Marcel Martel, Adrian Shubert and Tim Cook, *Wars of Conviction: A History of Canadian Transnational Fighters*. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2026

In 1867, Alfred LaRocque, a young man hailing from Quebec, left his home to defend the papacy in Rome. Fast forward to 1937, when journalist and communist Jean Watts traveled to Spain to report on the civil war. In 2023, former corporal Kyle Porter took up arms in Ukraine. Despite the variations in time and purpose, these three individuals are linked to tens of thousands of Canadians who have fought, supported, or lost their lives in defense of other nations or oppressed peoples. The stories of transnational fighters complicate Canada’s established war narrative, shedding light on the motivations and passions that drove individuals to fight abroad, as well as the legal and political ramifications that followed them home. Spanning a century and a half, "Wars of Conviction" delves into who fought, their reasons for doing so, and their experiences during and after the conflict. The decisions made by Canadians to join the Papal Zouaves, the Spanish Civil War, the Sino-Japanese War, Vietnam, Syria, and Ukraine ignited both admiration and outrage, attracted state scrutiny, and initiated lasting discussions about how such fighters should be honored. This volume provides a carefully crafted portrait of the fighters who committed to making foreign wars their own, challenging traditional military history to better understand an uncertain present.