Yes! TO CANADA: When Grampa Refused to Fight in The Vietnam War brings to life the true stories of Americans who said “no” to war and “yes” to peace by moving north to Canada during the Vietnam era. Told through the voice of a grandfather who made that journey, this beautifully illustrated book offers an engaging way for readers of all ages to explore moral choice, resistance, and belonging. It’s both a piece of history and a timeless lesson in empathy, conscience, and hope.
Roger Davies received a U.S. army draft notice in 1968. By May 10th of that year, he was accepted as a Landed Immigrant in Canada. Attending teacher’s college in Toronto, Ontario, he met his Canadian wife Judith McQuaid Davies (1946–2011). He has a daughter and three grandchildren. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his partner Helen Lofgren.
Roger has taught in public schools, in an alternative school for at-risk youth, in a prison, and coordinated literacy upgrading and English as an additional language in public libraries.
He co-authored a successful violence prevention course for youth and was a founding member of Men For Change, a Halifax group working to end violence against women, and has also sponsored refugees to come to Nova Scotia.
“This book was such a heartfelt read with captivating illustrations… It’s thought-provoking and a great reminder of this part of Canadian history and the importance of resistance, courage, and self-authenticity.
…This must-read evokes critical thinking and shines a light on what resistance and peace truly look like.”
—Mawadda Khanes, New Brunswick-based Youth Ambassador for Digitally Lit: Atlantic Canadian Youth Read.
“Yes! to Canada… explores what it was like to resist the U.S. draft and move to Canada during the Vietnam War. It’s an easy-to-read collection of first-person accounts… and short descriptions of standing against war. The book is a valuable resource for today’s teachers and parents… counter[ing] contemporary tropes of hypermasculinity and the supposed ‘necessity’ of war.”
—Jessica Little, Canadian school teacher and mother.
“This is an important piece of our shared history… Canadians welcomed a peaceful ‘invasion’ of American citizens. They built up our communities and added immeasurably to our culture and democracy. We are in dark days again. Our border could be a place of welcome for those who want to build a better democracy north of the 49th.”
—Charlie Angus, long-serving NDP Member of Parliament and author of The Resistance.
$24.95 paperback
9781990137747
9×9 | 66 pps.
