Memoirs: 1939-1993

I fear many people will deliberately choose not to read Brian Mulroney's Memoirs. After all, this former Prime Minister remains one of the most polarizing political leaders in our history. But like him or not, this is a book that absolutely should be read. To begin with, Mulroney is nothing if not a great story teller and this autobiography reads like a fast-paced novel - 1100 pages and hardly a boring passage.

But more than an engaging and profoundly human recounting of a fascinating life, Memoirs is a deeply engrossing look at leadership including the inevitable flaws and vulnerabilities of men and women who seek power. It is also a great sweep through the life as Canadians lived it from the late 50's through to the 90's - a period during which the world reshaped itself in so many ways.

Mulroney begins with his childhood in Baie Commeau, Quebec. It was there that the emotional seeds were planted for much of who Mulroney would become. An anglophone in a French town, it wasn't long before Brian became fully bilingual, not just in language but in his heart. From childhood, he believed that francophones and anglophones were meant to live side by side and interdependently, and this belief, born in childhood experience, influenced his life in every way. As the son of a factory worker, he knew too well the importance of honest, fair and open dealings with all employees, and the potential devastation which could be wreaked if this was not the case. The blue-collar empathy he developed as a young boy never left him. Nor did the discipline for hard work and competitive spirit that comes from growing up in a small town - where the hockey rink, streetscape and summer mill work all intersect. But if Baie Comeau shaped his soul, we learn it was at St. Francis Xavier University where Mulroney was first introduced to, and fell in love with, politics.

How his personal combination of fighting spirit, prodigious work ethic, empathy, and passion for politics came to shape several chapters of Canadian history is what Memoirs is really about. We are with him as a young man as he works his way up, and then demonstrates leadership, as a card-carrying member of the Conservative Party. We are with him through critical labour negotiations, including his role in the famous Cliche Royal Commission where he so distinguished himself. We live with him as he takes the mantle of CEO at Iron Ore and successfully turns the company around. And we are brought into his personal life, including his famously close relationship with his wife.

We also are privy to his struggle with booze; the hurt that turns to resentment and anger when he is betrayed by friends and political colleagues (most famously Pierre Elliott Trudeau); and the very deep bond between Brian and Mila.

As Mulroney builds his story around quotes taken directly from the personal diaries he kept while in office, directly from his private diaries, we gain insight into the man, his accomplishments and failures. It is an image often at odds with the one created by the Press. To be sure, anyone who would cite the famous line "let's roll the dice" as an indication that Mulroney was cavalier about the importance of bringing Quebec into the constitution need only read the chapters on Meech to know how wrong this view would be.

One could argue that rarely has a Prime Minister been as prepared to hold office in this country as Mulroney. The real question raised by his deeply personal memoir is: How is it that this man who brought us free trade, the financial benefits of the GST, an advanced agenda on environmental issues, pride in the role Canada played in helping South Africa re-welcome Mandela, and who achieved back-to-back record-breaking majorities, still stir up such mixed reactions?

Memoirs is one of the great political autobiographies. It is a must-read for anyone interested in a truly fascinating story.

During the 1980s and early 90s, I remember I hated Mulroney with his active promotion of the GST and free trade with the Americans. Now, in the 2000s, I am beginning to admire him more and more for the progress his economic and social (his expansion of immigration) policies have brought to Canada.

This book outlines his struggle when he was a youth to rise up above the rest through hard work and determination, and also outlines his personal battles and problems he encountered while in the Prime Minister's office. He is blunt (with one entire chapter dedicated to Joe Clark's weaknesses in the Charlottetown Accord), and very open towards his mistakes he made as Prime Minister.

I recommend this book for any political junkie in Canada and for people who are interested in Canadian history in general.

Brian epitomise's what is needed by a leader in Canada! We have had too many Prime ministers who cater to the liberal sob sisters in Canada and who have now torn our country apart with the so called Multi cultural mix!
As Brian stated Canada is for Canadians! Not someone coming from another country who wont speak our language, want us to change our way of life to conform to theirs, not ours!
Brian came from a financially disadvantaged family as did I but he worked hard to aspire to become our leader!
We need more Canadians like him before this country implodes!


Dick

I received the book Brian Mulroney, MEMOIRS: 1939-1993 as a Christmas gift and I'll admit it is not a book I would have have gone out and bought myself.
"Memoirs" starts by portraying Brian as a tough, self-made boy from Baie Comeau who made it to the top because of individual initiative. He rose fast in the Tory ranks in Quebec as a young Montreal lawyer. He tried for the leadership of the party in 1976, losing to Joe Clark, then returned to win a rematch in 1983. The next year, he ran the most successful election campaign in Canadian history, winning 211 seats, and taking office in September 1984. He made his way in a rough world of business and politics mostly by wit and charm. Politics was always Brian Mulroney's real love.
This book is well-written and interesting but does have a pro-Conservative slant. It is a very personal, honest history, an interesting portrayal of politicians, their supporters and helpers, personal friends and just ordinary citizens.
As one whould expect from an ex-prime minister's autobiography, there's plenty of history and anecdotes. Did Brian get into politics poor, and leave it with bags full of money? Is it a book filled with lies and gossip? He left us with a huge deficit and love him or hate him, he supersaturated the media for more than a decade.
This book is candid and honest and Mulroney did give unstintingly of himself to Canada for nine years. Do we owe it to him to decide for ourselves?