728x90banner P1

Hope Is Better Than Fear: Paying Jack Layton Forward - Various Contributors Print E-mail
Tuesday, 17 January 2012 03:12
View Comments
laytonbookBook Review

Hope Is Better Than Fear (eBook original)
Publisher: Random House of Canada Limited
ISBN: 978-0-307-36174-5
Release Date: September 27th, 2011
Price: Net proceeds from the sale of this eBook are being donated to charity.

Reviewed by Kevin Chan

Jack Layton was seen as a visionary on the cusp of turning the dreams of all those who stood behind him, into a very possible reality. In the 2011 Canadian federal election, Layton led the New Democratic Party to obtain 103 seats in the House of Commons, the most ever in NDP history. This number of seats also allowed the NDP, and Jack Layton, to be at the forefront of the Official Opposition to the reigning Conservative Party. However, things took a turn for worse when Jack took a leave of absence in July 2011. After being diagnosed with a second form of cancer, Jack Layton passed away in August 2011. 

Hope is Better Than Fear: Paying Jack Layton Forward is the sum of several contributors who wished to share their memories of who and what Jack Layton stood for. Many of Layton's political views are included within, as are photos of the public mourning following his passing. These add immensely to the overall feel of each contribution, as the reader can see the vast number of chalk-drawn messages left in his memory. Also included with each passage are dates that are important to each contributor, often being a time when Jack Layton took a stand for something that he believed would make a difference to the people around him.

The main body of work begins with Jack Layton's last address to Canadians, as a political figure, and a man who still had something left to say to his hopeful audience. This effectively pulls the reader in, and informs them of the importance Layton placed into each facet of his political ideals that he includes in his final letter (many of them being covered by the contributors). Layton's address is full of hopeful remarks that are carried on by all of the contributors, who insist that Layton's dream does not end with him, but is continued through the Canadians who believe in the Canada that Jack Layton saw.

Each contributor brings something new to the table, with each chapter highlighting a different one of Jack Layton's political passions. But it is within these reader-directed political causes that I feel Jack Layton's memory is truly being remembered. Each contributor remembers Layton to be appealing in his own way, and that there were very strong indications in his earlier years, he would one day be a strong voice amongst those who felt they had little say in political matters. The memories that are shared vary in magnitude throughout the book, as Layton is remembered as an avid speaker at many conferences in one instance, while also being recalled as possessing an easy-going and playful personality. By having Jack Layton personified by colleagues and those who had come into contact with him, whether it was for a long or short duration, allows the reader to feel connected to a man that they had previously only known through a political context. 

If you want to read about who Jack Layton — the political leader — was, this book is for you. It delves into much of what Layton believed and advocated for without becoming too complex or difficult to understand and enjoy.  However, the way that each political issue is approached, is largely bias because of who wrote it, and of course, by the position that Jack Layton took on the issue. However, if you want to read about who Jack Layton — the Canadian — was, this book is especially for you. It provides great insight into the character that was inside such great political leader and the action that Layton undertook to gain the following that had allowed his party to make history in 2011. Jack Layton has often appeared to the politically uneducated as a hardworking man who stuck up for those who had no voice in politics, and pushed for equality on issues that otherwise may not have had a fighting chance otherwise. Hope is Better Than Fear: Paying Jack Layton Forward reaffirms this while looking deeper into Jack Layton's career and how it shaped him and allowed him to create a Canada that he hoped would take care of, and shape, itself.

Written by :
kchan91
 
< Prev   Next >
 

 Search what you are looking for 

 Liked a review? 

Copyright 2007 - 2012 © Press+1