Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Travels in Search of Canada

Being a resident of the southeastern United States, I have traveled just a little in Canada. Since Canadian news and history seem to be mostly ignored in the U.S., I found BEAUTY TIPS FROM MOOSE JAW to be an enjoyable way for someone in my situation to find out about our neighbor to the north. Ferguson takes the country one province at a time, discussing people and places with often funny incidents, and weaving in a history background of each area. I must say, though, I did not find Ferguson to be as hilarious as some people do. I thought the history sections were particularly interesting and well-written, and they follow so naturally from the travel narrative that even people not really wanting to know the history would find themselves drawn into it. And although the book has decent maps for each section, I missed the total lack of any photos. There's not even one of the author! For someone like myself who has not seen much of the country, it was useful to keep a Canadian travel book full of photos nearby. Thus armed, BEAUTY TIPS FROM MOOSE JAW provides an entertaining way to learn about Canada.

Canada! What a place. Americans, sure... as in "North Americans" (as are Mexicans, Panamanians and Cubans, not to mention Madawaskans and Acadians). Well, that's about where the comparisons begin and the similarities end. Ferguson refers to the US as "the great carnival to the south" - I don't think I've ever read a more fitting indictment of the colossus itself. This is surely a funny, witty read, but it also is filled with a lot of real information and good perspective on Canadian life. I've traveled extensively through that vast land, and like Ferguson, have found Canada to be a loose affiliation of countries within a huge state. Canada has the saving grace of being able to laugh at itself regularly, and mercifully is missing the British stiff upper lip attitude, at least according to this book (and my travels as well). Sometimes reading a book about a place makes me want to jump up and go there, and it looks like the Hotel Frontenac in Quebec City will see me pretty soon. Ferguson actually makes Saint John's, NL appear to be a pretty cool place (I always thought of it as downright cold and quite dour, but now it sounds like one could actually have some fun there). The discussions of old Victoria are sharp and righteously funny, but the best part of the book to me is the story of the author's rambling around "looking for Canada" and finding... of all things, Uncle Tom. That's just one example of the subtle skill Ferguson brings to this writing, and when expecting to be humored one is educated, that is a very good thing indeed.

I have lived outside of the U.S. for six years with the past two in Canada thus I had about the right amount of distance from everyday life in the U.S. and enough daily interaction in Canada to find this book hilarious. Page after page I keep laughing out loud. I kept finding my self blurting out things like "exactly" and "I have seen that too". This author has nailed the North American male and has a very clear view of the differences between the States and Canada. If you are a resident of either country you will find this book full of humor and uncanny observations that ring true to anyone with an eye to individual behavior. I would have no hesitation in recommending the book.