Appel traces with unsparing candor how a politician who saw himself as the smartest man in the room proved instead too incompetent to hold high office. Ultimately, however, the fall of Jason Kenney is not a tragedy. The tragedy lies in the wreckage he has left in his wake.
Trevor Harrison, author, Of Passionate Intensity: Right-Wing Populism and the Reform Party of Canada, and Professor of Sociology, University of Lethbridge
In this lively and readable account, Appel makes sense of Jason Kenney’s ideology and the legacy he leaves in Ottawa and in Alberta.
Lisa Young, Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary
Appel rigorously tracks the rise and fall of one of Canada’s most prominent politicians. It’s all here: what motivated Jason Kenney, how he became such a successful political strategist and why he was eventually toppled by his own party. A compelling read by a journalist with keen insight.
Gillian Steward, Toronto Star columnist, and former managing editor, Calgary Herald
Piercing through the absurdly generous tributes that greeted its namesake’s political downfall, Jeremy Appel has achieved something vital with Kenneyism; a rigorous critical reflection on one of the most significant reactionary politicians in modern Canadian history.
Luke Savage, author of The Dead Center
A thoughtful, well-researched, and accessible book that sheds sorely-needed light on the pervasive political influence of Jason Kenney.
Steve Sladkowski, musician, PUP
Appel traces with unsparing candor how a politician who saw himself as the smartest man in the room proved instead too incompetent to hold high office. Ultimately, however, the fall of Jason Kenney is not a tragedy. The tragedy lies in the wreckage he has left in his wake.
Trevor Harrison, author, Of Passionate Intensity, and Professor of Sociology, University of Lethbridge
One of the first in-depth looks at Kenney’s rise and fall in Canadian politics.
David Cournoyer, writer, Daveberta
Provocative, insightful and meticulously researched.
Graham Thomson, freelance columnist and long-time Alberta politics observer
An insightful, comprehensive investigation and explanation of the rise and sudden fall of Jason Kenney – one of Canada’s most consequential conservative activists of the 21st century.
Keith Brownsey, Professor of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies, Mount Royal University
More than the political biography of one man; it is a history of the populist far-right formations that have been gaining ground in Canada since the 1980s — in which Jason Kenney has been a central figure.
Laurie Adkin, Professor of Political Science, University of Alberta
Jeremy Appel's deep dive into the political life of Jason Kenney illuminates the life and intentions of an important though confusing political operative. All political watchers owe Appel a great debt for this in-depth look at such an enigmatic figure.
Nora Loreto, author of Spin Doctors
One of the first in-depth looks at Kenney’s rise and fall in Canadian politics.
Dave Cournoyer, writer, Daveberta