These lively and provocative portraits of Canada's prime ministers shed new light on the public and private lives of the people chosen to lead our fragile Confederation. Whether vaulted into the public spotlight by ambition, or thrust forth by circumstance, the characters penned by Gordon Donaldson provide the main motive forces behind Canadian history. From Sir John A. to Jean Chretien, this is Canadian history at its most accessible and entertaining, thanks to Gordon Donaldson's wry wit and irreverent pen- and to the diveresity of his subjects: those who built and maintain Canada "in defiance of history, geography and climate."