Political biographies are often overlong, dry tomes sprinkled with the occasional anecdote in a desperate attempt to inject life into a literary corpse. Macklin's biography of Kevin Rudd differs from the norm in that at 240 pages long (including a copy of Kevin Rudd's maiden speech to Federal Parliament); the book rather grandiosly titled Kevin Rudd:the biography, concisely and in an entertaining way, covers much of what we need to know about the man who would be PM..

One thing that Robert Macklin makes known in this wonderful biography of one of the blandest leaders ever to rise to dizzying heights on the Australian political scene, is that Kevin Rudd is a battler. He is the total opposite of a former leader of Federal Labor, Mark Latham. One can never imagine Rudd imploding as Latham did and it is precisely that which made him such a threat to John Howard.

Macklin records the young Kevin losing his father and documents information gained from interviews with other members of Rudd's family. This process assists in understanding the effect that the loss had on the future Labor leader.

An intereating feature of this biography is that it is structured as a journey. The reader is lead to believe that as he or she discovers the person who is Kevin Rudd, so does the author. It is unsurprising therefore, that the aurhor undergoes a change in attitude as he comes to know his subject better:  

"When I began this project I was not convinced that Kevin Rudd had the right stuff to be an effective Opposition Leader, much less the Prime Minister of Australia" (p. 208)  

Macklin, however has totally altered this opinion as he has had contact with his subject and those who know his subject.  

Some who have had their careers cross Rudd's (like Alexander Downer) are painted as time-servers without Rudd's insight or panache. This statement particularly applies as both men served time in the Department of Foreign Affairs and senior officials of the department have very different views when making appraisals of the two men.  

Macklin, toward the end of the book makes a rather startling statement, given the usual desire of biographers to attempt neutrality:  

"His election to the Prime Ministership of our country is vital to meet the extraordinary challenges of global warming and a swiftly changing international order, and to restore a sense of fair play and self-esteem at home that has been all but lost beneath the political amorality and personal mendacity of the Howard stewardship." (p.209)  

Enough said.

Al Delaunay