Canada Made Me

Although I have entitled this review "essential reading for all Canadians", individuals of any nationality will enjoy this book. The book was written in 1958 and is Canada's equivalent to Kerouac's "On The Road". (Due to contraversy surrounding the book, it wasn't published in Canada until the late 70's) The book, autobiographical in nature, details Levine's return to Canada after years spent living in England. He boards a boat in England and lands in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He slowly makes his way accross the country describing his stops in Ontario, Quebec and the West. The accounts of his voyages are vivid and nostalgic. Levine's bitterness toward his native country is nothing more than brutal honesty. From Montreal's society to Ontario's small mining towns, Levine's most intriguing descriptions are of the people he meets along the way.There is no better hook in the book than the line, "I wondered why I felt so bitter about Canada. After all, it was all part of a dream, an experiment that could not come off. It was foolish to believe that you could take the throwouts, the rejects, the human kickabouts from Europe and tell them: Here you have a second chance. Here you can start a new life. But no one ever mentioned the price one had to pay; how much of oneself you had to betray."If you are not Canadian, don't worry there aren't any Canuck inside jokes that you won't get. After all, I haven't been to most of the places described by Kerouac, but love his books nonetheless.