A new “tell-all” book documenting Mayor Rob Ford’s scandals and struggles with substance abuse could be released by his former chief of staff Mark Towhey days before the upcoming election.
The book, titled Mayor Rob Ford: Uncontrollable,’ is co-authored by freelance journalist Johanna Schneller and Towhey. Towhey was fired as the mayor’s closest advisor shortly after news of the Ford crack scandal broke in the spring of 2013.
A description on the publisher’s website sells the book as Towhey’s “insider account” working and “covering” for Ford, who is described as “a man who people see as a joke, who trips over himself in videos; who throws candy at children instead of handing it to them; who rants and raves, and gets belligerent in meetings and at private events.”
According to Amazon.com and the publisher, Skyhorse Publishing Inc., the hardcover copy of the book is slated to be released on Oct. 21, 2014, less than a week before the Oct. 27 municipal election.
A conflicting release date of Nov. 11, however, has been published on the website of Chapters Indigo.
According to the publisher’s website, Towhey, who was a member of Rob Ford's staff for more than three years, bears no "ill will toward the mayor" and the book is not about revenge but is rather an “up-close, “behind the scenes” look at Rob Ford.
The popularity of the book, U of T politics professor Nelson Wiseman said, will likely depend on exactly how much Towhey reveals.
“There are a lot of books about politicians writing about their experiences. How much they tell is another issue,” Wiseman said. “Every so-called tell-all book doesn’t tell-all.”
Wiseman said Towhey’s constant access to Ford gives him a unique advantage over other Rob Ford authors, such as journalist Robyn Doolittle, who published ‘Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story.’
“He has got all kinds of stuff that she didn’t have because he was with Ford all the time,” he said. “This guy is an eye-witness. Doolittle isn’t.”
However, the amount Towhey can disclose may be limited, Wiseman said.
“He might have been involved in some activities that he doesn’t want to tell about,” he said.
The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for reaction to the book.
