In February, Mr. Cook won the prestigious $25,000 prize for his gripping account of World War I in his book Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917-1918 (Volume two).

Mr. Cook, who graduated from Trent in 1994 with a history degree, is the First World War historian at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. He credits his passion for historical analysis to the great professors he had at Trent, including Stu Robson, John Jennings, and John Syrett.

“I wanted to write the book for all Canadians, not just for academics,” said Mr. Cook, who spent ten years researching both volumes. “World War I still haunts us with 60,000 soldiers killed from a country that’s one-quarter the size Canada is now.” He noted that would be the equivalent of 250,000 dead in today’s terms. “It was the war where we created new national myths, such as Billy Bishop and Vimy Ridge. When we lose our last veteran, we will lose a piece of that lived memory and the Great War will free fall into history.”

In describing the great quality of this book, the jury wrote “"with tremendous detail and almost unstoppable narrative momentum, this book gives a harrowing account of a pivotal moment in world history that would transform Canada's idea of itself."

The prize honours the late Charles Taylor, a prominent Canadian essayist and author. It is awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception.

For more information about learning Canadian history at Trent University, please visit the History and Canadian Studies websites.