Trumpian wake-up call echoes in Montreal
An old high-school friend, who is still based in the Montreal area, alerted me to this review in The Gazette. Shadows of Tyranny : Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship Ken McGoogan (Douglas & McIntyre). BY PAT ST. GERMAIN (Montreal Gazette / 14 September 2024) September feels like the unofficial start of a new…
Read MoreB.C. broadcaster leads brilliant discussion
Where is our Churchill? A new book wonders who will rise to meet the challenge of Trumpism By John Ackermann / Vancouver CityNews / Aug. 31, 2024 If elected to a second term, former U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to be a dictator but “only on day one.” Whether or not that remark was tongue-in-cheek,…
Read MoreWinnipeg lawyer discerns looming threat
A looming threat: Historical accounts of 20th-century fascism ring frighteningly true today Reviewed by Douglas J. Johnston / Winnipeg Free Press / Aug. 24, 2024 The substratum alert of this nifty collection of historical accounts of the rise of fascism is: “It can happen here” — the “it” personified in one Donald J. Trump. Guelph,…
Read MoreToronto Star highlights Shadows of Tyranny
Big shoutout to the Toronto Star for running an excerpt from Shadows of Tyranny on publication day — today! Special thanks for the terrific play. From Chapter 9: Mackenzie King Judges Hitler a Saint In the spring of 1937, Canada’s prime minister was still clinging to the view, originally espoused by British prime minister Winston…
Read MoreThe Hill Times hails Shadows of Tyranny
By Christina Leadlay / The Hill Times Historian and author Ken McGoogan weaves a cautionary non-fiction tale in his new book that argues the world has entered a “Second Age” of authoritarianism. Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship, published by Douglas & McIntyre, examines dictatorships of the 20th century. The book…
Read MoreWhat do we know about fascist demagogues?
‘The good news is that a 21st century Churchill has emerged from the shadows, and her name is Kamala Harris’ Ken McGoogan speaking at The Explorers Club in New York City By Barbara Latkowski Published August 7 in Guelph Today Mark Twain once said, “history never repeats itself. But it…
Read MoreCelebrating Sheena Fraser McGoogan
Our daughter Keriann McGoogan, author of Chasing Lemurs and the forthcoming Jungle Women, tells a story about how her artist-mother, Sheena Fraser McGoogan, instilled in her an independence of spirit. One of her sharpest memories from pre-school days finds her colouring while Sheena was volunteering in the classroom. Keriann pulled out the brightest green crayon…
Read MoreKamala Harris: Woman of Destiny
“History never repeats itself,” Mark Twain once said, “but it does often rhyme.” Today, few people want to see a future that repeats anything like Europe in the 1930s, when a lunatic personality cult gained control of the most powerful nation on the continent and then ran amok. While tracking that history in my forthcoming…
Read MoreThe Walrus excerpts Shadows of Tyranny
Wonderful to see The Walrus run an excerpt from Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Tyranny. Huge thanks to those who made the call. To see the original — or indeed to hear an audio version — you can go to thewalrus dot ca slash why-canada-should-worry-about-trumps-second-coming slash. Alternatively, you can wait for…
Read MoreYo, Canadians! Keep your traps shut, eh?
A recent article in POLITICO carried the headline: “Canada’s Big Worry: A US Civil War.” Alexander Burns, head of news, wrote that as political events unfold south of the border, we Canadians should stand quietly aside and “just watch.” At the risk of sounding impolite, I have to say thanks but that’s a non-starter. To…
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