Flames Across The Border: 1813 - 1814 - Pierre Berton

The War of 1812 is perhaps the best example of the stupidity of war - after two years of killing and maiming, burning and pillaging, the two countries went back to they way things were. A point of contention between Canadians and Americans, or at least for those who care, is the result of this war, with both sides claiming victory. They're right and wrong. If Canada had won, most of Upstate New York would have become part of the British Empire, while if the U.S. had won, Ontario and Quebec would now be a state. (At least Toronto would have a better chance then at getting an NFL team...)

Berton is a master at making history come alive, and his skill at getting inside the heads of the players is magical. It reads like fiction, but for the people involved it was all too real.