Close to Charisma

Patrick Gossage went to work for Pierre Trudeau as a press secretary in 1976. "You were so green," Trudeau reminisced years later. That very innocence gives a remarkable freshness to these first-hand observations of the Trudeau years.
Gossage's diary--his impressions of the media people, politicians and backroom operators he worked with every day--provides a remarkable portrait of the period. He records some of Trudeau's most difficult moments: the victory of the PQ in Quebec, the break-up of his marriage, electoral defeat at the hands of Joe Clark. Gossage also portrays some of Trudeau's triumphs: the patriation of the Constitution, his remarkable peace initiative during the Reagan presidency.
Close to the Charisma offers an insider's view of the workings of official Ottawa that is unusual for its candour and wit.