to save his life.”
May 6, 2009
I found this biography on the "discard sale" table at our local library, and loved it so much I went back to the library to tell them they'd made a mistake and should keep it (they had another copy on the shelf). This is a deeply compelling and utterly heartbreaking story, like watching a terrible accident in slow motion and being unable to stop it and unable to look away. (O.K., some of the centre section about Riel's long and depressing exile is, well, depressing, and a bit too detailed, but knowing where it was headed kept me going. This is often the nature of biography). Siggins presents a nuanced portrait of Riel, and a detailed examination of a pivotal period in Canadian history, about which I was almost entirely ignorant and woefully misinformed! It was astonishing to see how close the Metis, led by Riel, came to actually realizing their dream of forming a government. It was depressing to see how a movement of Orangemen warped and influenced events so massively, with a virulent wave of imperialist, racist, hyper-Britishness.
To my surprise, I found this book had a strongly contemporary resonance. At the risk of sounding preachy, everyone in Canada with any interest in the future of First Nations people, or in our collective future, should read this important book. And then, they should go to John Ralston Saul's book, A Fair Country, as I have returned to it. He describes the suppression of the Metis and the execution of Riel as "the lowest point in our history", one that we are still recovering from. Until we understand and reach back to our unique history, he argues, our unique destiny has remained obscured and unreachable.
To my surprise, I found this book had a strongly contemporary resonance. At the risk of sounding preachy, everyone in Canada with any interest in the future of First Nations people, or in our collective future, should read this important book. And then, they should go to John Ralston Saul's book, A Fair Country, as I have returned to it. He describes the suppression of the Metis and the execution of Riel as "the lowest point in our history", one that we are still recovering from. Until we understand and reach back to our unique history, he argues, our unique destiny has remained obscured and unreachable.
May 19, 2021
I am rating this as I read, so rating might change, but...
Several things wrong here: first this is obviously a biased bio. Riel is practically sainted by page 67. While Siggins admits or permits input from those who might disagree, she does that only so she might immediately discredit them. There is always a reason their impression of Riel is wrong. Too, she makes the mistake of biographers who might make better novelists. She speculates, guesses: He must have thought, she must have felt, etc. Siggins, how do you know? You don't. Stop guessing.
In places this reads more like a romance novel than biography: her heroes are handsome, muscular with 'rugged chests.' Her heroines are all 'beautiful' or even 'gorgeous.' Her landscapes are idyllic 'azure' skies and florid fields. Her prose is again overblown, (badly) novelistic. Her research might be thorough (Lord knows she smothers us with peripheral biographies of everyone who passes through), but when it yields information contrary to her sanctification of Riel, she dismisses it offhand. Thus far, not impressed.
That impression was confirmed not altered by further reading...
Several things wrong here: first this is obviously a biased bio. Riel is practically sainted by page 67. While Siggins admits or permits input from those who might disagree, she does that only so she might immediately discredit them. There is always a reason their impression of Riel is wrong. Too, she makes the mistake of biographers who might make better novelists. She speculates, guesses: He must have thought, she must have felt, etc. Siggins, how do you know? You don't. Stop guessing.
In places this reads more like a romance novel than biography: her heroes are handsome, muscular with 'rugged chests.' Her heroines are all 'beautiful' or even 'gorgeous.' Her landscapes are idyllic 'azure' skies and florid fields. Her prose is again overblown, (badly) novelistic. Her research might be thorough (Lord knows she smothers us with peripheral biographies of everyone who passes through), but when it yields information contrary to her sanctification of Riel, she dismisses it offhand. Thus far, not impressed.
That impression was confirmed not altered by further reading...
July 19, 2023
Mixed feelings about this book. It reads like an old timey collections of fables rather than an academic history book. Siggins freely inputs her own thoughts, opinions and conjectures, also peppering in long winded descriptions of the physical appearance of people. At times it feels more like a who's who of the Red River Colony and other parts of 19th century Canada than a biography of Riel. Siggins seems to be unable to go more than a page or two into the narrative without jumping down a tangent of the backstory of some minor side character. This however, does lend a level of detail to the story and if you sit back and enjoy the ride it can be pretty entertaining. Overall, if you want to get acquainted with 19th century Western Canadian history this is a good place to start, even if the various tangents and anecdotes make it several hundred pages too long.
August 7, 2022
Plenty of information to be taken from this book, but it ended up being largely a personal rather than political history. Plenty about Riel's character and thoughts on politics and religion, but so many pages given up to tidbits and introductions that mattered so little and failed to establish any sort of narrative (my man was not even born until 30 pages into his own biography).
I will credit this book with giving me a new perspective on a period of history i knew not much about, but good lord was it a slog to get through.
I will credit this book with giving me a new perspective on a period of history i knew not much about, but good lord was it a slog to get through.
March 16, 2015
Riel had an incredibly interesting and pained life which is mirrored in my appreciation for this book. The first chapters up to about 1870 are the most important for Canadian history, after which Riel had a pretty rough time of it as he chose to represent and work with the more down-and-out from Montana to Saskatchewan.
He was part French, part Native, and born on the edge of what was 'civilization' at the time. This was both his strength and weakness as he could never develop broad enough coalition to have any hope. That he developed hope from such despair required a religious road that may appear incomprehensible to the modern reader but he dealt with many religious arguments from hundreds of years previous.
The book gets really boring when the author starts quoting Riel's poetry. To be clear: Riel was not a poet. Siggins is such an irrational apologist for Riel that at one point she suggests he merely acted insane when he went to an asylum, but later says he would never just act insane in explaining why he didn't go along with his defense in his traitor trial.
There is no question that Riel was treated poorly by a nation that could not stop to even consider the validity of his arguments. He rarely had a chance, but through his action in the Red River rebellion he did secure some space and recognition of the Metis heritage that may otherwise have been lost to history. He is a man to look up to for the sacrifice of his own good for what he considered the common, and the measurable good he did for those he represented.
He was part French, part Native, and born on the edge of what was 'civilization' at the time. This was both his strength and weakness as he could never develop broad enough coalition to have any hope. That he developed hope from such despair required a religious road that may appear incomprehensible to the modern reader but he dealt with many religious arguments from hundreds of years previous.
The book gets really boring when the author starts quoting Riel's poetry. To be clear: Riel was not a poet. Siggins is such an irrational apologist for Riel that at one point she suggests he merely acted insane when he went to an asylum, but later says he would never just act insane in explaining why he didn't go along with his defense in his traitor trial.
There is no question that Riel was treated poorly by a nation that could not stop to even consider the validity of his arguments. He rarely had a chance, but through his action in the Red River rebellion he did secure some space and recognition of the Metis heritage that may otherwise have been lost to history. He is a man to look up to for the sacrifice of his own good for what he considered the common, and the measurable good he did for those he represented.
August 15, 2013
Let me start by saying I was really excited to read this. My previous knowledge of Riel was pretty limited. It essentially consisted of elementary school social studies class and John Coulter's "The Trial of Louis Riel" play. So I was basically starting out under the assumption that the guy was a (probably) mentally unstable rebellion leader.
I love the depth that Siggins' gave both Riel and the political & social landscape. This was a fascinating read and might have even gotten 5 stars. What I didn't love though, and what I felt detracted from her otherwise very authoritative work, was the way she dismissed people who made disparaging remarks about Riel's mental state. True that such remarks written 20 years after his hanging might have been marred by memory, the trial & public opinion, but she presented positive remarks written long after the fact as unquestionably legitimate. It also bothered me that she made such a blatant mistake as referring to the Mormons as protestants. These inconsistencies seemed out of step with the painstaking research that obviously went into other aspects of the story.
That being said, I really enjoyed the book, and agree with other reviewers that it is well worth the read. I'd recommend it to any & all Canadians.
I love the depth that Siggins' gave both Riel and the political & social landscape. This was a fascinating read and might have even gotten 5 stars. What I didn't love though, and what I felt detracted from her otherwise very authoritative work, was the way she dismissed people who made disparaging remarks about Riel's mental state. True that such remarks written 20 years after his hanging might have been marred by memory, the trial & public opinion, but she presented positive remarks written long after the fact as unquestionably legitimate. It also bothered me that she made such a blatant mistake as referring to the Mormons as protestants. These inconsistencies seemed out of step with the painstaking research that obviously went into other aspects of the story.
That being said, I really enjoyed the book, and agree with other reviewers that it is well worth the read. I'd recommend it to any & all Canadians.
October 26, 2009
Overall this was a fairly balanced telling of the facts of his life and the two conflicts that define it. The period of exile in the US was interesting to me as it was the least known aspect of the story. I thought that the trial was glossed over but I wasn't especially worried as the next book I have to read covers the trial itself.
A decent read. Glad I picked it up.
A decent read. Glad I picked it up.
May 1, 2021
Quite a saga. A bit too long for me, but still I marvel at the research in, and writing of, this remarkable story.
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