The stormy and inspirational life of a Canadian doctor who is a hero in China.

Honoured as a hero in China, Ontario-born Norman Bethune was a surgeon, medical innovator, and charismatic political activist who deployed his skills on the battlefields of Spain and China in the 1930s. His prodigious energy included inventing surgical instruments, mobile blood-transfusion units, teaching, and advocating for social justice at home and abroad. Adrienne Clarkson, a Chinese Canadian, has always been fascinated by the dynamic man who married his social conscience to his medical mission. Reviled as a Communist by some, revered as a humanitarian by others, Bethune was a complicated, inspirational figure who lived and loved on a large canvas.

Adrienne Clarkson became Canada’s twenty-sixth Governor General in 1999 and served until September 2005. She is the bestselling author of Heart Matters: A Memoir, Room For All Of Us: Surprising Stories of Loss and Transformation, and Great Canadian Lives: Norman Bethune. In her multi-faceted career as an accomplished broadcaster and distinguished public servant, she has received numerous prestigious awards and honorary degrees in Canada and abroad. In 2005, she co-founded the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. In 2006, she established the Clarkson Cup, which is now the championship trophy for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. In 2007, she was appointed Colonel-in-Chief for Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. A Privy Councillor and Companion of the Order of Canada, she lives in Toronto.

Adrienne Clarkson's profile page