Jean Chr—tien won the hearts of Canadians with his unabashed love of his country, his unwavering commitment to federalism, and his abiding faith in the people.
In this reissue of his remarkable best-selling memoir, Chr—tien recalls in colourful and fascinating detail his beginnings as a populist lawyer from Shawinigan, his rise as an MP and cabinet minister, and, ultimately, his election as Prime Minister of Canada.
Straight from the Heart is an entertaining, insightful first-person account of Chr—tien's early days organizing for the Liberals in rural Quebec, how a young French-speaking MP learned the ropes in an English-dominated capital, his pride at becoming Canada's first French-Canadian Prime Minister of Finance, and the dramatic battles he fought side by side with Pierre Trudeau to win the 1980 Quebec referendum and patriate the Constitution with the Charter of Rights. It includes behind-the-scenes descriptions of his two leadership bids and the election campaign that led to a majority Liberal government in 1993.
This classic memoir is essential reading for anyone seeking an understanding of one of the most successful, skillful, and popular political leaders of our times.
Praise for Straight from the Heart:
“Highly recommendable—What Chr—tien's autobiography offers is a vision of one man's considerable passion. Its sight line is clear, textured, and indisputably colourful.” — Maclean's
“Exuberant, slangy, light-hearted optimistic, and decent-minded.?” Winnipeg Free Press

In 1963, at the age of twenty nine, The Rt. Hon. JEAN CHRETIEN was first elected to Parliament. Four years later he was given his first Cabinet post and, over the next thirty years, he headed nine key ministries. Jean Chretien served as Canada's twentieth prime minister from 1993 to 2003.

Jean Chretien's profile page

Ron Graham is an award-winning author and journalist based in Toronto. His books include One-Eyed Kings, The French Quarter, All the King's Horses, and The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau, the Gang of Eight, and the Fight for Canada. In addition to his own writings, he edited Straight from the Heart and My Years as Prime Minister, the memoirs of Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien; The Essential Trudeau, with Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau; and The Call of the World, by Hon, Bill Graham. Graham served as president of PEN Canada, the Maclean Hunter Chair of Communications Ethics at Ryerson University, and a trustee of the Royal Ontario Museum.

Ron Graham's profile page