Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law

Written by Beverley McLachlin

Narrated by Beverley McLachlin

Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin offers an intimate and revealing look at her life from her childhood in the Alberta foothills to her career on the Supreme Court, where she helped to shape the social and moral fabric of the country.

As a young girl, Beverley McLachlin’s world was often full of wonder—at the expansive prairie vistas around her, at the stories she discovered in the books at her local library, and at the diverse people who passed through her parents’ door. While her family was poor, their lives were rich in the ways that mattered most. Even at a young age, she had an innate sense of justice, which was reinforced by the lessons her parents taught her: Everyone deserves dignity. All people are equal. Those who work hard reap the rewards. Willful, spirited, and unusually intelligent, she discovered in Pincher Creek an extraordinary tapestry of people and perspectives that informed her worldview going forward.

Still, life in the rural Prairies was lonely, and gaining access to education—especially for girls—wasn’t always easy. As a young woman, McLachlin moved to Edmonton to pursue a degree in philosophy. There, she discovered her passion lay not in academia, but in the real world, solving problems directly related to the lives of the people around her. And in the law, she found the tools to do exactly that.

She soon realized, though, that the world was not always willing to accept her. In her early years as an articling student and lawyer, she encountered sexism, exclusion, and old boys’ clubs at every turn. And outside the courtroom, personal loss and tragedies struck close to home. Nonetheless, McLachlin was determined to prove her worth, and her love of the law and the pursuit of justice pulled her through the darkest moments.

McLachlin’s meteoric rise through the courts soon found her serving on the highest court in the country, becoming the first woman to be named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She rapidly distinguished herself as a judge of renown, one who was never afraid to take on morally complex or charged debates. Over the next eighteen years, McLachlin presided over the most prominent cases in the country—involving Charter challenges, same-sex marriage, and euthanasia. One judgment at a time, she laid down a legal legacy that proved that fairness and justice were not luxuries of the powerful but rather obligations owed to each and every one of us.

With warmth, honesty, and deep wisdom, McLachlin invites us into her legal and personal life—into the hopes and doubts, the triumphs and losses on and off the bench. Through it all, her constant faith in justice remained her true north. In an age of division and uncertainty, McLachlin’s memoir is a reminder that justice and the rule of law remain our best hope for a progressive and bright future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Sep 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982120306

Beverley McLachlin

Beverley McLachlin is the #1 bestselling author of two novels, Full Disclosure and Denial, and a memoir, Truth Be Told, which won the prestigious Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Ottawa Book Award for Nonfiction. From 2000 to 2017, McLachlin was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She is the first woman to hold that position and the longest-serving Chief Justice in Canadian history. In 2018, McLachlin became a Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honour within the Order. Visit her at BeverleyMcLachlin.com.

Reviews for Truth Be Told

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I admire our former Supreme Court Chief Justice very much. This book didn't disappoint me in any way except, perhaps, hoping she will write even more about the law and workings of the Supreme Court. Her writing is very measured and circumspect, but the amazing story of her life from a small prairie town to the Supreme Court comes through as an example of what hard work and commitment can accomplish. It was interesting to read about her early days in law school where there were very few female students or role models; about how society in her time limited -- almost unquestioningly -- the options for women. She overcame that challenge and many others.

[lamour_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

McLachlin is one year older than me and it was surprising how her early life in a rural area paralleled mine. She had parents who encouraged her to pursue her dream to be an educated woman in a time when this not always easy to do. She chronicles the barriers she overcame, meeting and marrying her first love and the recognition of her skill as a lawyer which led quickly to becoming a judge.The highlight of the book for me was her descriptions of the years she spent on the Supreme Court and the background on historic cases and the reasons for the final decisions. In the role as Chief Justice, she met many famous and important people with having dinner with the Queen as the highlight for her.This is very readable and enjoyable.

[maggieflo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is Beverley McLachlin’s very readable, interesting, revealing and enjoyable memoir. She was the first woman to become Canada’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 2000 and she retired from the bench in December 2017.She traces her life from her birth in Pincher Creek, Alberta where she was raised in humble surroundings by loving, solid parents amid the beautiful scenery of the prairies and the foothills of the Rockies. Her sense of justice was innate and was reinforced by her parents.She was a very good student and was able to become well educated through scholarships and part time jobs. Initially she wanted to become a professor of philosophy but she chose the law and it gave her the practical experience to fight for social justice that philosophy could not.She broke barriers for women in law and on the bench she championed causes which discriminated against women, indigenous people and the disenfranchised. She changed laws which were sexist and anachronistic and pushed for a more open court and justice system. Her time on the bench included groundbreaking judgements related to Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Among these were definitions of sexual assault, same sex marriage, legalized assisted suicide.Her personal life is a happy one although her first husband Rory McLachlin died at a young age of cancer, leaving her a widow with a young son. Even so, she accepted the offer to become a Supreme Court judge in 1989.Her story is told with humour, humility and grace. One feels great pride in her achievements, successes and renown.