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A Great Restlessness: The Life and Politics of Dorise Nielsen
Dorise Nielsen was a pioneering feminist, a radical politician, the first Communist elected to Canada’s House of Commons, and the only woman elected in 1940. But despite her remarkable career, until now little has been known about her.
From her youth in London during World War I to her burial in 1980 in a hero’s cemetery in China, Nielsen lived through tumultuous times. Struggling through the Great Depression as a homesteader’s wife in rural Saskatchewan, Nielsen rebelled against the poverty and injustice that surrounded her, and found like-minded activists in the CCF and the Communist Party of Canada. In 1940 when leaders of the Communist Party were either interned or underground, Nielsen became their voice in Parliament. But her activism came at a high price. As a single mother in Ottawa, she sacrificed a close relationship with her family for her career. As a woman in an emerging political organisation, her authority was increasingly usurped by younger male party members. As a committed communist, she moved to Mao’s China in 1957 and dedicated her life’s work to a cause that went seriously awry.
Faith Johnston illuminates the life of a woman who paved the way for a generation of women in politics, who tried to be both a good mother and a good revolutionary, and who refused to give up on either.
From her youth in London during World War I to her burial in 1980 in a hero’s cemetery in China, Nielsen lived through tumultuous times. Struggling through the Great Depression as a homesteader’s wife in rural Saskatchewan, Nielsen rebelled against the poverty and injustice that surrounded her, and found like-minded activists in the CCF and the Communist Party of Canada. In 1940 when leaders of the Communist Party were either interned or underground, Nielsen became their voice in Parliament. But her activism came at a high price. As a single mother in Ottawa, she sacrificed a close relationship with her family for her career. As a woman in an emerging political organisation, her authority was increasingly usurped by younger male party members. As a committed communist, she moved to Mao’s China in 1957 and dedicated her life’s work to a cause that went seriously awry.
Faith Johnston illuminates the life of a woman who paved the way for a generation of women in politics, who tried to be both a good mother and a good revolutionary, and who refused to give up on either.
392 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2006
6 people want to read
About the author
Faith Johnston
8 books2 followersFaith Johnston lives in Winnipeg in the summer and in India in the darkest, coldest months of the winter.
She has written a number of articles and reviews as well as three books: A Great Restlessness (University of Manitoba Press 2006), The Only Man in the World (Turnstone Press 2012), and Four Miles to Freedom (Random House India 2013).
A Great Restlessness won the McNally-Robinson Book of the Year award and four other prizes. The Only Man in the World was short-listed for the Margaret Laurence award for fiction.
She has written a number of articles and reviews as well as three books: A Great Restlessness (University of Manitoba Press 2006), The Only Man in the World (Turnstone Press 2012), and Four Miles to Freedom (Random House India 2013).
A Great Restlessness won the McNally-Robinson Book of the Year award and four other prizes. The Only Man in the World was short-listed for the Margaret Laurence award for fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 8, 2021
It all started with me trying to create a little math lesson on Women's Representation in the House of Commons. After a diving into wikipedia for a couple hours, the brief bit that I learned about Dorise Nielsen spurred me to read this wonderful book. What a story of a dedicated and complicated radical life.
January 3, 2023
Both Nielsen's life and this book should be much better known. This is a fascinating tale of a true believer and her commitment to communism. From London to Northern Saskatchewan and then from Ottawa to Toronto and finally Beijing. Nielsen's life is the stuff of movies. Her family was unorthodox and troubled. Her loves came and went. Her allegiance to the vissitudes of the party made my head spin. Johnston does an excellent job of telling an engaging and powerful story. Highly recommended.
February 6, 2016
I find it shocking how little is known about Dorise Nielsen. She was a crusader and champion for Saskatchewan women and farm families. I loved reading about this unsung local hero and renegade. A true inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews