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ASIN : 1553653114
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Editorial Reviews
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How to be a Canadian. Don't worry: here, the phrase is not punctuated by the usual soul-searching question mark. Instead, the Ferguson brothers boldly assert that, since they have both been Canadian their whole lives, they are uniquely qualified to dissect Canadian society. Besides, Margaret Atwood told them to do this book, but that's another story.
As a guidebook, How to Be a Canadian contains "a wealth of information gathered from fact-filled articles that [the authors] sort of remember reading somewhere," but frankly, the facts are there as a framework for a wicked sense of humour. The jokes, which fill every page, are sometimes juvenile: "There are 30,000,000 people in Canada-- all of whom have, at some point, frozen their tongues to the side of a flagpole." They are sometimes pointedly amusing: "Often, when the UN needs a cereal box translated, they call in the Canadians, who parachute out of stealth bombers clutching boxes of Capitaine Crounche." And they are often laugh-out-loud, fall-out-of-bed funny: "There is the assumption that Canada has only two seasons: Winter and Not Winter...In fact, Canada has no fewer than six distinct seasons: Tax; Hockey; More Hockey; Still More Hockey; Summer (also known as the July Long Weekend); and finally Good God, Isn't the Hockey Season Over by Now?!"
Will and Ian Ferguson divide their guidebook into such useful sections as How to Find Canada on a Map; Canada: A Rich Tapestry (Who to Hate and Why); and my personal favourite, Twelve Ways to Say "I'm Sorry." Nothing defines the national character more than our "sorry," especially vis-a-vis the Americans. As the authors point out, "once you learn how to properly say 'I'm sorry,' you will no longer be trying to become Canadian, you will have rewired your brain to such a degree that you will actually be Canadian." For a true Canadian, the opportunities for saying "I'm sorry" are endless, but there is one uniquely Canadian "sorry": the one you use when someone else steps on your foot.
The book concludes with a quiz designed to evaluate your level of Canadianness. For example, if you hear the name "Elvis" and think of figure skating, you get 1 point. If you can't remember if you've ever curled or not, because of how drunk you were, you get 50 points. If you know the words to "Barrett's Privateers" but not the national anthem, you get 10 points. And so on. The perfect score is zero points; I'll let the Fergusons explain why: "So, you couldn't even be bothered to do the damn quiz. Too much effort, eh? You just skipped to the end. Talk about slack. Talk about lazy. Talk about Canadian! Congratulations. You are now one of us." --Marven Krug
Customer Reviews
Laugh 'till it hurts (2007-07-03)  I am about halfway through this book and it is one of the top funniest books I've read. I love Will Ferguson, so having the tag-team comedy duo of Will AND Ian Ferguson is a recipe for laughs.You will love this book if you are new to Canada, or have lived here all your life. The funny anecdotes ring very true, and keep you laughing throughout the book.
A book that will make you laugh, but not one you willl learn a lot from... (2007-03-17)  "How to be a Canadian", written by Will and Ian Ferguson (both Canadian), is a short book that aims at making you laugh by making fun of some stereotypes regarding Canada and Canadians.I must confess that I thought that some parts of this book were a bit boring. On the other hand, I couldn't help but laugh when the authors say that their "sophisticated sense of self-identity (namely, that as Canadians, Canadians are, in fact, Canadian) is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. More important still is what Canadians aren't: American". I also liked the way in which Will and Ian give strange examples in order to help the reader to understand Canadian media, or when they wisely point out that "one of the most important aspects of assimilating into a particular culture is getting interested in the national obsession" (that is, hockey), among other things.On the whole, I believe that "How to be a Canadian" is a book that will make you laugh, but not one you willl learn a lot from. All the same, and provided you take that into account, recommended....Belen Alcat
great book (2006-04-25) This is a great funny book its hard not to laugh at our selfsfor some of the stupied things we do. how to be a canadian is a true hand book for those who want to blend in on there trip to canada and now to be more canadain for those who are already one.
Hilarious book on Canadian life and culture (2006-01-20) Whether or not you are Canadian, or have even been there, this book is funny. Nothing is safe from the Ferguson brothers. They talk about driving, what it's like in each province/territory, talking like a Canadian (including the famous "eh"), hockey, food, sex, beer, culture, Canadian patriotism (and how Canadians are definitely not anything like Americans), and politics. This book is a riot, and it made me laugh every time I read a chapter. I unfortunately no longer live in Canada, but when I feel nostalgic for it, I can just open this book and have a good laugh.
Can you make love in a canoe? (2006-01-04) If you can, then this book's not for you! Wil Furguson's book is a tongue-in-cheek preview of what to expect in each province. I guess this book would be more appreciated by current inhabitants; an immigration guide it is not (although you might want to check out if what's said is true once you get here!) The fun quiz at the back determines whether you're Canadian enough to live in Canada and is a good do over some Molsons and nuts.
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