"Packaging Political Partners": A Book Review by Susan Crean

Book Review of Political Wives: The Lives of the Saints, by Susan Riley. Toronto: Deneau, 1987

"If the world were evolving according to a feminist agenda, political wives would be on the endangered species list next to the Eskimo Curlew which once flourished on this continent in hearty numbers but is now so rarely sighted that it is presumed extinct. Instead, in this fin de siècle era of post-feminism and primetime electioneering, she has made a startling return, a comeback which has been completely scripted and staged."

"Packaging Political Partners" can be read online via the Broadside: A Feminist Review digital archives.

About Susan Crean

Susan Crean is a cultural critic, author, and activist. A writer for over 30 years, Crean's expertise is in Canadian history, art and culture, topics on which she has written extensively. She has been a pioneer of creative non-fiction in Canada, and is the author of seven books, the first, Who’s Afraid of Canadian Culture, appearing in 1976. Her next major work, The Laughing One – A Journey to Emily Carr, was nominated for a Governor General’s award and won a BC Book Prize in 2001. Crean published her memoir, Finding Mr Wong, in 2018, a work that recreates the life of her family's cook, Wong Dong Wong, beginning with his journey from China to Vancouver, following his work as a domestic servant in Toronto to his eventual citizenship and retirement. Crean spent a number of years researching Wong's story, visiting China in search of Mr. Wong's home village, to better understanding of where Wong came from, what his prospects were as an orphan, and what his journey to Canada was like. Finding Mr Wong recently reached the top 10 list of Best Canadian History books by Canada`s History magazine. READ MORE