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gettygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Great insight not only into the Ford family but investigative journalism as it stands today.
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
3.0
Well written and nice to get a deeper view of all the hard work that Doolittle and her colleagues at the Star did to gather their information. There's not a lot of new information in here for people who have followed this story, but it is insightful and was an enjoyable read. I expect there will be an expanded edition when this comes out in softcover because who knows what our train-wreck of a mayor will do between now and then...
stories_by_sharanja's review against another edition
5.0
Perfect example of why I wanted to study journalism in the first place. This book was both a political thriller, and an psychological analysis of a deeply flawed man wrapped in one. Amazing read and I'm glad I got the chance to read it!
thislemonreads's review against another edition
3.0
I followed Robyn Doolittle's reporting in the Toronto Star of the Rob Ford Meltdown all through 2013, so I was eager to read this book, especially after seeing her great interview on the Daily Show. The book is well-written, and shares Robyn's perspective of events as they occurred, but I didn't feel, as a "student" of the debacle, that I learned anything that I didn't already know. That being said, it's a great, easy read and if you aren't familiar with the story, it will be a gripping page-turner.
karenchase's review against another edition
3.0
Come for the scandal, stay for the insightful look into the political powers in Toronto and the life and times of journalists. This book is as much about the author as it is about the scandal-plagued mayor of Toronto -- not very journalistic of her, I thought. I wanted to tut-tut her a few times as I read details of her own journey into the story, since (I understand) the first rule of journalism is that the story is never about the writer. However, I gave her some leeway since this is, after all, a book-length story, not an article in the Toronto Star, and as it turns out, the story of Ford is also the story of the Star. Almost since the beginning of the whole crack cocaine scandal, Ford accused the media, the Star in particular, of attempting to crucify him. Robyn Doolittle here shows that the paper was only trying do its due diligence to uncover the truth about the mayor's un-mayorly activities, a task that was made Herculean by Ford's incessant and borderline pathological lies. While the narrative jumped around a little more than I would have liked, I appreciated that the story is not linear, and involves many elements, including the mayor's substance abuse, his family's history of drug abuse and criminal charges as well as its social and political position, and the police investigations that finally resulted in exposing Rob Ford's activities. The book ends long before the story is actually over, since, after the book came out, Ford entered rehab, and the story will continue from there. As shocking as the tabloid details of Ford's actions are, what Doolittle succeeds in revealing here is the shocking acceptance of the people of Toronto. I do not live in Toronto (I'm safely tucked up here on the opposite coast), so perhaps I don't understand just how ready the city was for the administrative and fiscal changes that Rob Ford was able to bring in. Over and over, "Ford Nation" has declared its support of those policies, and has blindly decided to follow their leader over the rainbow. My own personal opinion, based on the media coverage I was exposed to throughout the past year-plus, has not changed. I have always felt that if the people of Toronto re-elect Ford (elections will be held in November 2014), despite the deception that inevitably accompanies a dependence on substances, then they get what they deserve. Perhaps that sounds a little harsh, but I believe that is Robyn Doolittle's message with this book as well. She lays out everything, and people need only read it to discover the truth.
sbaunsgard's review against another edition
4.0
Scandal and municipal politics, written as investigative journalism.
kaitlinmcnabb's review against another edition
4.0
what?! what just happened?! what did I just read?!
wow. it is truly something to read the Ford saga, from beginning to end, all condensed in one place.
how.how is he still mayor. and has a decent approval rating. how.
wow. it is truly something to read the Ford saga, from beginning to end, all condensed in one place.
how.how is he still mayor. and has a decent approval rating. how.
jensteerswell's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not from Toronto, and I haven't lived in Canada in nearly 13 years, but just like everyone else in the world, I followed the story through Gawker and the Daily Show, so when the book came out, I had to read it for all the details I'd missed.