TORONTO, November 28, 2003 -- York University social scientist and history professor Craig Heron’s intoxicating new book, Booze: A Distilled History, takes a fascinating look at Canadians’ drinking habits and attitudes -- from the European contact to the present -- and debunks many of the myths associated with drink.
"Alcohol is the most popular stimulant consumed throughout human history," says Heron. "People’s attitudes towards drink however, have varied considerably over time and between cultures. I wanted to explore this rich history here in Canada."
Complemented by 130 photographs, ads, and cartoons, Booze is a multifaceted examination of many aspects of drink: the liquor trade, the role of alcohol in Native communities, temperance and prohibition movements, public drunkenness, bootlegging and cross-border smuggling, ‘dry’ zones in Canada and alcoholism.
"To write about booze is to enter into a minefield of controversy," says Heron. "Over the years, alcohol has been demonised by state and moral authorities who are not concerned with the mind and body-altering impact of alcoholic beverages, as much as their association with indulgent and hedonistic pleasures."
Heron adds that alcohol has been and remains a contentious political issue in Canada. For example, early temperance movements became the driving force to make entire towns and cities alcohol-free. "Contrary to teetotallers and prohibitionists, people most often got pleasure from drinking moderately and responsibly, only occasionally consuming enough to get drunk and even then, seldom posing serious long-term problems for anyone around them."
Booze also examines: Canada’s distilleries and breweries; beer parlour and lounges in Quebec and Ontario; austere government liquor stores where customers needed to fill out request slips, at a time when Heron asserts "buying alcohol wasn't supposed to be pleasant"; twelve-step support groups; age of majority regulations and the introduction of the breathalyser.
Heron teaches Canadian history and labour studies at York and has written numerous articles and books on the labour movement in Canada. Booze: A Distilled History is published by Between the Lines press.
Book Launch and Signing in Toronto's historic Distillery District
There will be a book launch and signing in Toronto's historic Gooderham and Worts Distillery District on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mill Street Brewery, 55 Mill St., Building 63. The event is co-sponsored by the York University Bookstore and Department of History and Division of Social Science. ** Media and public welcome to attend.
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For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Ken Turriff
Media Relations
York University
416-736-2100, x22086
kturriff@yorku.ca
YU/144/03
