Topping the Amazon Best Seller list is Derek Smith's How the Prime Minister Stole Freedom, a book depicting a prime minister character who battles against freedom protesters.. Screen grab of Amazon Best Sellers list .The parody book — fashioned after Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas — uses humour to depict how things evolved in Canada throughout the pandemic, including events that unfolded during the freedom convoy protests in Ottawa. ."In the city of Ottawa on Parliament Hill, the Canadian Government debate and pass bills," reads a line from the book. ."Every person in Canada liked freedom a lot, but the prime minister who ran the country did not." ."He took everyone's freedoms and locked everyone down tight. It seemed like the lockdowns had no end in site." ."Until one day, Truckers became very annoyed, so they decided to form a freedom convoy." .Author Derek Smith — a full-time Calgary father — joined the Western Standard on Friday's Triggered: With Cory Morgan, said the book was designed to be "playful and receptive." ."What we wanted to do with this book was formulate a way of making something to take a light-hearted jab at something but still have a child-like nature to it where it's playful and receptive," said Smith. .Smith said he and his illustrator, Kaede Knipe, fashioned the book after the Dr. Seuss classic in hopes it "would really resonate with people who were fans of those books growing up." .He said although the book looks like it was made for children, he does not necessarily recommend parents get it for their children..The book uses humour to depict a prime minister character — Justin Trudeau is not named in the book — and includes a disclaimer at the beginning indicating "views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the characters only and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by individuals on which these characters are based.".When asked about his choice not to name Trudeau in the book, Smith said, "The material writes itself; he does this to himself. So, I really don't think it's possible to defame someone who defamed themselves." .Derek Smith on the Western Standard's Triggered: With Cory Morgan
