Nancy Southam

Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew Nancy Southam

Jacket Description/Flap: Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew It has been more than three decades since the heady days of Trudeaumania, and yet Pierre Elliott Trudeau is still a subject of intense public fascination. When Trudeau died in 2000, the outpouring of emotion was extraordinary. Thousands of people across Canada - and all over the world - mourned the loss of one of our greatest prime ministers, a man who touched the hearts and challenged the minds of a nation. As Trudeau's close friend, Nancy Southam has gathered more than one hundred and fifty reminiscences and anecdotal narratives about him from all over the globe. Included in this astonishing collection are stories from people who worked for Trudeau in the PMO, long-time friends, journalists, former world leaders, politicians who battled and debated him, his sons' friends, RCMP bodyguards, girlfriends, canoeing buddies, the household staff at the prime ministerial residences, and those who glimpsed his religious life. With the blessing of his sons, Justin and Sacha, Southam has put together a remarkably transparent account of an intensely private man that is funny, affectionate, moving, startling, and emotional. Among the contributors are Monique Begin, Conrad Black, Jimmy Carter, Jean Chretien, Joe Clark, Leonard Cohen, Jim Coutts, Joyce Fairbairn, John Kenneth Galbraith, Ivan Head, Jacques Hebert, Margot Kidder, Toni Onley, Christopher Plummer, Karen Kain, Marc Lalonde, Harrison McCain, Gordon Pinsent, Roy Romanow, Ed Schreyer, and Barbra Streisand. These pieces are accompanied by over a hundred photographs and illustrations - some published here for the first time. Honest, illuminating, and heartfelt, this collection adds greatly to the historical record of Trudeau, and sheds fresh light on the private man. Review Quotes: "ÝSoutham's¨ observations on Trudeau . . . are intimate, arresting, funny and deeply affecting. They and so many others here reveal a humanity and vulnerability which only those closest to him could see behind the cerebral, ascetic, stoic public man." -- Andrew Cohen, "Globe and Mail" "Lavishly illustrated and easy to peruse, "Pierre" is grist for the mill for readers who revere Canada's most controversial, yet celebrated politician." -- "London Free Press" "Arrogant, shy, charming, rude, kind, thoughtless -- all the contradictory traits of Canada's best-known 20th century prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, show up in this collection of anecdotes by friends and colleagues. . . . Love him or hate him, Trudeau was a one-off, and Southam's book shows him in all his vaunted complexity." -- "Toronto Sun"Biographical Note: Journalist and author Nancy Southam is the editor of "Remembering Richard: An Informal Portrait of Richard Hatfield. Southam" was a neighbour, travelling companion, and close friend of Pierre Elliott Trudeau in Montreal. Review Quotes: "[Southam's] observations on Trudeau . . . are intimate, arresting, funny and deeply affecting. They and so many others here reveal a humanity and vulnerability which only those closest to him could see behind the cerebral, ascetic, stoic public man." -- Andrew Cohen, "Globe and Mail" "Lavishly illustrated and easy to peruse, "Pierre" is grist for the mill for readers who revere Canada's most controversial, yet celebrated politician." -- "London Free Press " "Arrogant, shy, charming, rude, kind, thoughtless -- all the contradictory traits of Canada's best-known 20th century prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, show up in this collection of anecdotes by friends and colleagues. . . . Love him or hate him, Trudeau was a one-off, and Southam's book shows him in all his vaunted complexity." -- "Toronto Sun"

Contributor Bio:  Southam, Nancy NANCY SOUTHAM was born and raised in Vancouver and has travelled the world in search of exotic places and experiences. A freelance journalist, she has wirtten for many of Canada\s top newspapers and magazines.'Contributor Bio:  Trudeau, Justin Justin Trudeau is the twice-elected Member of Parliament for Papineau and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. As a Parliamentarian, he has been Liberal Party Critic for Youth, Post-Secondary Education, Amateur Sport, Multiculturalism, Citizenship and Immigration, and sat on the House of Commons committees on the Environment and Sustainable Development, and Citizenship and Immigration. Prior to his role as an elected official, Trudeau was a teacher in British Columbia and an advocate for the environment and for youth, including four years as chair of Katimavik, Canada's national youth service program. Trudeau was born on December 25, 1971, the eldest son of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair Trudeau Kemper. He is married to Sophie Gr?goire, and their third child, Hadrien, joined their other two children, Xavier and Ella Grace, in February 2014.