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Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story
His drug and alcohol-fuelled antics made world headlines and engulfed a city in unprecedented controversy. Toronto mayor Rob Ford's personal and political troubles have occupied centre stage in North America's fourth-largest city since news broke that drug dealers were selling a videotape of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine. Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle was one of three journalists to view the video and report on its contents in May 2013. Her dogged pursuit of the story has uncovered disturbing details about the mayor's past, and embroiled the Toronto police, city councillors, and ordinary citizens in a raucous debate about the future of the city. Even before those explosive events, Ford was a divisive figure. A populist and successful city counillor, he was an underdog to become mayor in 2010. His politics and mercurial nature have split the amalgamated city in two. But there is far more to the story. The Ford family has a long, unhappy history of substance abuse and criminal behaviour. Despite their troubles, they are also one of the most ambitious families in Canada. Those close to the Fords say they often compare themselves to the Kennedys and believe they were born to lead. Doolittle says that regardless of whether the mayor survives the current crack-cocaine scandal, the Ford name will be on the ballot in the mayoralty election in 2014.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
25 people are currently reading
788 people want to read
About the author
Robyn Doolittle
3 books62 followersRobyn Doolittle is an investigative reporter with the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. She began her career at the Toronto Star, covering crime and later municipal politics.
Her two-year investigation into Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s substance abuse issues garnered worldwide attention, and in 2014, the Star’s Ford investigation was nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award and a Michener Award for public service journalism.
A graduate of Ryerson University, Doolittle has lived in Toronto since 2002.
Her two-year investigation into Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s substance abuse issues garnered worldwide attention, and in 2014, the Star’s Ford investigation was nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award and a Michener Award for public service journalism.
A graduate of Ryerson University, Doolittle has lived in Toronto since 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
June 26, 2020
Finally! Canada got a politician that was making headlines internationally, but alas, in a very disturbing way.
I have to admire investigative reporter, Robyn Doolittle. She, and her colleagues, had to be extremely meticulous in their research to make sure their reports were told accurately and objectively. The timeline of Rob Ford's personal and political life at the beginning of the book was a mind-boggling story in itself. Details of how municipal politics work in Toronto were also quite eye-opening.
It's unfortunate how investigative journalism is so reviled now. As Doolittle points out, people don't want to be "told" anymore; they want to SEE!
If you want an indepth, objective look into this man's life, then this is the book to read. Too bad it was published in 2014 as so much has occurred to Rob Ford since, ending with his death from a rare type of cancer in 2016.
I have to admire investigative reporter, Robyn Doolittle. She, and her colleagues, had to be extremely meticulous in their research to make sure their reports were told accurately and objectively. The timeline of Rob Ford's personal and political life at the beginning of the book was a mind-boggling story in itself. Details of how municipal politics work in Toronto were also quite eye-opening.
It's unfortunate how investigative journalism is so reviled now. As Doolittle points out, people don't want to be "told" anymore; they want to SEE!
If you want an indepth, objective look into this man's life, then this is the book to read. Too bad it was published in 2014 as so much has occurred to Rob Ford since, ending with his death from a rare type of cancer in 2016.
February 4, 2014
Crazy Town is many books in one. It's a political thriller (who was doing what when), a psychological study (as much of a city as an individual man), and a journalism guide (a behind-the-scenes account of what it's like to cover a story as explosive as this one for a major national newspaper).
The book is meticulously researched and documented, as you would expect. (Doolittle's publishers are no fools.)
While people who have been following the Rob Ford story as it played out in real time won't pick up a lot of new information, the benefit of reading a book like this is that all of the pieces of the puzzle are put together in a way that makes sense. The timeline at the front of the book is particularly helpful in pinpointing what was happening -- and what Ford was saying -- at various times. Doolittle also puts events in context in an attempt to help readers understand what led to the Rob Ford phenomenon and what is likely to happen when Toronto voters head to the polls to pick their next mayor this fall.
A great read.
The book is meticulously researched and documented, as you would expect. (Doolittle's publishers are no fools.)
While people who have been following the Rob Ford story as it played out in real time won't pick up a lot of new information, the benefit of reading a book like this is that all of the pieces of the puzzle are put together in a way that makes sense. The timeline at the front of the book is particularly helpful in pinpointing what was happening -- and what Ford was saying -- at various times. Doolittle also puts events in context in an attempt to help readers understand what led to the Rob Ford phenomenon and what is likely to happen when Toronto voters head to the polls to pick their next mayor this fall.
A great read.
February 6, 2014
Crazy Town is a good summary of the information. It is an easy read and engaging. I think if this story was written for The Wire as a fictional piece I would have found it too far fetched. The book also reminded me of the importance of investigative journalism in this era of the sound bite story.
September 4, 2024
Read on vacation. Quite a read about an unforgettable politician.
February 11, 2014
It says something about my Rob Ford addiction that I am the first person on Goodreads to mark this as "Currently Reading"! So far, very well-written, very thorough.
* * *
So, if you've been following the Ford story obsessively, there will be little new information in this book, except perhaps about the family's history and background. But it's a very interesting experience to follow the story in a sober, thoughtful book, as opposed to the outbursts of headlines that have grabbed us over the past year.
What's most interesting about this book is watching how The Star handled the story and its dissemination. All the behind-the-scenes stuff is great, and I wish there had been even more of it.
Doolittle is also very fair-handed — I think she might even go too far in the direction of praising Ford for the things he accomplished as mayor before he got politically castrated.
But it was a very compelling read. And now I look forward to putting all that crap out of my mind and diving back into some good literature.
* * *
So, if you've been following the Ford story obsessively, there will be little new information in this book, except perhaps about the family's history and background. But it's a very interesting experience to follow the story in a sober, thoughtful book, as opposed to the outbursts of headlines that have grabbed us over the past year.
What's most interesting about this book is watching how The Star handled the story and its dissemination. All the behind-the-scenes stuff is great, and I wish there had been even more of it.
Doolittle is also very fair-handed — I think she might even go too far in the direction of praising Ford for the things he accomplished as mayor before he got politically castrated.
But it was a very compelling read. And now I look forward to putting all that crap out of my mind and diving back into some good literature.
March 16, 2014
2.5 stars.....clearly written and fair synopsis of recent events but very little political analysis and absolutely no psychological analysis of our entitled wreck of a mayor
January 24, 2015
A good light read - but essentially a 300 page newspaper article.
If Doolittle wanted to write a serious book it would have done her well to get a co-author who is less steeped in the journalistic tradition. Journalistic writing does not usually make for great novels (unless you're someone like Christopher Hitchens who was also a talented though pompous essayist).
If you can't figure out why Doolittle didn't wait until the election to release it, you're forgetting the extremely obvious benefits to releasing the book at the height of the scandal. Book tours and high sales. This book was about sensationalism and personal profits. That's not to say there weren't other good reasons to write the book, but everything about this book's construction and its release show that Doolittle was willing to sacrifice some integrity for the sake of income. Which to be honest, who am I to judge her for?
The only thing is that this book could have been more. There were sections that Doolittle connected Ford's legacy to the history of the city and the province, the changing politics, and the changing culture of the city. Those were definitely the highlights. But there should have been more of that. This book ended up coming off shallow when I think with a little help, Doolittle could have written something that will actually be worth keeping on your bookshelf 20 years from now. That just didn't happen, unfortunately.
With that said, if you're a Toronto resident (or Canadian for that matter), this book is probably worth its money.
If Doolittle wanted to write a serious book it would have done her well to get a co-author who is less steeped in the journalistic tradition. Journalistic writing does not usually make for great novels (unless you're someone like Christopher Hitchens who was also a talented though pompous essayist).
If you can't figure out why Doolittle didn't wait until the election to release it, you're forgetting the extremely obvious benefits to releasing the book at the height of the scandal. Book tours and high sales. This book was about sensationalism and personal profits. That's not to say there weren't other good reasons to write the book, but everything about this book's construction and its release show that Doolittle was willing to sacrifice some integrity for the sake of income. Which to be honest, who am I to judge her for?
The only thing is that this book could have been more. There were sections that Doolittle connected Ford's legacy to the history of the city and the province, the changing politics, and the changing culture of the city. Those were definitely the highlights. But there should have been more of that. This book ended up coming off shallow when I think with a little help, Doolittle could have written something that will actually be worth keeping on your bookshelf 20 years from now. That just didn't happen, unfortunately.
With that said, if you're a Toronto resident (or Canadian for that matter), this book is probably worth its money.
March 19, 2014
A very brief review with a caveat: Robyn Doolittle's a friend, and a colleague (we both cover Toronto City Hall and Rob Ford, for different newspapers).
With that out of the way: Crazy Town is an outstanding piece of investigative journalism, political biography and journalistic procedural. It is incomplete, only insofar as the story of Rob Ford and his mayoralty is yet incomplete, but it is meticulously fair and exhaustive, in telling the story as it's unfolded so far.
With that out of the way: Crazy Town is an outstanding piece of investigative journalism, political biography and journalistic procedural. It is incomplete, only insofar as the story of Rob Ford and his mayoralty is yet incomplete, but it is meticulously fair and exhaustive, in telling the story as it's unfolded so far.
December 1, 2014
Great read!
I was wary of the timing of this book - thinking it was a hastily put together cash grab by some random writer - but it is written by one of the Toronto Star reporters who broke a lot of the stories about Ford along the way. You can tell right away that the author is an excellent reporter who has put in a lot of hours on this story before she started writing the book. And since it takes you through his rise to power to the beginning of his re-election campaign near the end of his first term as mayor, so it's a pretty comprehensive narrative with a clear end-point. I'm sure there will be books written about whatever happens next for Rob Ford.
It is an efficient and well-structured story. I particularly liked hearing how the Toronto Star organized their investigation and put together their big breaking stories - it's got a great newsroom drama angle to it that I was pleasantly surprised by. (Additionally, the explanations of how investigative journalism works in Canada was much appreciated.) The author is only a character in the narrative when she needs to be, and this technique is particularly effective when she has to use gangster gun-runners as sources. That's when you realize that the story is no longer about a goofy loose cannon politician, it's about a loose cannon politician that is ensnared by a dangerous criminal underworld.
I thought the author did a good job of capturing Rob Ford as a human being. She makes a good case for how he could be so likeable for voters. My impression is that she doesn't think of his struggles as being funny like most casual observers do. It's rare that she goes for a joke at his expense. He comes across as more desperate and tragic instead of Chris Farley-as-mayor. And while it's easy to make a joke about a mayor smoking crack, it stops being funny when you realize the story is about a grown man with two small children who is in complete denial about his serious substance-abuse problems. And while she clearly does not agree with his political objectives, I'm glad that she focused on his electability and his relationships with his constituents, because that's the most compelling and interesting part about him.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent read.
I was wary of the timing of this book - thinking it was a hastily put together cash grab by some random writer - but it is written by one of the Toronto Star reporters who broke a lot of the stories about Ford along the way. You can tell right away that the author is an excellent reporter who has put in a lot of hours on this story before she started writing the book. And since it takes you through his rise to power to the beginning of his re-election campaign near the end of his first term as mayor, so it's a pretty comprehensive narrative with a clear end-point. I'm sure there will be books written about whatever happens next for Rob Ford.
It is an efficient and well-structured story. I particularly liked hearing how the Toronto Star organized their investigation and put together their big breaking stories - it's got a great newsroom drama angle to it that I was pleasantly surprised by. (Additionally, the explanations of how investigative journalism works in Canada was much appreciated.) The author is only a character in the narrative when she needs to be, and this technique is particularly effective when she has to use gangster gun-runners as sources. That's when you realize that the story is no longer about a goofy loose cannon politician, it's about a loose cannon politician that is ensnared by a dangerous criminal underworld.
I thought the author did a good job of capturing Rob Ford as a human being. She makes a good case for how he could be so likeable for voters. My impression is that she doesn't think of his struggles as being funny like most casual observers do. It's rare that she goes for a joke at his expense. He comes across as more desperate and tragic instead of Chris Farley-as-mayor. And while it's easy to make a joke about a mayor smoking crack, it stops being funny when you realize the story is about a grown man with two small children who is in complete denial about his serious substance-abuse problems. And while she clearly does not agree with his political objectives, I'm glad that she focused on his electability and his relationships with his constituents, because that's the most compelling and interesting part about him.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent read.
February 10, 2014
Ever wonder what it would be like if your local government was run by Axl Rose? Well, North America's fourth-largest city has been engaging in that very experiment for three years now, and the result is pretty thrilling. Okay, you probably won't get behind it if you're on of those "good government" pussies, but if you like a freak show, the mayoralty of Rob Ford can't be beat.
Like the aforementioned Mr. Rose, Mayor Ford is also possessed with an appetite for destruction, although Hizzoner's is almost entirely self-directed. Even before we learned last year that Ford is a drunken, crack-huffing goof that you'd think of looking for in an NWA song before looking in City Hall, his agenda was largely in tatters, due to his chronic inability to play nice with anybody not named Ford.
Robyn Doolittle has done a heroic job of explaining the whys and wherefores of how my city got where it is. And she wrote it in just three months. If anything, Crazy Town makes me more likely to vote for Crackhead Rob, not less. His singular refusal to his his goddamn lesson makes it a moral certainty that, if re-elected, he'll start smoking PCP for breakfast and turn over the powers of the police to his homies in the Dixon City Bloods. He might even murder prostitutes at press availabilities.
As you might have guessed, I'm not a good government pussy. I love a freak show!
If I have one complaint about Crazy Town - and it's a compelling read - it's that it's a touch premature. We're heading headlong into the moral darkness of Ford's re-election campaign and nothing will generate material like that. We already know that Etobicoke Slim doesn't respond well to stress, and I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be the worst ten months of his life.
I can't recommend Crazy Town enough, particularly to the optimists out there. It will destroy your faith in both western democracy and the human spirit, and it'll do so in just 312 pages. Through it, you can change your life in a weekend!
Like the aforementioned Mr. Rose, Mayor Ford is also possessed with an appetite for destruction, although Hizzoner's is almost entirely self-directed. Even before we learned last year that Ford is a drunken, crack-huffing goof that you'd think of looking for in an NWA song before looking in City Hall, his agenda was largely in tatters, due to his chronic inability to play nice with anybody not named Ford.
Robyn Doolittle has done a heroic job of explaining the whys and wherefores of how my city got where it is. And she wrote it in just three months. If anything, Crazy Town makes me more likely to vote for Crackhead Rob, not less. His singular refusal to his his goddamn lesson makes it a moral certainty that, if re-elected, he'll start smoking PCP for breakfast and turn over the powers of the police to his homies in the Dixon City Bloods. He might even murder prostitutes at press availabilities.
As you might have guessed, I'm not a good government pussy. I love a freak show!
If I have one complaint about Crazy Town - and it's a compelling read - it's that it's a touch premature. We're heading headlong into the moral darkness of Ford's re-election campaign and nothing will generate material like that. We already know that Etobicoke Slim doesn't respond well to stress, and I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be the worst ten months of his life.
I can't recommend Crazy Town enough, particularly to the optimists out there. It will destroy your faith in both western democracy and the human spirit, and it'll do so in just 312 pages. Through it, you can change your life in a weekend!
April 21, 2014
A thorough and thought provoking investigation into the Rob Ford fiasco.
I expected more of a "Kitty Kelly" approach to this tell-all, but I was pleasantly surprised by Doolittle's journalistic approach to writing this biography. She doesn't talk to the neighbours of a friend of a friend's relative to get her story, she goes to hard sources, names names, and quotes authoritative publications and public figures. The last 60 pages of the book is bibliographic notes that helps to lend credibility to her findings.
The first half of the book, the half I found to be most interesting, covers the formative political years of the Bobble-head Mayor, as he is primed by his family (they think they are the Canadian Kennedys, but they are likely more comparable to the Bush family)to follow in their patriarch's Conservative footsteps. This half of the book also exposes the multitude of criminal connections that this family has and shows the circles of seediness that the Ford siblings seem to have always been a part of in their community.
The second half of the book focuses on the crack scandal that Ford was at the centre of. This scandal was so thoroughly covered in the newspapers that there really aren't too many more details that Doolittle could expose on the matter. She does do a thorough job of chronicling the whole ordeal, so, I suppose, it will be an excellent document for historians one day.
What was extra fascinating about this book was how it attempts to explain HOW something like Rob Ford could happen. Doolittle details the political climate and chemistry of Toronto in an attempt to uncover why such a blight on Toronto's reputation could have happened, and why it should have been foreseen. It this sense, "Crazy Town" reads like a political thriller, complete with secretive conversation, back room dealings, and smoke and mirror campaigns. Riveting stuff!
Written with a fluidity that makes it pleasurable to read, Robyn Doolittle has created a real crowd-pleaser with this book. Should be mandatory reading for Ford Nation, or is that an oxy-moron?
4/5
I expected more of a "Kitty Kelly" approach to this tell-all, but I was pleasantly surprised by Doolittle's journalistic approach to writing this biography. She doesn't talk to the neighbours of a friend of a friend's relative to get her story, she goes to hard sources, names names, and quotes authoritative publications and public figures. The last 60 pages of the book is bibliographic notes that helps to lend credibility to her findings.
The first half of the book, the half I found to be most interesting, covers the formative political years of the Bobble-head Mayor, as he is primed by his family (they think they are the Canadian Kennedys, but they are likely more comparable to the Bush family)to follow in their patriarch's Conservative footsteps. This half of the book also exposes the multitude of criminal connections that this family has and shows the circles of seediness that the Ford siblings seem to have always been a part of in their community.
The second half of the book focuses on the crack scandal that Ford was at the centre of. This scandal was so thoroughly covered in the newspapers that there really aren't too many more details that Doolittle could expose on the matter. She does do a thorough job of chronicling the whole ordeal, so, I suppose, it will be an excellent document for historians one day.
What was extra fascinating about this book was how it attempts to explain HOW something like Rob Ford could happen. Doolittle details the political climate and chemistry of Toronto in an attempt to uncover why such a blight on Toronto's reputation could have happened, and why it should have been foreseen. It this sense, "Crazy Town" reads like a political thriller, complete with secretive conversation, back room dealings, and smoke and mirror campaigns. Riveting stuff!
Written with a fluidity that makes it pleasurable to read, Robyn Doolittle has created a real crowd-pleaser with this book. Should be mandatory reading for Ford Nation, or is that an oxy-moron?
4/5
November 8, 2015
I'm kind of torn while trying to rate this one.
On the one hand, scandal is almost always interesting and gripping to read. The guy's a trainwreck and it's nearly impossible to look away. I've seen the headlines, but haven't followed too closely and this book was fairly comprehensive in providing some background and a timeline. If you have been continually following the story though, you may as well skip this one. It doesn't really provide anything new.
I don't really have any sympathy for Rob Ford. He's made his own bed. That said, I did note the overwhelming bias in this book. Over and over again, Ford claims that The Toronto Star has some kind of vendetta against him, and really, he's not wrong. Scandal sells, right? The writer is basically exploiting him to make a break in her career (not to say he should be given a free pass at all).Journalism at it's finest should be presented without bias; give the facts and let the readers make their own conclusions. Throughout the book, the writer is unleashing all this potentially damaging information about Ford, and wondering why it's not costing him his career. The result, she looks for more and more dirt on him to dig . Just playing devil's advocate here.
Anyhow, there's my two cents. :)
On the one hand, scandal is almost always interesting and gripping to read. The guy's a trainwreck and it's nearly impossible to look away. I've seen the headlines, but haven't followed too closely and this book was fairly comprehensive in providing some background and a timeline. If you have been continually following the story though, you may as well skip this one. It doesn't really provide anything new.
I don't really have any sympathy for Rob Ford. He's made his own bed. That said, I did note the overwhelming bias in this book. Over and over again, Ford claims that The Toronto Star has some kind of vendetta against him, and really, he's not wrong. Scandal sells, right? The writer is basically exploiting him to make a break in her career (not to say he should be given a free pass at all).Journalism at it's finest should be presented without bias; give the facts and let the readers make their own conclusions. Throughout the book, the writer is unleashing all this potentially damaging information about Ford, and wondering why it's not costing him his career. The result, she looks for more and more dirt on him to dig . Just playing devil's advocate here.
Anyhow, there's my two cents. :)
January 5, 2026
I couldn't wait to pick up this book for several reasons. Let's face it, I glued to the Rob Ford Train Wreck as much as the next person and I wanted to read the behind the scenes look at the whole thing. And the former journalist in me loved reading about the investigation from Robyn Doolittle's perspective. Overall, this book didn't disappoint. It delved deep into Rob Ford's past to give us a good sense of where he came from and how he came to be who he is today. It was well researched and well written. The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that, because it's a story that's still unfolding, the last few chapters were weaker. It was less about the research and more about the 'where everyone was when the next bomb dropped'. And, because the story is unfolding, I recommend to anyone wishing to read it to read it soon -- because there's already new pieces falling into the puzzle since publication.
February 12, 2017
I found it very hard to put this book down. It's an incredible story that still leaves you astonished - even if you know how it ends. Two quibbles: 1) The first part of the book on the Ford family is disorganized and choppy. The timeline keeps jumping around and this makes it hard to follow. However, it becomes more straightforward when Doolittle starts to cover Mayor Ford's scandals. 2) Books by journalists always talk about journalism. In many ways, Doolittle writes about her profession to make her sound like a spy (with stakeouts, sources, digging through information, etc). However, this often makes the book less about Rob Ford and more about the story of chasing Rob Ford. So readers should be warned, they'll probably know more about the Toronto Star than the Ford family - but this doesn't make the book any easier to put down.
April 14, 2014
If you read the Toronto papers on a fairly consistent basis, you already know most of the story. there is very little new or revealing in this book. Those new to the the Rob Ford train wreck may enjoy the read a little more.
Quite honestly I would have liked to had seen more about his early years in his life. it was just too sparse. I know the book was not a biography per se, but more a moment in time, but I think the writer could have done more.
For me, an okay read, for others not as familiar with the political realities of Toronto, more interesting.
Quite honestly I would have liked to had seen more about his early years in his life. it was just too sparse. I know the book was not a biography per se, but more a moment in time, but I think the writer could have done more.
For me, an okay read, for others not as familiar with the political realities of Toronto, more interesting.
February 17, 2014
A real page turner. Doolittle's re telling of the Rob Ford is equal parts political thriller (/farce) and recent Toronto history. It's not great literature but it doesn't pretend to be. Instead, it's a highly entertaining and interesting look at a series of recent events that has put Toronto front and centre on the world stage. And not in a good way.
March 14, 2014
Our infamous Mayor is profiled in Robyn Doolittle's book. If you have been reading the Star then most of this is just word for word. The fist chapter is rather interesting as it documents there father's rise from poverty to wealth by starting Deco Labels. It is a quick read.
Want to read
February 8, 2014Crazy Town brings all the stories together in a compelling narrative. I bought the book because Robin Doolittle deserves to make some money for putting up with Ford Nation ragging on The Star.
February 15, 2014
Pretty much a rehash of what I already knew from being a daily reader of the Toronto Star.
February 10, 2014
Torontonians have followed the story, in the Star, on Twitter, television, blogs and so on. Most of us who live here and are more or less conscious are aware of the key events. Robyn Doolittle’s book Crazy Town pulls it all together, and gives the story chronology and context. For those of us who enjoy following municipal politics in Toronto, getting the whole story packaged up in a book is irresistible. The story is at once sad, tragic, outrageous and perplexing.
And it’s quite a story. Mr. Ford’s behaviour has put Toronto in the headlines across the world, for all the wrong reasons. Once the incredible story is chewed down and digested though, we’re left with two other mysteries. The first is the Mayor’s stubborn refusal to step aside and the second is the willingness of the hard-core Ford supporters to forgive anything.
Lurking behind the straight-forward account of the story laid out in a most readable fashion by Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle is a story of disenchantment with and distrust of mainstream politicians and the media and a simplified division within the amalgamated Toronto as sold by the Ford camp – between between the suburbs and downtown, the car and the streetcar, the right and the left, and so on.
Crazy Town is a good title. You can’t make this stuff up. Yet this is our city and it’s real and it happened and the story continues to unfold. I suspect we may see a record voter turnout for the October election. Everybody has an opinion and these opinions run deep. The next chapters will have to be part of somebody else’s book, as Robyn Doolittle leaves off at the beginning of this year. We should have a good idea of the full slate of candidates over the next month or so and the campaigns will start to really rock and roll.
And it’s quite a story. Mr. Ford’s behaviour has put Toronto in the headlines across the world, for all the wrong reasons. Once the incredible story is chewed down and digested though, we’re left with two other mysteries. The first is the Mayor’s stubborn refusal to step aside and the second is the willingness of the hard-core Ford supporters to forgive anything.
Lurking behind the straight-forward account of the story laid out in a most readable fashion by Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle is a story of disenchantment with and distrust of mainstream politicians and the media and a simplified division within the amalgamated Toronto as sold by the Ford camp – between between the suburbs and downtown, the car and the streetcar, the right and the left, and so on.
Crazy Town is a good title. You can’t make this stuff up. Yet this is our city and it’s real and it happened and the story continues to unfold. I suspect we may see a record voter turnout for the October election. Everybody has an opinion and these opinions run deep. The next chapters will have to be part of somebody else’s book, as Robyn Doolittle leaves off at the beginning of this year. We should have a good idea of the full slate of candidates over the next month or so and the campaigns will start to really rock and roll.
March 28, 2014
In the end, depressing. This drunken buffoon, crackhead, bully, serial liar, a good friend to gun running gangs and drug runners, and his sociopath brother still has 40% support in opinion polls. What the hell is wrong with the politics of this country when a thug like believes he can stay in office and actually stand a chance of getting re-elected? More disconcerting than turning Toronto politics into a humiliating circus is what he has done for the expectations of politicians in this country in the future. Almost single handed he has lowered what people can expect from leaders to less than what you would expect from your worst employee.
That said this is a good book; if you live in Toronto there's probably nothing new here, for the ROC it fills in detail and shows that the ongoing fiasco of the last two years is a logical progression in the Ford family's festival of duplicity and degradation, not an exception.
Best observation comes early where Doolittle describes how Ford senior bullied his adult (all over 30) children into taking a lie detector test at a police station to find out who stole the tin can of money he kept hidden in the garage. The very next page she notes that Ford senior couldn't figure out how his kids wound up with major substance abuse problems.
That said this is a good book; if you live in Toronto there's probably nothing new here, for the ROC it fills in detail and shows that the ongoing fiasco of the last two years is a logical progression in the Ford family's festival of duplicity and degradation, not an exception.
Best observation comes early where Doolittle describes how Ford senior bullied his adult (all over 30) children into taking a lie detector test at a police station to find out who stole the tin can of money he kept hidden in the garage. The very next page she notes that Ford senior couldn't figure out how his kids wound up with major substance abuse problems.
April 6, 2014
This was a very depressing book. The crazier and nastier Rob Ford acted, the more popular he became. It is the story of a reporter following this administrative train wreck while nobody seemed to care. Ford is a drunken buffoon, a paranoiac alcoholic, crackhead, bully, chauvinist pig and compulsive liar which makes him extremely popular. His friends include gun runners, gangs and drug kingpins. He should be hated by Toronto but he is constantly forgiven and loved. In this country, he would be a tea party darling.
There is some discussion of the politics, a consolidation of several small suburban towns into Toronto, pitting the conservative suburbanites against the more urban city dwellers. With their greater population, the conservative suburbs have the edge. But Ford's behavior is so egregious that it should have disqualified him.
Robyn Doolittle who watched in horror as people ignored or disbelieved her stories seems to think he will be reelected. It is a very frightening thing that there are no standards. Showing up for work and doing the job in a competent manner is not nearly as interesting as talking dirty and threatening people. It sure doesn't bode well for the future.
There is some discussion of the politics, a consolidation of several small suburban towns into Toronto, pitting the conservative suburbanites against the more urban city dwellers. With their greater population, the conservative suburbs have the edge. But Ford's behavior is so egregious that it should have disqualified him.
Robyn Doolittle who watched in horror as people ignored or disbelieved her stories seems to think he will be reelected. It is a very frightening thing that there are no standards. Showing up for work and doing the job in a competent manner is not nearly as interesting as talking dirty and threatening people. It sure doesn't bode well for the future.
February 26, 2014
I didn't vote for Rob Ford, have "discussed" his deficiencies with neighbours, have been (falsely) accused of enjoying his antics, and only got a second-hand take on Robyn Doolittle's reportage on his escapades (as I did not subscribe to the Toronto Star).
I thoroughly enjoyed this recounting of how they got onto the story (fascinating that she was a police beat reporter before going to City Hall; how propitious!), although she isn't able to explain the inexplicable: how Ford Nation, self-professed law and order absolutists, can support the Ford brothers. (I also came away with more sympathy for the family; I can't imagine having a father who would order polygraph tests for his offspring when a cache of money went missing.)
Read the book, decide for yourself, and, please, if you have a vote in this fall's election, cast it for a deserving candidate.
I thoroughly enjoyed this recounting of how they got onto the story (fascinating that she was a police beat reporter before going to City Hall; how propitious!), although she isn't able to explain the inexplicable: how Ford Nation, self-professed law and order absolutists, can support the Ford brothers. (I also came away with more sympathy for the family; I can't imagine having a father who would order polygraph tests for his offspring when a cache of money went missing.)
Read the book, decide for yourself, and, please, if you have a vote in this fall's election, cast it for a deserving candidate.
February 11, 2019
I can’t believe it took me so long (4 years?) to pick up this book! I remember the RoFo drug scandal so well, but Doolittle’s reporting really places it into the context of its time. That’s both good and bad: you get the theatrics of the "crack video" saga, but not the aftermath. Rob’s early death from cancer, the 2016 presidential election, and Doug Ford’s election as premier of Ontario cast a very long shadow over this book.
Worth a read for some insight into perseptions of the Ford fam, but it’s pretty inside Toronto. Its analysis of media culture is a look into the media's decline over the next few years.
Worth a read for some insight into perseptions of the Ford fam, but it’s pretty inside Toronto. Its analysis of media culture is a look into the media's decline over the next few years.
September 15, 2019
Brilliant writing and reporting by Robyn Doolittle, and prescient, as it turned out. Rob Ford was re-elected, as she predicted, (as a councillor, after he dropped out of the mayoral race following a cancer diagnosis). And Doug Ford is premier of Ontario. I thought she was extraordinarily fair, which I appreciated. I even felt a little sorry for Rob Ford, despite his appalling behaviour. I couldn’t help feeling that the members of that family — three out of four with serious substance abuse issues, were somehow damaged by their upbringing. They seem drawn to public service by, I think, pure motives, and I admire that. But their pugnaciousness is hugely problematic.
February 10, 2014
A book I skipped meals to read! For those of us who watched this self-proclaimed 'gravy train' fighter turn into an explosive human train wreck in our city we really didn't have too much more context (or had shut down in the trauma) than the worldwide audiences who found out about Toronto for all the wrong reasons. Ms. Doolittle provides that vital, deplorable context. This is not a recipe to get RoFo voted out of office but it is a must-read for politics lovers and for any Torontonian wishing to be a genuinely informed voter this fall.
January 2, 2016
I knew most of the details, but only in a superficial way. To have them lined up in a row was fascinating. But even better was Doolittle talking about life as a reporter, chasing down leads, how the story unfolded, and so on.
I felt for her as she described how Ford went from calling the media "pathological liars" to admitting he has a problem and entering rehab - all without acknowledging the 180 he just took.
A fascinating read. Some day this will make for the basis of a stunning and insane film.
I felt for her as she described how Ford went from calling the media "pathological liars" to admitting he has a problem and entering rehab - all without acknowledging the 180 he just took.
A fascinating read. Some day this will make for the basis of a stunning and insane film.
November 8, 2017
This book was published right after Crackgate and the mayor being stripped of his authority but before the 2014 election. It feels like I was reading the newspaper instead of a biography or exposé. It felt biased and forced and like the whole purpose was to convince people not to re-elect Ford. It was also very fascinating to see the connections to gangs and drugs and how Ford was completely entrenched in that scene. His constant lying and cover-ups are amazing even in the face of hard work evidence against him.
April 30, 2017
Incredible must-read book. Really speaks to the power of tenacious journalism & A+ reporting.
March 17, 2014
He is a very sad man that lives a very sad life.
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