Customer Reviews

Bastards & boneheads: Canada's glorious leaders, past and present

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Ferguson does a wonderful job making Canadian history, traditionally perceieved as a dull topic, into an enthralling tale of a budding nation, people, and the strange contradiction that is inherent to all things Canadian. The language is simple, yet the ideas are very critical. The humoUr is terrific, yet Ferguson pulls no punches in condemning some of Canada's more shameful history. An excellent primer for anybody interested in Canadian history.

Will Ferguson plows through centuries of Canadian history in Bastards and Boneheads, a book that beautifully judges the personalities that have created and built Canada. This is a book for those who do not think Canadian history is very interesting or eventful. Very colourful personalities have made their will known in both helpful and harmful shaping this country and they come alive within these pages. This book will also shatter the myth of Canadians as "nice" people, because quite often we are not, particularly looking at the Holocaust of the WWII, the Japanese internments, and the relations with First Nations people (such as the chapter on Oka). The author's examination of more recent history, from the October Crisis to Chretien is also very illuminating. In the end how can any book with a chapter called "Ranking the Prime Ministers, From the Great to Mulroney" be all that bad. A wonderful book on a fascinating country. Highly recommended.