Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Volume I: Passion, Reason, and Politics, 1925–1857
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by David A. Wilson
McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 2008
448 pp., illus., $39.95 hardcover
One of Canada’s most enigmatic political figures is brought back to life with David Wilson’s first installment of his new biography of Thomas D’Arcy McGee.
From his first political speech at the ripe age of seventeen, it’s clear that McGee possessed both the passion of ideas and a gift for communicating them. Wilson’s meticulously researched Volume I traces the evolution of the political experience and thought of the now legendary Canadian nationalist up to the moment of his decision to leave Ireland and the United States behind and invest in a Canadian future.
While Canadian purists might be tempted to wait for Volume II, Wilson provides new information and insights about McGee’s earlier life and career that make this volume well worth reading.
— Deborah Morrison (Read bio)
Deborah Morrison is the executive director of SEVEC and the former president and CEO of Canada’s History Society.