A riveting insider's account of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and an extraordinary story of leadership, love of country and the ability to dream big.

When John Furlong and his family emigrated from Ireland in 1974, the customs officer greeted them with "Welcome to Canada. Make us better," an imperative that has defined Furlong's life ever since. A passionate athlete with a track record of community service, he was roped into acting as spokesperson for Vancouver's incipient Olympic bid movement back in 1996, and then spent the next fourteen years living and breathing the Olympics. Furlong and his organizing team, including some 25,000 volunteers, orchestrated a remarkable Winter Games. Patriot Hearts is the story of how they did it.

Early on Furlong realized the Olympics weren't about highways and buildings and tourism, they were about people: the athletes, and everyday Canadians who wanted to see their country shine on the world stage. He defined a...