"Every region of B.C. matters," says author Jean Barman discussing her new coffee table book, British Columbia: Spirit of the People. "Every region has played a critical role at some point in making us the place we are today." Barman comes to 麻豆社国产Wednesday Oct. 8 to present a slideshow using images from her book on the history of B.C."It is a chance for some of the people in 麻豆社国产to think of themselves in relationship to B.C. and the larger issue of how we come to live together as a province," said Barman of her upcoming visit.The book was commissioned by the provincial government to mark the province's 150th anniversary and includes photos from some B.C.'s talented photographers, David Nunuk, Chris Cheadle and Vance Hannah. Barman said the government and publishers wanted a book that looked at B.C. and the history surrounding each region. "It is very tempting to talk about B.C. in terms of Vancouver and Victoria because they've had two thirds of the population for almost 100 years," said Barman, "but you know every part of B.C. contributes to making it the place it is today."Barman has written a dozen books on the history of British Columbia. Some are more focused on a specific area of the province or looks at the lives of interesting people, such as Stanley Park's Secret and The Remarkable Adventures of Portuguese Joe Silvey, but this is the author's first time writing for a book of photography. And stunning photography at that. "This was nice because it allowed me to think about B.C. as an entity and what is it that makes us what we are today, both historically and as a place," said Barman.Barman's interest in B.C. began when she moved here from the U.S. with her husband. She was intrigued by the size of the province and it's diverse population. The diversity started in 1858 when the gold rush began and people came from China and California, said Barman. "B.C. is a juncture between so many other kinds of worlds. Between the U.S., between Britain, having been originally a British Colonial possession, and between Asia and also having a very strong First Nations presence still."While promoting her book, Barman has had the chance to visit the regions she writes about, and hears more stories from people who live in each community. Everyone she meets has a story of why their grandfather moved to the province, which she believes is because B.C. is relatively young compared to Halifax, Quebec and Ontario and so their roots are still fairly visible."I hope that will happen in Squamish," said Barman. "You know I think what's interesting is how people get there and why do people settle down, because you know it is very tiny until quite recently."
