Why We ACT Like Canadians

In a series of open letters to an American friend named Sam, (or to be more precise, "Uncle Sam" as a metaphorical representation of all of our friends south of our Canadian border), Pierre Berton uses colourful examples from our history, our climate, and our geography to explain the vagaries of our national character. In short, he explains to his befuddled American buddy not only what it is to be a Canadian but "why we act like Canadians"! If there were a position corresponding to "poet laureate" for historians or journalists, it's an odds on bet that Pierre Berton would be the man for Canada. His writing is easy going and emminently readable but at the same time it is scrupulously well researched and complete. Recommended reading for any Canadian who would like a deeper understanding of the fundamental reasons for our typical behaviours and, in the spirit of fostering a higher degree of friendship and mutual understanding, it ought to be mandatory reading for all students in the USA. Paul Weiss

I read this book for a college course and found it to be refreshing. Unlike other books one reads for classes this book had a wealth of information and was interesting. Berton in this book has a conversation with "Sam", known to most as Uncle Sam represents the people of the United States, whom Burton conveys Canadian's feelings and sediment towards Americans in. This conversation is a key feature of the book that I found interesting. I recommend this book to Americans and Canadians alike because of the comparisons Berton makes between the two groups. I think other groups will enjoy this book and find it to be a learning experience as well, but they might get lost in parts that Canadians and Americans might consider common knowledge.