Jerry Amernic is a novelist and journalist with a passion for history. His latest book – SLEEPWOKING – explores historical revisionism and all the fallout associated with it
as he surgically dissects what passes as legitimate history in Canada.
SLEEPWOKING has received high praise from a number of historians and scholars. Leaving no stone unturned, the author examines the legacies of such figures as our first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, along with Henry Dundas and Egerton Ryerson.
Also included are Edward Cornwallis, the founder of Halifax, and legendary B.C. judge Matthew Begbie. All these figures have been vilified and cancelled.
Amernic looks at the true historical record of each one of them and unearths some hard truths.
ARTICLES and EXCERPTS
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR ‘SLEEPWOKING’
“A sharp-edged takedown of the contemporary fallacies about history that plague Canada. Based on comprehensive research, and written in the engaging style of a professional journalist and novelist.”
Tom Flanagan
- Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Distinguished Fellow, the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary
- Co-author of ‘Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (and the Truth about Residential Schools),’ and author of ‘First Nations? Second Thoughts’ and other books
“A compelling read and a lively eyewitness account of the Canadian self-flagellation in the Justin Trudeau era.”
Patrice Dutil
- Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Author of ‘Sir John A. Macdonald & the Apocalyptic Year 1885’
“This is a cogent critique of the scandalous treatment of the great heroes of Canada who worked so hard to deliver us one of the greatest countries in the world. Jerry Amernic has done a great service to our country in his clearheaded assessment of the state of the dominant ideology of our time. His book will surely play a vital role in bringing about its end.”
Sam Sullivan
- Former Mayor of Vancouver and member of the Cabinet of British Columbia
- President of the Global Civic Policy Society and adjunct professor at the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
“We are living at a time in Canada where anything to do with settler and Indigenous relationships seems to be decided in the court of public opinion, often communicated by activists who call themselves journalists, or worse, teachers who call themselves educators. On a number of these troubling issues, Jerry Amernic tells it like it is in a direct communicative style interwoven with
personal reflections and related to the overall narrative theme.”
Leo J. Deveau
- Journalist and Nova Scotia historian
- Author of ‘400 Years in 365 Days, A Day by Day Calendar of Nova Scotia History’
“Jerry Amernic, well armed with wit, humour, and a sharp eye for the hypocritical, the improbable and the just plain wrong, takes a close look at the sad state of public discourse in Canada today. In particular, when it comes to the public’s knowledge (or lack thereof) of history and its application to issues of politics, culture and race. After reading Jerry’s critique of recent examples of the use and abuse of history by politicians, academics and the media, readers will sadly be reminded that ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’
Greg Piasetzki
- Intellectual property lawyer and citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario
- Researcher and writer on Canadian history
“A must read! SLEEPWOKING is a well researched and meticulously documented overview of the ill-founded degradation of Canadian values, our institutions and our history. Jerry Amernic has exposed the sinister woke movement which intends to distort, discredit and malign the contribution and reputation of our nation’s builders.”
Julian Fantino
- Former Chief of Toronto Police Service and Commissioner of Ontario Provincial Police
- Former Member of Parliament
“Jerry Amernic’s passion for Canadian history shines through in this book. He shows how misinformation, along with the lack of a strong education in Canadian history, has led to a diminished and often inaccurate sense of the country’s past.”
J. D. M. Stewart
- History teacher for more than 30 years and writer
- Author of ‘Being Prime Minister’
“Jerry Amernic has confronted the elephant in the room, the desire of some people to find individuals in the past responsible for the ills of modern society. In so doing, there has been a trend to play fast and loose with the truth. Those who question this rewriting of history are dismissed as settler-colonials who have no sympathy for the oppressed. With an engaging style, the author examines the new interpretations of history and finds them wanting, and those behind the reinterpretations in need of learning some real history.”
Ron Stagg
- Recently retired professor and former Chair of History at Toronto Metropolitan University, with a particular specialty in 18th and 19th century Ontario
“Novelist Milan Kundera wrote, ‘The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history.’ Jerry Amernic’s SLEEPWOKING details the destruction of Canada’s history, specifically focusing on the attacks against Edward Cornwallis, Henry Dundas, Egerton Ryerson, John A. Macdonald and Matthew Begbie. His book brings hope, however, by providing facts that will overcome narrative and misinformation. SLEEPWOKING is a wake-up call to all Canadians to study, debate and ultimately protect their history.”
Don Cranston
- Director, The Canadian Institute for Historical Education