Louis 'David' Riel [Thomas Flanagan]

Louis Riel is one of the great tragic heroes in Canadian history, and one of its most misunderstood. Was he a prophet or a madman? The debate rages still...

Thomas Flanagan searches Louis Riel's personal life, compassionately and with understanding, for the truth in the century-long debate about whether Riel was a great political leader or a lunatic.

He describes Riel's early life, his experiences as a college student in Quebec, his love affairs, and his early bouts of apparent insanity. Flanagan maintains that Riel's unorthodox religious views combined religion and politics in an attempt to secure both safety and salvation for the Métis people in Western Canada, a fusion with explosive consequences for Riel and for the country.

Louis "David" Riel: Prophet of the New World is a deep and subtle interpretation of the life of one of Canada's most compelling and controversial figures.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Goodread Biography (Jan. 1 1983)
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 215 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0887801181