On the Ground - by Brian Stewart (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

National Bestseller
Nominated for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

A powerful memoir revealing the pressures, joys, and traumas of witnessing history up close and personal, from one of Canada's most prominent and decorated foreign correspondents.

Brian Stewart is a trusted voice who brought stories of the world home to Canadians for decades on CBC's The National.

He saw it all firsthand--triumph and ecstasy; carnage and unspeakable suffering--and bore the responsibility of shining a light on the most exciting and most horrifying moments of the late 20th century, including the Gulf War and the Ethiopian famine, reporting from sandstorms and shootouts, palaces and embassies. He spoke with the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, and Nelson Mandela; with armed militants, activists, aid workers, and more.

Now, for the first time, he is sharing his experience of the cost, both personal and professional, of bringing truth home from around the world. Reading like a whirlwind trip through the highs and lows of modern history from one of its most passionate students, On the Ground brings politics, war, and social change to vivid life.

An arresting tale of courage, curiosity, and empathy from a time when the news media held the public's trust, Stewart's honest and balanced storytelling is not only the fascinating tale of where one man's quest to witness history took him but also a sobering reminder of the staggering value of wise, responsible, and honorable journalism.

Review Quotes

"Reading like a whirlwind trip through the highs and lows of modern history from one of its most passionate students, On the Ground brings politics, war, and social change to vivid life."
--The Suburban

"If Brian Stewart from Canada does not go to Northern Ethiopia in the 80s, and does that reporting, Live Aid doesn't happen, and then, the world does not change."
-- BOB GELDOF, co-organizer of Live Aid & Live 8, CBC News

"On the Ground is a remarkable book. One of Canada's most distinguished international correspondents, Stewart takes his readers around the world from Ethiopia to Iraq to London and Afghanistan as he reflects on what he saw during his extraordinary career. Like all great journalists, Stewart does not flinch from telling unpleasant truths. Everyone who is interested in the world and in Canada's role in the world must read this book."
-- JANICE GROSS STEIN, Founding Director, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

"On The Ground is more than a memoir, it is a profound meditation on the human costs of war and the ethical challenges of conflict journalism, and a clear-eyed account of Canada's evolving sense of itself and its place in the world."
-- DR. ANDREW POTTER, author and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy

"[On the Ground] is a reminder of the influence and importance of television journalism in telling consequential stories that both explain and expose the world around us."
-- CHRISTOPHER WADDELL, Professor Emeritus, former Director of the School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

"A magnificent, gripping memoir. . . . Brian Stewart [is] one of the legendary foreign correspondents of his generation. This ranks with the best pieces of reportage in the footsteps of Edgar Snow, Martha Gellhorn, Matthew Halton, and Ernest Hemingway."
-- MARK STAROWICZ, award-winning journalist and producer

"Before I knew Canada, I knew Brian Stewart. I grew up with my father--a then Ethiopian government official--telling me about a certain Canadian who used journalism to tell the story of millions of vulnerable Ethiopians. Had it not been for him, many would have perished. . . . This book is a reminder of why Canadian journalism and Brian matter at home and in the world."
-- SAMUEL GETACHEW, award-winning international journalist

"One of the best foreign correspondents in television news . . . [Stewart] woke up the world to the catastrophic famine in Ethiopia. He is thoughtful, literate, and very knowledgeable. [Here] he explains how to cover war, how to bear witness, how people come back from disaster, and how he recovered from the moral injury of doing his job."
-- VALERIE PRINGLE, award-winning broadcaster

"Brian Stewart's reporting brought us many of the most important stories of our time. Here, in his memoir, he brings a Canadian lens to those stories, reminding us that our perspective matters now more than ever."
-- PETER MANSBRIDGE, #1 bestselling author of Off the Record

"One of the world's finest reporters, acclaimed for his skill and humanity, Stewart gives a moving account of the high drama and perils of chasing history as it happens."
-- PETER MANSBRIDGE, #1 bestselling author of Off the Record

About the Author

Brian Stewart was for decades one of the Canada's most prominent television journalists and was acclaimed for his foreign coverage for both CBC's The National and The Journal. Born in Montréal, and originally a newspaper reporter, Stewart went on to become foreign correspondent for CBC in London and NBC in Frankfurt. He worked in ten war zones, was host of the CBC Foreign Affairs show Worldview, and interviewed many of the historic figures of his time, including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Salman Rushdie, and Henry Kissinger. After retiring, he was appointed Senior Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. Stewart is a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the Queen's Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Canada.