If you want to learn more about Canada, your local library no doubt has many excellent books that are full of information, and extremely, extremely boring.

Here are a few of my favorite Canadian-written books about Canada that are humorous, engaging, and easy to read, as well as extremely informative and insightful.

....On history

Egotists and Autocrats by George Bowering

An excellent profile of Canada's first 20 Prime Ministers by a respected British Columbian historian. Bowering offers excellent profiles on Canada's various heads of government, peppered with humor, insight, and witty anecdotes. There have been many books written on Canada's leaders, but this one is by far the best.

Louis Riel : A Comic-Strip Biography by Chester Brown

The story of Louis Riel, the charismatic politician who twice led an armed rebellion against the Canadian and British governments, is a very important piece of Canadian history. Yet I've also found it's a story that tends to be rather poorly told, in a large part due to the complexity of the tale. Chester Brown's Louis Riel boils down this story into a truly brilliant comic-book format that is both easy to follow and highly enjoyable to read.

Quebec 70; a Documentary Narrative by John Saywell

This is a very simply-written book that nevertheless makes for extremely fascinating and gripping reading. It is, as the title suggests, a documentary-style narrative of the month of October, 1970, the phase in Canadian history when a Marxist terrorist group staged an unprecedented wave of terror in the province of Quebec, ultimately culminating in the imposition of Martial Law by Prime Minister Trudeau.

Making extensive use of primary documents from the time, this book simply tells you the whole sequential story of what exactly went down. It's a great book for anyone who thinks nothing exciting ever happens in Canada.

....On politics

The Friendly Dictatorship by Jeffrey Simpson

Jeffery Simpson is an editorial writer for the Globe and Mail national newspaper. In this book he lashes out against Canada's extremely centralized system of government, arguing that Canadians essentially live under a one-man elected dictatorship. He criticizes the way the Prime Minister of Canada is able to control all three branches of government, and contrasts Canada's "democratic deficit" with the governments of other western nations. He also lashes out against Prime Ministers Trudeau, Mulroney, and Chretien for continuing to perpetuate this undemocratic system while spouting myths about its nonexistent virtues. Highly recommended.

Time to Say Goodbye: The case for getting Quebec out of Canada by Reed Scowen

Time to Say Goodbye is not a long book, but it is a very powerful and persuasive one. Reed Scowen is a former member of the Quebec Parliament, and a man who fought for years opposing the separatist cause. In his old age, however, he has become quite bitter and disillusioned with the province, and Canadian federalism in general. This book takes you through Quebec's modern history right up to the present-day, a point at which Scowen argues there is simply no choice but to accept Quebec separation as an inevitable, and ultimately desirable outcome. A lot of people never really "get" Quebec separatism; this book makes the case in language anyone can understand.

....On culture

How to Be Canadian by Will and Ian Furguson

The Furguson brothers are two of Canada's funniest, and most iconoclastic authors. I stumbled across this particular book well after I had started writing this site, which is a bit ironic considering the book is similar in nature to my guide. The Furgusons give the reader a humorous run-through of all things Canadian, from profiles of the provinces, to a description of Canadian sex, to a profile of how our government works (their answer: it doesn't). The book is hilarious and I highly recommend it to both Canadian and American alike.

Yankee Go Home? by J.L. Granatstein

Yankee Go Home? is a history of Canada that highlights the underlying Anti-American sentiments that have shaped the nation since its very founding. Granatstein covers all the big topics, the American revolution and the 1812 War, the collapse of the British Empire, the rise of the Canadian left and the anti-Vietnam crowd, and the NAFTA debates of the late 80's. An excellent book for anyone who thinks Canadian anti-Americanism is a new phenomenon.

Why I Hate Canadians by Will Furguson

Another Furguson book, although I don't like this one nearly as much as How to Be Canadian. The book is essentially a collection of rants by Will Furguson about various things he dislikes in Canadian society, from our monarchical system of government, to our treatment of natives, to our anti-Americanism. The book covers some excellent topics, but in my opinion the author fails to come to any significant conclusions, and tries to tackle too wide a range of subject matter. Still worth a look.