From the 1950s to the 1970s Walter Gordon was the voice of English Canadian nationalism, first as chair of the Royal Commission on Canada's Economic Prospects, then as a minister in Lester B. Pearson's cabinet, and finally as founder and honorary chair of the Committee for an Independent Canada. In the late 1960s many Canadians heeded Gordon's call for limits on the level of American investment in Canadian industry and joined with him to form a broad movement to limit American influence in Canada.

Walter Gordon and the Rise of Canadian Nationalism is an examination of the origins of Walter Gordon's nationalist ideology and its impact on Canada. It traces his ideas from his family influences and the intellectual currents present in his early years to his work as a chartered accountant, public servant, and head of a small conglomerate. Drawing on extensive interviews and impressive research, Azzi provides not only a biography of an important political figure but a significant study of the political and intellectual controversies that Gordon and his ideas created, shedding light on the larger political and economic questions of the postwar era.