If anyone in your family has ever been affected by depression or bipolarity… If you grew up in the days when Pierre Elliott Trudeau dazzled a country and a young hippie named Margaret Sinclair… Or, if you get inspired reading about someone who has faced almost insurmountable life challenges only to triumph in the end, you will richly enjoy reading Margaret Trudeau’s biography, Changing My Mind. Born in 1948, into a politically engaged, energetic, middle-income family, Margaret’s early years were pretty typical. Other than her early signs of having an independent spirit and being somewhat susceptible to moodiness, there was little to suggest the layered life that lay ahead. But anything and everything typical ended when, at 20, Margaret Trudeau was swept off her feet by the most eligible bachelor in Canada, The Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau. From that moment forward, Margaret’s life could hardly have been imagined by even the most inventive of fiction writers. In this very warm, personal and honest memoir, written with the kind of wisdom that can only be gained through a long life, Margaret shares with us how she experienced living at 24 Sussex Drive with the enigmatic Trudeau. We witness the isolation she experienced when out of the spotlight, the incredible post-partum depression that followed the euphoria of giving birth, and the challenges of living with a man who, though loving, was also intensely paternalistic, often dismissive and financially ungenerous. The story tracks the break-up of their marriage and the roller coaster of Margaret’s life with and without her children, post her marriage to Trudeau. At its heart, this is a story of someone who lived with the ravages of undiagnosed bipolar disorder, suffered incredible indignities, fractured many relationships, but was eventually lucky enough to find herself in the hands of a physician who could truly help her make sense of her illness and herself. With the benefit of perspective, having invested hugely in getting control of her life, and having survived the trauma of losing her beloved son Michel, Margaret emerges as a passionate and dedicated mother, grandmother and humanitarian. This story will affirm your belief in the resilience of the human spirit.

I loved this book, it is a open and raw look into mental illness and the way society looked at people with disorders such as these. I felt like I was living each and every part and learned a lot about Mr. Trudeau and not all good. I take my hat off to you Maggie and I hope more people will read this. This was truly a wonderful book.

I've read one of Mrs. Trudeau's previous books and enjoyed that, this one, however, was even better. I too have mental health issues and this is not only an entertaining read regaling old stories that amuse, but also a helpful and instructive book for so many people who suffer any kind of mental illness. She helps to bring us out of the dark and take the "stigma" away. She's been very courageous in her battle, and my heart goes out to her for what she had to endure for so long due to her "public persona" and the fact that the medical community has been in the dark for so long with regards to various treatments or even addressing treatment. Kudos to Margaret Trudeau for being a beacon of light to many who are still in the dark!!!

Easy read,and very interesting.The book will keep you going with details abut her life with Pierre and her battle with Bi-polar her love for her childern,she' an amazing woman,to have gone through this and be able to smile at the end of the day.She 's beautiful person

I was lucky enough to attend a book signing and Margaret was great. The book is written the same why she talks and as I read the book I could hear her. She said she wrote the book to help people with mental issues help to see that there is help, and she was very candid about her problem. I would recommend this book.

Margaret's book was a very honest accounting of all her personal problems told "straight on"! She is a very fortunate girl to have the total support of her family & close friends. I felt for her as I read it. It must have been painful to write. I was glued to it and could not put it down!

god bless Margaret Trudeau for her honesty and candour. Too many people poo-poo the idea of mental illness. I have had to be very patient over the years trying to explain, in layman's terms, what Bipolar disorder is about. Ms Trudeau has laid it all out and hopefully has helped many, not only to realize they are not alone, but many others to understand this daunting disorder.

This is a great and interesting read into the life of Margaret Trudeau,hard to put down since she is one of those ladies i've truly admired for many years!

This book was written with honesty and candor and provided a ton of information about the symptoms and treatments for Bipolar Disorder. Ms Trudeau showed amazing courage, and her bravery in telling her story will be helpful to so many people who suffer from mental illness in silence. It is refreshing to have such a bright light shone on a very frightening disability that has been stigmatized by society. Hopefully more people will come forward with their stories and this will help open doors for those navigating the mental health system. Professional help, treatment options, support groups and resources need to be more readily available to mental health consumers and their families.

I am 2 years older than Margaret and found this book made me really stop and think about so many things I had forgot over the years.I struggled with hormonal imbalances for years,dealing with having 7 hip replacement surgeries and still coping with severe arthritis pain and fibromyalgia.My husband died almost 12 years ago at 56 and my son is terminally ill with Cancer.I just hope that tomorrow is better than today and tell myself that tough times don't last, tough people do.Be good to yourself Margaret and know that you are helping so many people.Always be true to yourself!

Wasn't sure what to expect from Canada's once wild first lady from the days when 24 Sussex flirted with replacing the Camelot of yore. The style and substance were both engaging and entertaining. One has to admire the confessional self-deprecation that the author subjects herself to so as to give credence to her message that mental illness needs to be understood rather than stigmatized. A conversational, totally honest and credible voice makes for a most enjoyable read. The reader is given a behind the scene look at the fishbowl celebrities live in and the lack of privacy that occurs. Leading political figures of the day are shown in a far differnt light ( a human light) than in the usual light of the media glare. While the appendices did little for this reader, he was pleased to see that the author had come to understand her bipolar condition and was managing to confront the illness with determined courage and the support of good friends and family. This book will not disappoint.