Lester B. Pearson

One of the titles in Penguin's Extraordinary Canadians series, this brief portrait offers a useful introduction to Canada's fourteenth prime minister. At under 200 pages, there's not a lot of detail. But Andrew Cohen's engaging account makes it very clear that even had Pearson not become prime minister, his earlier diplomatic achievements would have placed him high on any list of significant Canadians. Add to those the accomplishments of his five years in office and he becomes perhaps the most important Canadian of the twentieth century. For those who lived through the daily chaos of Pearson's two minority governments, this book provides worthwhile perspective. Those for whom the sixties are only history will find it an excellent introduction to an outstanding man.