If you're reading this book, you are one of the many looking for hope, for a way to escape the promise of the nightmare dystopia shortly to befall us. In this, your darkest hour, we have created this book to help guide you into this new journey of hope. We know you are short on time, who knows how long the apocalypse can be held at bay? Luckily for you, this book has all you need in quick, efficient reference format and activities, to help you get this journey underway!
Louisiana-born, self-proclaimed word monkey and consummate smart-ass, André du Broc has enjoyed a wonderful and wacky life. A retired circus clown, greeting card writer, teacher, actor, and musician, he and his husband, Dan, live in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where they rely on an assortment of orange tabbies and a case of Kentucky bourbon to provide them warmth.
This was a short book and fast read that was both informative and funny. There is some mildly colorful language and a few light sexual references, so avoid it if you're easily offended by those things. If you're not easily offended by them... grab a copy from your local bookstore or local library, and happy reading!
The 2016 United States presidential race will likely go down in history as a black eye for the country. Never has the country seemed more divided. More people, it seems, are voting AGAINST their least preferred candidate as opposed to voting FOR a particular person. These sentiments, of course, bring out the worst in some people, and we’ve all heard those with temperaments of a 16-year-old spoiled brat spat things such as “If (candidate I hate) becomes President, then I’M moving to Canada!” Well, if you happen to be one of those pessimistic grouches that want to trade the stars and stripes for the red and white maple leaf, author Andre Dubroc has just the book for you.
This book is meant to be a joke (i.e. you’ll find it in the ‘Humor’ section of your local bookstore). It is, at times, hilarious. I found myself literally laughing out loud many times. Beneath all of this humor, however, is actually a very practical guide. The first couple of chapters of this book, for example, really educates the uninformed novice exactly how to move to Canada. It’s not exactly an easy thing to do. It ain’t like moving across town (if you’ve ever actually moved across town, you know that THAT is not actually easy either. Remember all of the forms you had to sign in the realtor’s office?), and for every real step that one must take to accomplish their relocation, Dubroc manages to add wit and humor within his actual instructions.
After Dubroc teaches us all of the steps that are actually involved in relocating to another country (and there are quite a few), he then teaches us about Canadian food, nomenclature, habits, and overall attitudes. We learn that, just like in the United States, people in Canada are diverse, and stereotypes are applied to those indigenous to their particular province. Again, this is a humor book, and these descriptions are probably somewhat true, if probably not a bit broad. We’re guilty of this in the U.S. as well. We’re likely to characterize a truck driver from Mississippi much differently than a professor that lives in Vermont. I should also point out that the author seems to have something against Quebec. Hopefully, most Quebeccians (???) have a sense of humor.
With a French name like “Andre Dubroc” you might think that the author is actually from Canada, or has some roots there, but he’s actually from Louisiana.
Although this book is peppered with a few swear words, it’s a far cry from the vitriolic diatribes of such hate filled mongers such as a George Carlin or a Bill Maher. This book is also mainly apolitical. Yes, the author takes some shots at the political extreme, but he seems to hit both sides with equal aim. He seems to realize that humor is at its best when it’s not so hate-filled.
This book is designed to be, and is, a quick read. Like a lot of humor books, it contains some page filler such as coloring pages to color your favorite Canadians and “word searches” where you can complete a puzzle at the end of the chapter reviewing the new words that you’ve just learned. I found the author to be quite gifted, however, and being that this is his first book, I would love to see more by him. I’m willing to bet that if he had a nice chunk of time to work with, he could actually produce a much more detailed body of work. Since, as mentioned, this book actually contains real tips, I wouldn’t limit this author’s potential to only humor. This guy has some real talent with the written word.
If you happen to come across this book and the 2016 election Presidential contest has already come and gone, don’t fret and think that this book is no longer relevant. I’m sure in the days to come, we’ll have plenty of other elections and episodes of grumpiness that will cause many to shout that they will soon change their place of residence. So a book like this will always come in handy.
I downloaded this book after my husband told me he was applying for a longshot UN job based in Montréal, thinking I should get a better idea of what is involved in immigrating to our northern neighbor/neighbour.
This book is mostly a sarcastic overview of the different ways to apply for resident status in Canada and a very sarcastic description of each province. I would not use it as an actual guidebook for immigration application. It had a few funny zingers, but I didn't really appreciate a lot of the jokes so maybe it just wasn't for me.
If you want more details about actually applying for Canadian residence or the reality of moving to Canada, I think you should probably pick a different book.
Great book to quickly learn about Canada. The author used sarcastic language that was quite enjoyable. However their were some sexual references that wouldn't be recommended for younger viewers. If you can get beyond that, I would recommend picking up this book. It gave great aspects of the process of moving North. I especially enjoyed the section about Canadien Slang. I now find myself using some of those terms in everyday conversation. I highly enjoyed this quick read. Enjoy the book, eh!
I’m giving this book 4 stars because some of the humor really made me laugh out loud! At other times, the humor could be really off-putting, and “salty”. The highlighted sections had some interesting fun facts that I hadn’t read in other books pertaining to Canada. The humor made an otherwise factual read fairly enjoyable! Thank you for that!
Very topical and very funny. I especially liked the sections about the different provinces and the Canadian slang. It really is a detaied and lengthy process.
Probably the funniest writing I’ve ever read – this author/editor’s got some serious jokes! When it comes to having “personality” in prose, this is it! Seriously, way impressed.
About the book itself: this is a helpful little guide even if you’re planning on traveling part-time rather than a full-on relocation (my dream is to own property in Whistler, so this is my way of familiarizing myself with the various different laws & customs). It sheds light on the many subtleties of Canadian culture, and being written from a former American’s perspective on the subject is much more useful versus a straight-up Canadian author.
Buy the printed copy of the book instead of the ebook, it’s in full color vs. B&W like the digital counterpart. The physical book also has a ton of great illustrations / images missing from the Kindle version.
The Author sounds like He is an expatriate American. He understands the types of Americans that are seeking relocation to Canada and sums most of us up rather hilariously. He also, at the same time, includes very necessary information, right down to the form numbers, needed to start and finish the immigration process. How to get a job, lists of what bring, local colloquialisms, and the difference in taxes are all explained. Best of all is the explanation for Canadian society. The key is co. Co-operation with each other, not be individualistic, the word is not me in Canada, but we.
One of the things that miffed me about this book the most was the page count. When I got my copy from my local library, the page count in my actual book was less than half of what was advertised on here and it was a much shorter read than I had anticipated. I get that this is supposed to be a humor/satire book, but overall it felt like it was full of dry and dated jokes about how Americans see Cannadians and that's pretty much it. Nothing to write home about here... just glad I didn't pay for it.
1969. Time to reflect on what could have been. Accepted at the University in Hamilton. Denied CO status by my draft board. Stayed here and fought and beat the draft board. Shoulda moved to the land of peace and eternal winter 'eh
In the last couple of elections discontented Americans have remarked about moving to Canada if the election went in a way different than their candidate(s). So when I saw this book on BookBub, I thought it might be fun to read. It was funny and informative. Quick read.
Was always a dream to live in beautiful Canada. Fortunately, I'm now too old, to sedentary and ALWAYS cold plus I'm trying to recover from election depression and me thinks that's going to take a long while, eh?
Entertaining, funny, and fact-filled. Just what every American needs. I'm keeping this one handy. (Review written less than 10 days into #OrangeHitler's regime. Later, I may get more militant about keeping it close. Already laying in a larger-than-normal stock of long underwear.)
I read this as a little bit of light reading in between sections of Atlas Shrugged (only 9.5 hours to go on that one!). It was mildly amusing. I like the author's writing style. I was expecting a little bit more amusement regarding culture and explanation of how things actually work in Canada. About half of the book was dedicated to paperwork and forms and how to fill them out, trying to explain them with some humor, (sorry, humour), but honestly, the information was dry. I suppose the book would be useful if I was actually actively planning on moving to Canada and seeking Canadian citizenship. But really I was just looking for a funny read poking fun at the huge mess we Americans have gotten ourselves into. At only 66 pages, though, I was willing to dedicate the two hours or so it took to finish this book. It was just ok for me, eh?