STATE AND SALVATION: THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND THEIR FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS William Kaplan Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1989. 340pp, cloth, $35.00 ISBN 0-8020-5842-6. CIP Grades 11 and up/Ages 16 and up Reviewed by John Bainbridge. Volume 18 Number 2 1990 March Whilst State and Salvation is an account of the struggles of the Jehovah's Witnesses to practice their religion freely, it is also, by extension, a study of the political and legal battles to establish the fundamental civil rights of all Canadians and to enshrine them in the constitution. The actions of the Canadian and provincial governments in suppressing the Jehovah's Witnesses have been overshadowed by the treatment of the Japanese Canadians. Nevertheless, this treatment was part of a pattern of state discrimination, beginning with the communists, suppressed for their political views; the Jehovah's Wit­nesses, suppressed for their religious views; and, after the suppression of several other minorities, the pernicious treatment of the Japanese Canadians for their race. Each act of official dis­crimination provided the precedent for the next. The catalyst was World War II. The state was perceived to be in danger, ostensibly from Germany and Japan. The real danger was to the unity of the state posed by Quebec's ambivalent attitude towards the war. Suppression of the anti-Catholic communists and Jehovah's Witnesses was part of the price for Quebec's support of the war effort. It is, accordingly, ironic that the official reason for their suppression was their "treason" in refusing to salute the flag, sing the national anthem, and enlist. State and Salvation is a timely book that fills a gap in modern Canadian history. It is an excellent book, well written and documented, and it should be essential reading for anyone inter­ested in Canadian history, law and civil rights. Highly recommended. John Bainbridge, Beatty-Fleming Senior Public School, Brampton, Ont.