Bastards and Boneheads by Will Ferguson if for no other reason than it makes Canadian history much more interesting than the current high school text books. In Bastards and Boneheads, Will Ferguson goes through all of Canada's Prime Minsters and ranks them, based on their achievements and their failings, as one or the other. It's a fun, light-hearted but well researched romp through Canadian history looking at the decisions (or indecisions) of our highest elected official. Given the title, however, I find it highly doubtful this would even make the short list of possible books.
Bastard is meant as a compliment in this book. It's simply
someone who has the cojones to get the job done.
I'm also a big fan of his Why I Hate Canadians which my stepmom sent to me when I was living in Germany. It's a look at events in Canadian history which make Canada Canada. I was always able to tell you what made me Irish (besides my unpronounceable and unspellable--I'm making this a word--last name) but defining what made me Canadian was much more difficult. Agree or disagree with some of Ferguson's opinions and conclusions, it's a great book to make you really think about what 'being Canadian' means to you although a few of the chapters are starting to show their age.
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