Customer Reviews

Why Everybody Hates Toronto: Startling Suggestions of a Pseudo-Scientific Study

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There's a lot of funny stuff in this book, no doubt about it. But there's also a lot of interesting, serious, thought-provoking content - and that's what really makes this book a must-read. To his credit, author Michael B. Davie doesn't simply rely on his own opinions; he takes a very thorough, heavily researched approach that draws on the observations and opinions of many, many experts. I found I learned a great deal about Toronto, not all of it bad, and I'd recommend this book even to people who really like this city. This is an informative and fascinating book - I couldn't put it down.

Why Everybody Hates Toronto is one of the best books I've read in years. Well researched, full of details and with many touches of humour, this book goes well beyond the flippant send-up it purports to be. Beyound the wickedly witty barbs, there's some deep, insightful looks at major issues such as crime, congestion, runaway real estate prices and other woes. And despite its title, I was surprised to find that this book also has a lot of good things to say about Toronto and presents a sympathetic view in places. All in all a superb book that really proves Toronto has come of age. The Argos still suck though.

I have to admit, was quite intrigued when I first came across a copy of Why Everybody Hates Toronto by Michael B. Davie. I didn't know that Toronto is hated by everybody so I did my own informal poll - and it's true, everybody does hate Toronto. Or they at least hate (or mildly dislike) some things about Toronto if not everything. This book made me smile with its funny pokes in Toronto's ribs. And it made me think. There's a lot of serious, insightful commentary in this book, and I suspect the author may even like Toronto somewhat, given the sympathetic tone in places. A great book, well worth a read by anyone with an interest in Toronto.

For all its anxiety about measuring up to being a world-class city, Toronto has clearly made the big time. Proof positive is the fact that a fairly well-known author has actually written a book called Why Everybody Hates Toronto. If Toronto wasn't an important, world-class city, it certainly would not rate having a whole book written about it, now would it? And for all his cheeky asides and disrespectful comments, author Michael B. Davie clearly has some affection for the Big Smoke: There's a lot of very insightful research and thoughtful musings mixed in with the humorous Toronto-bashing jibes. It's all in good fun and it's a great read. As a Torontonian, I found myself laughing out loud and even learning a bit more about my hometown. So hey, fellow Torontonions, pick up a copy. You'll be glad you did!

This is one of the most entertaining and informative books I've ever read about Toronto. Filled with nice touches of humour, Why Everybody Hates Toronto also has a good deal of hard information on serious problems facing this major North American city. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, cover to cover.

I have never returned a book before to get my money back but I will in this case. I picked this book up as it was on the display counter of my local bookstore. I have read Will Ferguson's Why I hate Canadians and was expecting a similar enjoyable experience. Instead I wasted $20 and a few hours of my life.

This book is unreadable due to the amount of spelling and grammatical errors. Get an editor or proof reader before you distribute a book! At the very least use the spell check function of your word processing program. This may explain why the book was "self published" as it is doubtful Michael Davie could get a book deal from a decent publishing house. And he is supposed to be a journalist?

The book is only 179 large print pages, not counting the 12 pages of bibliographical quotes. Which are necessary by the way since most of this book is quotes from others. Most of this book is based on recent news stories. The supposed problems with Toronto are nothing more than descriptions of any large city in the world. There is no depth to this book nor entertainment value. It is nothing but a self serving piece of repetitive trite.

Don't waste your money.

For all the reviews here with 5 stars, check the other reviews written, and you'll find that all of those books are either written by Michael B. Davie or published by so-called Manor publishing company. Now it's an easy guess who wrote all the favorable, but deceiving reviews. This book is the first ever I really wanted to return. It's garbage. Do not waste your money!