Books

Speeches That Changed Canada

Fitzhenry & Whiteside (2018)
In this book I have chosen dramatic speeches from 11 of Canada’s finest political orators. I probe the historical context of each and the rhetorical techniques used by speakers to win over audiences. Speeches That Changed Canada can be purchased directly from  Fitzhenry & Whiteside.  It can also be ordered from Amazon.ca and from the author.

Pulpit and Politics: Competing Religious Ideologies
in Canadian Public Life

Kingsley Publishing (2011)

In this book, I expose the competition between religious progressives and conservatives for power and influence in Canadian politics during the years of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. 

“Dennis Gruending brings both insight and hands-on experience to that fraught crossroads where faith and politics intersect . . .” – Marci McDonald, author of The Armageddon Factor

“…well informed observations on the role of faith in politics, and the politics of faith, an insightful guide to the current political landscape.” – Rev. Bill Blaikie, former MP.

Available from: Amazon and the author

Truth to Power: The Journalism of a Benedictine Monk

Kingsley Publishing (2010)

I edited and introduced this book, which presents the best from twenty years of provocative journalism by Father Andrew Britz, editor of the Prairie Messenger, a prophetic weekly news journal which was published by Benedictine monks in Saskatchewan for more than 100 years.

“This collection is an enduring part of the spiritual literature of our period. — Joan Chittister, OSB, Erie, Pennsylvania

“How refreshing it is to discover this collection of editorials skillfully assembled by the journalist and biographer Dennis Gruending . . .” — Michael W. Higgins, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut.

Available from:  Amazon

Emmett Hall: Establishment Radical

Fitzhenry & Whiteside (2005)

This is a revised and updated edition of my 1985 biography of Emmett Hall, a Supreme Court Justice and the Royal Commissioner who recommended Medicare for Canada. Introduction by the Honourable Roy Romanow, former Premier of Saskatchewan.

“Gruending has written in a clear and lively style that praises a notable life without turning his book into a panegyric.” — Reginald Stackhouse, The Globe and Mail

Gruending has written a lively and highly readable story of a remarkable man.” — Toronto Star

Available from: Amazon and Fitzhenry & Whiteside  (1-800-387-9776), and directly from the author.

Great Canadian Speeches 

I researched and compiled this national bestselling collection of 78 fine Canadian speeches. Among them: Sir John A. MacDonald making a case for Confederation, while Joseph Howe argues against it;  Louis Riel pleading his case to a Regina jury in 1885;  Nellie McClung demanding the vote for women;  Dr. Norman Bethune urging Canadians to support the Republican cause in Spain;  Pierre Trudeau and Rene Levesque facing off in the 1980 Quebec referendum;  Thomas Homer-Dixon pondering Canada’s future in an increasingly unstable world;  David Suzuki addressing environmental challenges;  Justin Trudeau’s “Je t’aime papa”; Stephen Lewis on AIDS and the west; and many more.

“A history of Canada as seen from the podium.” – Paul Gessell, Ottawa Citizen.

Available from: Amazon and Fitzhenry & Whiteside  (1-800-387-9776), and directly from the author.

The Middle of Nowhere: Rediscovering Saskatchewan

Fifth House (1996)

This is my selection of the best non-fiction writing about Saskatchewan from the fur trade to the 1990s.

“A splendid collection of non-fiction pieces on Saskatchewan.“ — The Globe and Mail

Available from: Amazon

Promises to Keep: A Political Biography
of Allan Blakeney

Western Producer Prairie Books (1990)

The inside story on former Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney: his use of Crown Corporations, his takeover of half the potash industry, and his battles with Pierre Trudeau in the 1980s’ constitutional wars.

“Gruending has chronicled a remarkable period in Prairie, indeed, national, politics.” —Toronto Star

“Promises to keep is a sympathetic and detailed treatment of Blakeney.” – The Globe and Mail.

Available from: Amazon and from the author

Emmett Hall: Establishment Radical

Macmillan (1985)

My biography of a Saskatchewan boy who graduated from law school with John Diefenbaker and went on to become an outspoken jurist, a father of Medicare, a defender of Indigenous rights, and the conscience of a nation.

“A number of crucial factors have gone into making Canada the nation that it is today: the Rockies, the St. Lawrence River, and Emmett Hall.” – Journalist Walter Stewart

Available from: Amazon  

Gringo: Poems and Journals from Latin America

Coteau Books (1983)

This is book of poems and journals based upon my  solitary eight-month journey through Latin America, much of it on buses, during a tense and violent time in the late 1980s.

“Gringo is a personal book. It consists of one man’s adventures and impressions, and that is the source of its strength.” – The Globe and Mail

Available from: Amazon and from the author