Book Review: Irving vs. Irving

Being a student, one of the best parts of summer is the chance to trade my school readings for a good book. With exams over, I took the opportunity to finally get down to reading Jacques Poitras' Irving vs. Irving, which came out in September of 2014. Anyone who knows even a little about New Brunswick knows that the Irving family plays an immense role in the province's economy. In many ways, this role-if not dominance-is visible to anyone who so much as passes through the province: you'll likely fill-up with Irving gasoline, be passed by Irving trucks on the highway, and see signs for numerous attractions named after or featuring the Irving family and its companies. There is, however, a lot more below the visible surface, from the companies owned by family members (including trucking, rail, and food companies) to the Irving's role in provincial politics. Irving vs. Irving focuses, primarily, on one of those Irving-dominated industries in particular: print media.

   Himself a former employee of both the Telegraph-Journal and the Times-Transcript, Poitras uses Irving ownership of virtually all English-language print media in the province (and some French-language print media) as a vehicle for exploring the dynamics of New Brunswick's wealthiest family. In particular, Poitras often zeroes in on the apparent, if not inherent, conflicts of interest involved in coverage of Irving-centric stories. Through this lense, Poitras takes us through a chunk of New Brunswick history, Irving history, and the history of the newspapers themselves.

   Irving vs. Irving is a well-written, and extremely well-researched book that offers a look into an important NB topic. Poitras has an approachable and thorough writing style. The story of the Irvings can at times be hard to follow- Poitras provides charts, such as family trees, to help clarify, and gives the occasional reminder of just who he is talking about, making it a little easier to grasp exactly what is going on.

For those not from the region, Irving vs. Irving provides an excellent backgrounder on the Irving family, with an in-depth look at the family's role in NB media. In doing so, Poitras also gives helpful nods to other topics- events in NB politics, provincial dynamics and, perhaps most interestingly, the limitations of small news markets. Anyone who would like to get a closer grasp on these elements of New Brunswick would be well advised to read this book.

For those from the Maritimes, Poitras provides an important investigative-style account of aspects that play a major role in NB (and, at times, regional) politics. The background and insights provided by Irving vs. Irving are, in my opinion, important for anyone interested in the issue of media in the Maritimes.