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Product Description
First published in 1997, this hilarious book launched satirist Will Ferguson's career. Challenging the notion that Canadians are "nice," the book asks, "Do we as Canadians deserve a country so great?" Tackling subjects from Canada's favorite inbred royals to the mighty beaver as national icon, from sex in a canoe to all-Canadian "superhero" Captain Canuck, Ferguson rampages across the cultural landscape. The book also provides a fast-paced, opinionated overview of telling moments in Canadian history, including its run-amok Mounties and "fun-loving days" of the country's (unacknowledged) slave trade.
(20070605)
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Most helpful customer reviews
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a deeper look at canadians,
By "spaceprincess12" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Why I hate Canadians (Paperback)
There's something very refreshing about the way Will Ferguson looks at Canadians. Here is a writer who isn't afraid to tackle both sides of our national character -- to acknowledge the bad along with the good. Like any other country in the world, we've got plenty of black spots on our record ... and we're terribly bad at admitting that they exist.Ferguson raises a number of questions about our national fixations and delusions. Why do we think we're so nice, and why are we so proud of it? Why are we so obsessed with how much land we've got? Why do we persist in claiming that "Superman is Canadian!"? And when are we going to stop constantly comparing ourselves to the United States? If you are Canadian, or if you know a lot of Canadians, odds are that you will find yourself, over and over again, shaking your head, laughing out loud, and saying to yourself, "that's so true!" The frank, honest humour in Ferguson's writing makes the terrible truth about ourselves surprisingly easy to accept. Despite the title, it's quite clear that Ferguson is, in his own way, very patriotic. This book is not all about saying "Canadians suck." We have it in us to be a great people, and there are plenty of things we really SHOULD be proud of. Ferguson doesn't hesitate to point these things out. We are one of the few countries in the world to be born without a bloody revolution. We are the founders of peacekeeping and the home of multiculturalism. So why is it that we always point to the fact that we're not American when we want to demonstrate how great we are? "Canada is Canada," says Ferguson. "You can't understand it. Don't try." But try he does, and succeeds better than any other writer I've read.
36 of 40 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why I Agree With Will Ferguson,
By Pierce (Edmonton, AB, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Why I hate Canadians (Paperback)
It's about time somebody asked the right questions, poking holes in all of the delusions that Canadians base their identity upon. If you define your identity as a Canadian by negation (I am not American, I am not British, I am not that cold, I don't live in an igloo) then this book may offend you deeply.The author is not entirely insensitive. In fact, he's probably more proudly Canadian for the right reasons than any of us. It is our delusions that he attacks and, as is evident in our beer commercials, our delusions are held onto fiercely. Ghandi said, "I like your Christ, just not your Christians." Ferguson seems to say, "I love Canada, but I hate Canadians." Are we worthy of the beautiful country we live in? Are we as "nice" as we think we are? Hockey, The Royal Family, Beer, Guns, keeping the Americans out, the French in, and making the Natives disappear. All of the nastier sides of Canadianism, Ferguson brings to the surface and forces us to face the demons of past and present. Definately worth the read. If you get a chance, check out Ferguson's article in a recent Maclean's. Camping with his son in the great Canadian wilderness.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important voice for our generation...,
By
This review is from: Why I hate Canadians (Paperback)
Will Ferguson is an important voice emerging from my generation. This book was unputdownable, and I think the big reason was that the author put to paper my adolescence and young adulthood (he and I are the same age and remember exactly the same things, it seems). Don't let the title of this book fool you - Mr. Ferguson actually has a secret love affair with his home country going on in the background... and all the warning signs are revealed as one reads through the pages of this book. In the oh-so-atypical-typical self-deprecating style of that which makes Canadians so Canadian, Will has deftly revealed the heart'n'soul of his fellow countrymen through our bizarre osmosis-style of taking in pop culture and deviant political practices from other countries and making them uniquely our own. But Canada has also generated some original 'content' as well, and Ferguson lovingly rips those things to shreds as well. His humour is sharp, his wit equally sharp, and his observation of all things Canadian is dead on the mark. A great read, this book... and it's started me on a literary oddyssey with Mr. Ferguson's work. I always browse the shelves for his latest tomes and never hesitate to pick up a copy for myself. Great read - go get yourself a copy!
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