Mackenzie King : man of mission

Summary: Mackenzie King was a man with a mission . From childhood on, he felt obligated to restore honour to his family name after the exile of his rebel grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie. This, above all, would please his adored mother. A career in politics proved to be the way young Willie could achieve his goal, but the path he chose was filled with strange detours, unusual alliances, temptations, excursions into the supernatural. Amazingly, his journey also brought him to the height of political power inCanada, which he led, safely if not alwyas courageously, through the traumas of the Depression and World War II. The fascinating story of King's career as Canada's longest-term prime minister is compellingly told by William Teatero, who delved into King's recently released diaries for new insights into his life. We see Mackenzie King as a labour troubleshooter for John D. Rockefeller, where he displayed his talent as a negotiator. We soon recognize, from his early admiration of Adolf Hitler, that he was an imperfect judge of people. As a believer in spiritualism, King as a lonely, insecure man who sought reassurance from his departed loved ones. On these pages, Mackenzie come to life, through revealing photographs, as a man who learned to live with his weaknesses as well as his triumphs. Here is a dramatic new look at one of Canada's most intriguing prime ministers.