Two Hundred years ago in Quebec was born Canada's best-selling author. He was rated as a superior orator to Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier and Joseph Papineau. Most Quebec households had a portrait of him as he managed to convince half of Quebecers to sign a temperance pledge. He toured the English-speaking world right up to age 88 and drew great crowds. At his death just over a hundred years ago the New York Times and the Times of London gave him headlines. His books are all still in print in many languages and his name appears on thousands of Internet sites. Yet few Canadians in our generation have ever heard of him.

The fact that Charles Chiniquy left the Catholic priesthood and became a Presbyterian pastor in the 19th Century led inevitably to polemics and opposing interpretations of his life. For the first time his life story will be set out without being based on propaganda. Instead an examination of the best documents on all sides and the recently uncovered Chiniquy family archives have allowed a fresh approach.

Because of the complexity and number of documents, this book will provide an introduction to his life and contains a listing of his books, his correspondence and a chronology that will allow others to continue the research. The originality of this contribution comes in the concentration on the events and interpretations around his "conversion". Diverse methodologies touching theology, sociology, psychology, literature and more are applied here to the question of conversion and apostasy.

Clergy conversions have their own special status. In this case Quebec's hero figure and best-known priest was excommunicated and became a very out-spoken Protestant. As a result great resources were thrown at the situation by both sides to spin the message. This was so successful that contrary influential myths were created about Chiniquy that lasted in Quebec society over one hundred years after his death and continue unabated on the Web.

Chiniquy fans will find rich new details and photos. Chiniquy detesters will find mitigating circumstances. Researchers will find invaluable data for further research. Everyone will find an exciting and stimulating story of an amazing man.

RICHARD LOUGHEED (Ph.D., Université de Montréal) is a specialist in French Protestant history and lectures in Church History at the Institut de Formation Théologique de Montréal. He is also chair of Mennonites in Quebec.