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Review
These books are…opportunities to deepen the relationship between Canadians of the past and Canadians of the present. May this dialogue continue, so that today’s biographers themselves will be the subject of the next wave of writers.” - The Globe and Mail
“The books would be a lovely addition to any library…they’re accessible and ready to be read by all.” - The Nova Scotian (Sunday Herald)
“Saul’s Extraordinary Canadians series is an extraordinary treat for history buffs” - The Hill Times
“Saul’s Extraordinary Canadians series an extraordinary treat for history buffs” (headline) - The Hill Times
“The books would be a lovely addition to any library…they’re accessible and ready to be read by all.” - The Nova Scotian (Sunday Herald)
“Saul’s Extraordinary Canadians series is an extraordinary treat for history buffs” - The Hill Times
“Saul’s Extraordinary Canadians series an extraordinary treat for history buffs” (headline) - The Hill Times
Book Description
Canada has no better interpreter than prolific writer and thinker John Ralston Saul. Here he argues that Canada did not begin in 1867; indeed, its foundation was laid by two visionary men, Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin. The two leaders of Lower and Upper Canada, respectively, worked together after the 1841 Union to lead a reformist movement for responsible government run by elected citizens instead of a colonial governor.
But it was during the "Great Ministry" of 1848—51 that the two politicians implemented laws that created a more equitable country. They revamped judicial institutions, created a public education system, made bilingualism official, designed a network of public roads, began a public postal system, and reformed municipal governance. Faced with opposition, and even violence, the two men— polar opposites in temperament—united behind a set of principles and programs that formed modern Canada. Writing with verve and deep conviction, Saul restores these two extraordinary Canadians to rightful prominence.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Personal Becomes the Political,
By
This review is from: Extraordinary Canadians: Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin: A Penguin Lives Biography (Hardcover)
Art Matters: The Art of Knowledge/The Knowledge of ArtThis a truly enjoyable book but also profound. In this book John Ralston Saul continues themes he has developed elsewhere regarding the unique nature of Canadian politics. He does this here by concentrating on the two people who were largely responsible for our institutions to have developed in the manner they did. Early in the book (p16) Saul emphasizes the differences in Canadian ways of doing things and Canadian multi-culturalism was unique and it took a great deal of work to get both the citizenry and the powers that be in London to recognize this. Canada was bi-cultural and bi-lingual, while most people defined nations in terms of one language, one people, one mythology. To develop a bi-cultural country took a great deal of doing, especially since the English powers-that-be looked down on the French and did not want to give the French the same rights as English Canadians.(p 69) The book details the struggles that these two men led to develop true democracy in Canada while Canada was still a colony. This is a great story of how individuals can change the course of history, and why the book is in the Extraordinary Canadian series. Anyone interested in how to persevere over great odds, and how Canadian democracy became established should read this book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living History,
This review is from: Extraordinary Canadians: Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin: A Penguin Lives Biography (Hardcover)
This entry of the Extraordinary Canadians series was written by the man who pulled the whole thing together, so you know up front that La Fontaine and Baldwin must hold some special meaning to him. And it shows. The books in this series often feel too short and breezy, but that is largely due to the quality of the text. This is especially true for this one, as the biography actually covers two men. I hope Jon Ralston Saul gets around to writing a much longer book on these two important figures of Canadian history.The author makes an excellent case for the unique nature of the Canadian experiment as a democracy forging a path separate from the ideological bent of Europe. Where my Prof in first year university passed over some of the events in this book as comedic and unimportant, Saul gets down to the cultural bedrock and shows, I think convincingly, that the upheaval of the time, though small next to American or European violence, was about concepts of loyalty and the nature of power. To be anti-imperialist, is to play by the imperial narrative, but to stand for something else entirely requires a different view of power altogether. Saul shows us, through these men and others, that the restraint showed by the early Reformers is much like that of Gandhi nearly a hundred years later. Responsible Government was not merely a British import, it was, and is, truly Canadian. A remarkable book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece,
By Shmeets (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Extraordinary Canadians: Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin: A Penguin Lives Biography (Hardcover)
Mr. Saul has done it again.An engaging and entertaining tale of Pre-confederation history with riots, mobs, and the burning of Parliament, as Canada pioneers a new concept of society, focusing on two great, fascinating and unique political readers. A must-read for those interested in the 19th Century origins of responsible government, or just love a political yarn with fascinating characters.
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