In this engrossing memoir of his childhood in the 1940s and 1950s, now available in trade paper, James Laxer tells an unusual story. During his growing-up years, both of his parents were dedicated members of the Communist Party. From an early age, Laxer was collecting signatures on ban-the-bomb petitions, delivering Party flyers door to door and attending eccentric left-wing Camp Naivelt.

Dramatic, humorous and full of period detail, Red Diaper Baby offers a rare look at the McCarthy years through the eyes of a child. It also illuminates Laxer’s evolution into one of Canada’s leading left-wing intellectuals.

James Laxer is the author of fifteen previous books and is a professor of political science at York University in Toronto.