Product Description

A wild ride through Canadian history, fully revised and updated!

This new edition of Canadian History For Dummies takes readers on a thrilling ride through Canadian history, from indigenous native cultures and early French and British settlements through Paul Martin's shaky minority government. This timely update features all the latest, up-to-the-minute findings in historical and archeological research. In his trademark irreverent style, Will Ferguson celebrates Canada's double-gold in hockey at the 2002 Olympics, investigates Jean Chrétien's decision not to participate in the war in Iraq, and dissects the recent sponsorship scandal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45201 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Amazon.com Review
We always knew Canadian history could be fun, and Will Ferguson proves it in his second edition of Canadian History for Dummies. Approachable in the extreme, this text is fun because of Ferguson's undisputed gift for unearthing our national quirkiness and for illuminating those parts of our heritage that make us a unique people. At first the academic reader might register surprise at the choice of author for the Canadian history text in this wildly popular series, but this is truly a match made in editorial heaven. With his arrestingly titled Bastards and Boneheads and Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw, Ferguson has made a strong claim to being the light-hearted guardian of our national popular culture, and this book is true to form, with anecdotes, asides, bullets, and a fast-paced style this book makes Canadian history more user-friendly than ever before. Behind it all, however, is serious and comprehensive Canadian history. Ferguson acknowledges the help of Don Smith--one of our truly great academic historians and textbook authors--and his expertise is evident throughout. But, as headings like "Western alienation or that #%@!* Trudeau" (382) and "Pemmican--Delicious and Nutritious" show, this is Ferguson's book, featuring his unparalleled gift at striking just the right note --William Newbigging

Review
Praise for Will Ferguson:

"Eminently readable and entertaining."
--Vancouver Province

"Pierre Berton with attitude."
--Montreal Gazette

"If Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and P.J. O'Rourke (Holidays in Hell) ever had an extraterrestrial Satanic love-child, it would probably write like Will Ferguson. That is, it would be observant, attitudinal, occasionally offensive and funny."
--Los Angeles Times

"The Brash Young Writer this country has needed for a long time."
--Hamilton Spectator

"Will Ferguson is a talent. He writes refreshingly, provocatively and sometimes eloquently."
--Ottawa Citizen

"Ferguson possesses a crafty eye for detail, not to mention a highly developed understanding of the essential folly in what passes for everyday life."
--Edmonton Journal

"[Ferguson] is the quintessential Canadian. He's as Canadian as toques and five percent beer....A Canadian's Canadian."
--January Magazine

Praise for Why I Hate Canadians:

"An entirely digestible skewering of our national bedrock."
--Toronto Star

"Funny and abrasive...Ferguson does not try to please everyone, a rather un-Canadian approach, and that's just one of the reasons his book is so much fun to read."
--Halifax Daily News

"A wickedly funny book!"
--Fredericton Daily Gleaner

"Aggressively patriotic...Ferguson show his love for Canada the way an older brother shows his love for a younger sibling—with a wedgie."
--Charlottetown Guardian

"...reverent, incisive, and informative...I give it a resounding five out of five maple leafs."
--Kinston Whig-Standard

"A smooth read...Ferguson is both insightful and hilarious."
--Georgia Straight (Vancouver)

Praise for Bastards & Boneheads: Canada's Glorious Leaders Past and Present:

"Ferguson...[gives us] an utterly hilarious tour of our historical contradictions."
--Calgary Straight

"Don't be fooled. Beneath the campy rhetoric lies a serious and impressively researched narrative of the pivotal events in Canadian history."
--National Post

"Ferguson is Canada's myth-buster extraordinaire....His writing is concise, easily digestible, humourous, dramatic, frank, and sometimes shocking."
---New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal

"Lively, knowledgeable, opinionated, disrespectful, debatable and immensely readable."
--Montreal gazette

"A rip-snorting, rib-tickling, white water ride through this country's rich history of outrageous political scandals."
--See Magazine (Edmonton)

"Who says Canadian history isn't fun?"
--Ottawa Citizen

From the Back Cover
Canadian History For Dummies, 2nd edition takes readers on a wild ride through Canadian history, from its first nations heritage right through to Paul Martin's shaky minority government. Previous sections have been revised with up-to-the-minute scholarship, and a new chapter covers the eventful half-decade since the publication of the first edition. In his trademark irreverent style, Will Ferguson celebrates Canadas double-gold in hockey at the 2002 Olympics, investigates Jean Chrétien's decision not to participate in the war in Iraq, and dissects the sponsorship scandal.

Customer Reviews

Valuable book
I purchased this book by a recommendation from my friend. after reading this book.....its amazing, smooth & easy. If you start to read the first pages of this book, you will not stop till you end it.

A very decent book for those who know next to nothing about Canadian History.
For a novice, or a person, who is interested in History, this book will be a must-have. It narrates all Canadian history (almost up to present days) in a humorous easy-going way. However, there is one consequence to reading this book - most likely you will need some visuals (which the book lacks entirely - for a good reason), which will prompt you to use more serious works on Canadian History.
Summarizing: this book is very nice for an overview, for ppl, who don't want to just touch on the subject (raising my hand), and for kids!!!

This guys' a really good writer (like he needs my approval)!
I can't believe a history book is so much fun to read. As a Canadian who has been living in the US for 45 years I thought I should try to be a little more literate about my native history. I felt he really cut through the BS and gave a fair look at Native, French and English sides of the story. It's actually a page turner, who would have though?