COBALT: Cradle of the Demon Metals/Birth of a Mining Superpower was another last minute grab from the Marmora Library at closing time. My friend Sylvia read the book soon after publication (2022, Anansi) and recommended it. I suspect she read it more for her support for northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus than for a desire to learn the history of the remote village of Cobalt and the intricacies of Canadian mining. So thank you Sylvia for the wise and enjoyable choice : )-
Charlie Angus came close to being elected the head of the NDP. It was frustrating for NDPers to have such a great choice of leadership. Jagmeet Singh is a substantial leader, but many felt that it should have been Charlie’s turn after almost two decades of progressive leadership. Likely the much larger voter base in southern Ontario (which Charlie calls the heartland in his book) outweighed Charlie’s slimmer northern population constituency (the hinterland).
The book was a more enjoyable read than I imagined. The 320 pages are well divided into logical sections like Settlement, Class Conflict, Spectacle, Catastrophe and Collapse, and Cobalt Goes Global. It is also an extremely well researched book, with the final 52 pages of notes and a selected biography.
With all that research, I’m cautious about questioning some of Cobalt hometown Charlie’s assertions that remote Cobalt empowered Toronto into becoming the financial capital of Canada, and Canada into the powerhouse of international mining.
Great book - please read it!
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