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Peter Mansbridge One on One: Favourite Conversations and the Stories Behind Them
From one of Canada’s most respected and recognizable journalists comes a collection of the best interviews with the leading thinkers and cultural icons of our time, from the country’s most trusted interview show.
An extraordinary selection from Newsworld’s Mansbridge One on One , including politicians, journalists, arts and sports figures and newsmakers behind the biggest issues of the past decade.
Canadians have long relied on award-winning anchor and journalist Peter Mansbridge to inform and enlighten us, whether at the helm of The National or on Mansbridge One on One , his weekly interview show.
In this, his first book, he collects the most illuminating and timely interviews from the past ten years, book-ending each with his behind-the-scenes recollections and anecdotes. Mansbridge acts as our guide as we get the inside story from prominent figures from all walks of life, including world leaders, music legends and sports heroes.
Among the more than 40 interviewees included in the book
Bill Clinton
Sidney Crosby
Bill Gates
Diana Krall
Benjamin Netanyahu
Barack Obama
Shimon Peres
Desmond Tutu
Brian Wilson
An extraordinary selection from Newsworld’s Mansbridge One on One , including politicians, journalists, arts and sports figures and newsmakers behind the biggest issues of the past decade.
Canadians have long relied on award-winning anchor and journalist Peter Mansbridge to inform and enlighten us, whether at the helm of The National or on Mansbridge One on One , his weekly interview show.
In this, his first book, he collects the most illuminating and timely interviews from the past ten years, book-ending each with his behind-the-scenes recollections and anecdotes. Mansbridge acts as our guide as we get the inside story from prominent figures from all walks of life, including world leaders, music legends and sports heroes.
Among the more than 40 interviewees included in the book
Bill Clinton
Sidney Crosby
Bill Gates
Diana Krall
Benjamin Netanyahu
Barack Obama
Shimon Peres
Desmond Tutu
Brian Wilson
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Peter Mansbridge
14 books29 followersPeter Mansbridge, OC, a Canadian broadcaster and news anchor, is the CBC News Chief Correspondent and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. In 1999, he launched a new program, Mansbridge One on One, in which he interviews newsmakers.
Mansbridge was born in London, England but raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He lives in Stratford, Ontario.
Mansbridge was born in London, England but raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He lives in Stratford, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 16, 2014
This book gathers a series of interviews from the award winning and respected journalist Peter Mansbrige,known across Canada for anchoring “The National” the nightly news telecast by CBC. These interviews are drawn from “One on One”, a series he launched in 1999 in which he has a “sit down, in depth” conversation with a variety of news makers. Mansbridge is well known for his interviews with politicians, but this collection contains a variety of personalities from Shimon Peres to Sidney Crosby. Each interview is bookended by a short introduction as a prelude to the interview and then appended with a shorter afterword.
My first reaction to the book was how much I was missing. I have watched many “One on One” interviews on television, but this selection, which only presents the written word, is entirely lacking excitement and seems flat. I think that is entirely because we are missing all the cues a visual gives us during an interview. So much is gleaned from the interviewee’s posture, demeanor, dress and tone that it becomes difficult to say how we feel about these personalities. Does Colm Feore act as confident as he speaks? I’m not sure. Is Margaret Thatcher as brittle and aggressive as the text suggests? Probably! With the well-known personalities,the reader may get a sense in his own head about what they look, sound and act like, but personalities such as Devra Davis, the breast cancer researcher who is not well known, is more of a mystery.
I must give kudos to Mansbridge for including his conversation with Margaret Thatcher who he interviewed during her book tour. Mansbridge calls this one in which Thatcher constantly berated him, arguing he had never read her book, simply a disaster. The unflappable and tactful Mansbridge did not challenge her as he could have, (although I believe it would have made an even better interview!), instead including in the afterword that he had discovered the book had a ghost writer, a rumour he had heard before he interviewed her. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have been able to say, “And so Margaret, how did you enjoy the process of writing, or did you have help with this book?”. But again, it is hard to discern Mansbridge’s entire discomfort with this interview by just reading the written words.
Mansbridge states that the location for the interviews were different, with some done in Toronto, and others on location such as Kabul, the Artic or Bagdad. He says the “on location” interviews captured an entirely different mood than the studio ones, which illustrates much of what I am trying to say. It is impossible to feel that by the written word alone. We miss the urgency in the tone of those interviews done “on the fly”, nor can we feel the discomfort caused by the stern armed guards sitting in front of and behind Mansbridge as he talks with Hamid Karzai, even though Mansbridge tells us they are there before he begins.
I think the reason I did not do well with the book is entirely due to its premise rather than its content. I need/want the visual to make a judgment about the credibility of the word as well as the person interviewed. Granted the written transcript of an interview does allow one to really think about, go back on and more accurately judge the words in the interviewee’s response to Mansbridge’s questions, whereas in a one-time viewing of a verbal interview it is not always possible to think quietly about what is actually being said before the words vanish in thin air (did he really say that?). So this is not a criticism of Mansbridge himself, I just think the idea of the written word has a limited ability to portray the person interviewed. In thinking about this, I turn to one moment which really emphasizes my point, the JFK speech in Berlin, in which he proclaimed in German, “I am a Berliner”! Yes, I know it is not an interview, but it does serve to illustrate the point of the stand-alone written word versus the visual. In that instance, reading the script of the speech versus seeing the tape are two very different experiences.
My first reaction to the book was how much I was missing. I have watched many “One on One” interviews on television, but this selection, which only presents the written word, is entirely lacking excitement and seems flat. I think that is entirely because we are missing all the cues a visual gives us during an interview. So much is gleaned from the interviewee’s posture, demeanor, dress and tone that it becomes difficult to say how we feel about these personalities. Does Colm Feore act as confident as he speaks? I’m not sure. Is Margaret Thatcher as brittle and aggressive as the text suggests? Probably! With the well-known personalities,the reader may get a sense in his own head about what they look, sound and act like, but personalities such as Devra Davis, the breast cancer researcher who is not well known, is more of a mystery.
I must give kudos to Mansbridge for including his conversation with Margaret Thatcher who he interviewed during her book tour. Mansbridge calls this one in which Thatcher constantly berated him, arguing he had never read her book, simply a disaster. The unflappable and tactful Mansbridge did not challenge her as he could have, (although I believe it would have made an even better interview!), instead including in the afterword that he had discovered the book had a ghost writer, a rumour he had heard before he interviewed her. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have been able to say, “And so Margaret, how did you enjoy the process of writing, or did you have help with this book?”. But again, it is hard to discern Mansbridge’s entire discomfort with this interview by just reading the written words.
Mansbridge states that the location for the interviews were different, with some done in Toronto, and others on location such as Kabul, the Artic or Bagdad. He says the “on location” interviews captured an entirely different mood than the studio ones, which illustrates much of what I am trying to say. It is impossible to feel that by the written word alone. We miss the urgency in the tone of those interviews done “on the fly”, nor can we feel the discomfort caused by the stern armed guards sitting in front of and behind Mansbridge as he talks with Hamid Karzai, even though Mansbridge tells us they are there before he begins.
I think the reason I did not do well with the book is entirely due to its premise rather than its content. I need/want the visual to make a judgment about the credibility of the word as well as the person interviewed. Granted the written transcript of an interview does allow one to really think about, go back on and more accurately judge the words in the interviewee’s response to Mansbridge’s questions, whereas in a one-time viewing of a verbal interview it is not always possible to think quietly about what is actually being said before the words vanish in thin air (did he really say that?). So this is not a criticism of Mansbridge himself, I just think the idea of the written word has a limited ability to portray the person interviewed. In thinking about this, I turn to one moment which really emphasizes my point, the JFK speech in Berlin, in which he proclaimed in German, “I am a Berliner”! Yes, I know it is not an interview, but it does serve to illustrate the point of the stand-alone written word versus the visual. In that instance, reading the script of the speech versus seeing the tape are two very different experiences.
August 19, 2018
A bit heavy with eastern politics but still a great read by an amazing journalist!!
June 12, 2020
Excellent book.
April 30, 2021
The interviews retold here cover a wide spectrum of people from Canada and around the world. Each interview has a brief introduction and an even shorter follow-up. I enjoyed the book but many of the interviews ended with me saying "is that it?" Perhaps that is an inevitable result of the nature of the interviews themselves (15 minutes).
September 8, 2021
I quite enjoyed this. It is mostly transcribed sections of past "One on One" interviews. Personally I have not seen many of these interviews before, but for someone who was a regular viewer of Mansbridge's "One on One" segments there would not be much new information in this book.
November 17, 2021
Very enjoyable move through broadcasting history.
March 16, 2022
A nice stroll through a long and successful career. Very easy read.
May 6, 2022
Actually I read his latest, Off the Record, but I don't know how to correct an entry in Goodreads
this memoir is a superb collection of stories and experiences drawn from his entire life.
this memoir is a superb collection of stories and experiences drawn from his entire life.
January 4, 2023
Really enjoyable, liked the format and his interviews were never boring. Gives much needed perspective on how interviews are made.
February 16, 2024
Love Peter Mansbridge so this was good to read, he has interviewed so many different people the book offers so many insights. It is like a history book told through the interviews. Really enjoyable
February 4, 2025
Not a new book (but new to me), and it was well worth the read. A wide variety of interviews, filled with insight and intellect. I feel like he would love to have another chat with Obama!
September 23, 2015
This isn't so much a book as it is a series of transcripts from some of Mansbridge's more notable interviews. It's not exactly the type of material that lends itself to extended reading sessions - it's the kind of book you'll pull out if you want to reference a person that he talked to.
Personally, I wouldn't read this if you just wanted to get the tone or candor of the interview - you could just watch them on Youtube instead. The material in the book is written well-enough, but to me, I just can't recommend it. Buy it when it's on sale for cheap at a bookstore.
Personally, I wouldn't read this if you just wanted to get the tone or candor of the interview - you could just watch them on Youtube instead. The material in the book is written well-enough, but to me, I just can't recommend it. Buy it when it's on sale for cheap at a bookstore.
January 27, 2010
I had the opportunity to hear Peter Mansbridge, one of Canada's most respected journalists, speak last year and loved his elegence, charm, and interest in humanity. This book was a delight to read...selected interviews from "One on One"....including my favourites: Obama, Conrad Black, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. A very inspiring read.
March 19, 2013
While I enjoyed some of the interviews contained within this book, I prefer watching Peter Mansbridge interview people on television. The book contains approximately 30 or so interviews, and I only enjoyed three of them: convicted fraudster Conrad Black, Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla, and President Barack Obama. This is one book I will likely not keep (sorry Peter!).
January 19, 2014
Interesting. Nice to read more about Peter Mansbridge (the top anchor person in Canada for years)and learn more about his program which interviews top politicians, and newsmakers around the world. The book is a little dated now.
September 5, 2009
Review to come...
March 8, 2010
Peter Mansbridge has already proven himself to be one of Canada's most trusted journalists. This book was an amazing highlights reel of his many interviews, and provided a great read.
May 22, 2011
Great book!
June 11, 2013
I enjoyed reading the different interviews and the different perspectives he included, as well as Peter's reflections on the context or his time in journalism.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews