“Graham Steele has written a stark and refreshingly honest account of his time as a Member of Legislative Assembly and then as finance minister in Nova Scotia’s first NDP government. His book transcends partisan politics in the Maritimes and could be set in any political chamber in the country. Earnest and naïve at first, Steele quickly learned the ropes and didn’t like what he saw: “Politics is a low, dirty business,” he wrote. But his book is never that – What I Learned about Politics is surprisingly optimistic, highly entertaining, and prescriptive as to how politicians can do better.” – 2014 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize Jury (Denise Chong, Terry Galvin, Jane Taber)