Book Reviews and More: John Diefenbaker: An Appointment with Destiny

Saturday, 5 March 2011

John Diefenbaker: An Appointment with Destiny - Arthur Slade

John Diefenbaker:
An Appointment with Destiny
Arthur Slade
XYP Publishing
Dundurn PressISBN 0968816606

Over the past year I have read all but one of Arthur Slade's books. This is the only non-fiction and it was a compelling read. I must admit, before reading this book, I knew very little about Diefenbaker, the man, the myths or the legend. This book explores all three aspects of the man's life and legacy. The book was very well written, it was compelling and I had a hard time putting it down. Though not a conservative myself, I found after reading this book that I had a much greater respect and appreciation for Diefenbaker.

Arthur Slade did an amazing job presenting a man, who is a legend in Canadian politics and history, in a way readers will appreciate and admire. The writing is excellent and the pace of the story great. It spans almost 85 years of history in less than 200 pages and yet you do not feel like there were major gaps. After reading this, as much as I love Slade's fiction, I can only hope he will try his hand at nonfiction again soon.

Books by Arthur Slade:
The Dragonfly's Journey (1996)
John Diefenbaker: an Appointment with Destiny (2000)
Dust (2001)
Tribes (2002)
Monsterology (2005)
Villainology (2005)
Megiddo's Shadow (2006)
Jolted (2008)
Shades: 17 Startling Stories (2011)
Flickers (2016)
Crimson (2018)
Death by Airship (2019)
Mr. Universe (2021)

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