“Never talked about it.” That’s what most people say when they’re asked if the veteran in the family ever shared wartime experiences. Describing combat, imprisonment or lost comrades from the World Wars, the Korea War, or even Afghanistan is reserved for Remembrance Day or the Legion lounge. Nobody was ever supposed to see them get emotional, show their vulnerability. Nobody was ever to know the hell of their war.

For most of his career, Ted Barris has worked to break through that silence. Because of his unique interviewing skills, he found that veterans would talk to him, set the record straight and put a face on the service and sacrifice of men and women in uniform. Breaking the Silence is a ground-breaking book that goes to the heart of veterans’ war-time experiences.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, historian Ted Barris returns to the Keystone Complex for its annual Remembrance event; this year’s presentation is based on his book Breaking the Silence.

Ted Barris has published 22 non-fiction books, half of them wartime histories. His book The Great Escape: A Canadian Story won the 2014 Libris Award as Best Non-Fiction Book in Canada. His book Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen and the Secret Raid Against Nazi Germany received the 2018 NORAD Trophy from the RCAF Association. And his book Rush to Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire was long-listed for the 2020 Charles Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction in Canada. And his book Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory was published in 2022, Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour in 2024. Meanwhile, in October 2024, Barris was appointed Member of the Order of Canada.