Crosses in the Sky

Shortlisted for the 2025 J.W. Dafoe Book Prize A Globe 100 Best Book of 2024From the bestselling author of Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre Esprit-RadissonThis is the story of the collision of two worlds. In the early 1600s, the Jesuitsthe Catholic Churchs most ferocious warriors for Christtried to create their own nation on the Great Lakes and turn the Huron (Wendat) Confederacy into a model Jesuit state. At the centre of their campaign was missionary Jean de Brbeuf, a mystic who sought to die a martyr's death. He lived among a proud people who valued kindness and rights for all, especially women. In the end, Huronia was destroyed. Brbeuf became a Catholic saint, and the Jesuit's martyrdom became one of the founding myths of Canada.In this first secular biography of Brbeuf, historian Mark Bourrie, bestselling author of Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, recounts the missionary's fascinating life and tells the tragic story of the remarkable people he lived among. Drawing on the letters and documents of the timeincluding Brbeuf's accounts of his bizarre spiritualityand modern studies of the Jesuits, Bourrie shows how Huron leaders tried to navigate this new world and the people struggled to cope as their nation came apart. Riveting, clearly told, and deeply researched, Crosses in the Sky is an essential addition toand expansion ofCanadian history.