How to Be a Canadian

Authors: Will Ferguson, Ian Ferguson
Published: 2001
Genre: Humour
About How to be a Canadian: Advice for new (and old) Canadians.
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Review
Perhaps the best way to describe this book is to give some sample chapter titles:
- Canada: A Rich Tapestry (Who to Hate and Why)
- Learning the Language: How to Talk Like a Canadian
- Canadian Cuisine (and How to Avoid It)
- Art and Stuff
and my personal favourite (which actually horrified me a bit):
- Twelve Ways to Say “I'm Sorry”
There's even a handy quiz at the end titled “You May Already Be a Canadian!” And guess what? I am!
A few things missed the mark but the majority of the book was very funny. It made me giggle often and even laugh out loud at times. The Ferguson brothers managed to insult and/or make fun of every province, every group of people, and every aspect of our culture from hockey and curling to beer and screech to movies and books. There's a checklist for aspiring authors, summaries at the end of every chapter, and, of course, advice on the proper usage of "eh?". Even the footnotes are entertaining.
A fun book that belongs on every Canadian's bookshelf.
Reviewed by Lynn Bornath.
Find this book at Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, AbeBooks.com
More reviews
- ‘Not a Bad Book, Eh?’ Margaret Gunning, January Magazine, November 2001.
- “So break out the Timbits, pour yourself a shot of screech (with a Molson chaser) and dive into this gorgeously funny book.”
- Tom Knapp, Rambles, 30 May 2002.
- ”...this book actually lays bare a great deal of the Canadian psyche...“
- Robert Wiersema, Quill & Quire.
- “...an exercise in getting Canadians to laugh at one another.”
- raidergirl3, an adventure in reading, 25 May 2008
- “The Ferguson brothers tapped my funny bone.”
- Tanabata, In Spring it is the Dawn, 3 August 2008
- “...the Ferguson brothers had me chuckling throughout.”
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Added 14 May 2006.
Updated 27 August 2013.