National Network for Equitable Library Service

Harperland: The Politics of Control examines Stephen Harper's first four years in power. Soarking to the top of the best-seller lists in its first week, Peter C. Newman called it "A book of revelations...This is Stephen Harper unplugged." Don Martin of The National Post declared it an excellent book providing insights the Prime Minister could well learn from. In Harperland, prominent Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin assesses Harper's governance, focusing on the growth of executive power under Harper. Through interviews with prominent insiders, Martin probes the smearing of opponents, the silencing of the public and diplomatic service, the secrecy, the prorogations, the unprecedented centralizing of power, and muzzling of the media. He looks at controversies - the secret dirty-tricks handbook, the Chuck Cadman affair, campaign financing, the dismissal of nuclear power head Linda Keen, the Afghan detainees cover-up, the turning of access-to-information laws into barricades to information - and lets readers draw their own conclusions. Tough but balanced, Harperland offers a clear picture of a skilled politician at a crucial point in Canadian politics.