Is Canada Even Real?: How a Nation Built on Hobos, Beavers, Weirdos, and Hip Hop Convinced the World to Beliebe by J.C. Villamere is a look at that other side of Canadian history that usually doesn't make it into the history books.

“It is particularly this kind of conundrum—where the government is a) planning a fiftieth birthday party for a commercial, and b) cannot find the commercial—that inspires the wonderment of this book’s title.”
As a frequent visitor to the Great White North, I figured I was well-versed in things Canuckian, but there was a lot of stuff in here I’d never heard of. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as funny as promised, as well as being thoroughly uneven in its entertainment value.
Thankfully there was some humor, as right away the author, J.C. Villamere, tells that the last name rhymes with “spill-a-beer.” The first “hoser” also comes early.
The first chapter is about Canadian music. Neither Rush nor Stan Rogers is mentioned. That puts this writer’s qualifications in serious doubt. Didn’t know if I should bother continuing, but I persevered. Rush is eventually mentioned, about halfway through, but the damage had been done.
There’s a whole section on mascots, particularly the former Montreal Expo guy and some snowman. But there’s a lot that’s completely uncipherable, probably to a lot of younger Canadians as well. And it doesn’t help that there’s quizzes, which I hated.
Despite the links at the end, keep going so you don’t miss the photo of the happy/relieved-looking mascot coming out of the porta potty. If only this book had such high humorous standards throughout.
Guess I’m not as much of a Canucklehead as I thought. . .
2.5 pushed up to 3/5

This book has a huge subtitle which made me laugh already. "How a Nation Built on Hobos, Beavers, Weirdos, and Hip Hop Convinced the World to Beliebe" A person who manages to stuff Beavers and Justin Bieber in one sentence gets extra points.
This book is fun to read. There are so many references to historical facts but most of them recent. I really liked the idea to understand a counties identity with more recent facts and important people. I do know Canada is just 150 years old but still.
The chapters are filled with fun pictures and facts binding everything together. Each chapter ends with a quizz with even more information about the things discussed in the chapter or connected to other chapters.If you grew up in Canada this book will be a party to read.
For the best enjoyment I would advice to get the book in paper.

Celebrating Canada's 150th? Interested in learning more about Canadian culture, and laughing about it along the way? Then open up J.C. Villamere's Is Canada Even Real?: How a Nation Built on Hobos, Beavers, Weirdos, and Hip Hop Convinced the World to Beliebe.

Sections of the book address Hobos; Beavers; Hip Hop; Weirdos; and Mascots. Really. We're told that 'This book invites you to look past our past and see that Canada is no longer solely the icons in which we once saw ourselves' (which would include 'maple leaves, hockey, canoes, totem poles, and polar bears.' Trivia quizzes are interspersed to check readers' detailed knowledge of these newer icons.

Enjoyably silly read. Good present for homesick expert Canadian friends.

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A 1997 broadcast of the long running Chicago based radio show This American life unveiled the shock and discomfort Americans felt when they were told that many- so many- of the people at the epicentre of American culture were Canadian. The most outrageous reaction was reserved for the anchor of ABC World News Tonight Toronto-born Peter Jennings. “I can’t believe it,” said Peabody- winning This American Life producer Alix Spiegel. “He delivers information about America to Americans. He interprets our culture for us. It’s like having some Czechoslovakian as your vice president. It’s just wrong.”

What? Really? My fellow Americans, I ask you- do you really dislike Canadians so much? Particularly when all most Americans admit to knowing about Canadians are Hockey, moose, beavers, Justin Bieber, Jim Carrey and Mike Myers. The tasty hors d’oeuvres of facts in this book had me laughing and surprised. Drake starred in a Canadian soap opera? This is the strangest bit of trivia questions I’ve read. Weird mascots, strange children’s shows, a certain famous singer’s cut hair worth $40,000, truly! And what was the song Informer by Snow about anyway? Don’t lie, you know what song and you probably liked it!

This book is fun, silly and just for kicks. It ‘takes this piss’ out of Canada. What I did know was so much less than what I didn’t. I’m one of those Americans interested in Canada, my husband’s background is French Canadian (with a last name like Dandeneau, you bet). Laugh all you want, we Americans have plenty to laugh about in regards to our pop culture too. It’s okay Canada, we love you for your quirky nature!

For a fun read that makes you wonder, Is Canada for real?

Out Now!

Dundurn

This one was OK. It had interesting little tidbits of information that made me homesick. I thought it would be funnier than it was, but the quizzes were a nice touch!

I love all things Canadian. When I did my mammoth booktrail lasting a year and taking in as many literary landmarks from Canadian novels that I could, I ate books like this. Still have them - shipped them back to the UK I did in a box. Little gems that really get under the skin of a country and its people. This book is now top of that pile.

The writer is well known in Canada for being 90% made of maple syrup and I totally believe that - what she doesn't know or love about Canada isn't worth knowing. She's fun and has a unique way of writing and compelling you to answer questions in fun quizzes getting you to see what you know and what you didn't know you should. It's tongue in cheek, funny and very very Canadian. This for me brought back lots of happy memories, unique canadian tidbits and that funny Canadian humour. Even when I was in Canada I wondered how it coped with being so overshadowed at times by its big American neighbour - this is the book to show how that little mouse not only squeaks but roars!

On another note - II loved the Littlest Hobo and I wanted to be that dog when I was little. Still do if I'm honest as the sense of adventure he had - the people he met and the places he saw and the facts he learned? Felt a bit like that reading this book.

Totally loved this. And I got most of the quizzes right. Can I become Canadian now please?

(this review will be on thebooktrail.com and GR nearer pub date)

A celebration of the crazy country that is Canada.
Not sure of a political policy? Get a medium to summon a ghost and check with him!
Got a beloved snowman mascot? Hope he isn't hiding drugs in that head!
Also a range of rappers, dancers and beautifully haired political leaders.

(I did have some problem with the copy on my Kindle as the layout moved about with the pictures and the end of chapter quizzes had the answers smashed into one another.
Hopefully this is not an issue in the print copy.)

A huge thank you to JC Villamere, Dundern Press, and Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I was attracted to this book because, oddly enough, my best friend lives thousands of miles away from me in Calgary.

This book was a riotous romp of fun! I had the best time reading about the pop culture of Canada, the country known for the apology. I had no idea that all of the celebrities mentioned were Canadians. I also took this opportunity to quiz my bestie about his country to learn more about where he lives. Reading this book was a unique learning experience. I can tell the author really enjoyed himself writing this. It's a very short read, but it inspires one to do further research. Yes, Canada does exist, and it's rich in tradition and uprightness. And maybe a few laughs

An amusing look at some of Canada's cultural quirks, presented in a fun format. As an American with very little knowledge of Canada, I enjoyed skimming through this book, but I think it really needs a Canadian audience to be fully appreciated.

I give it a 3.5. I love a book that pokes fun at Canadian culture and this was a light, quick read. We Canadians like to poke fun at our culture and are proud of those things that separate us from other countries and that is really what this book takes on. There really are some hidden gems to the culture included in this book. The quizzes at the end of the chapter were neat ways of getting extra information in about the topic.

While the writing style makes it seem as though it is marketed for the 18-34 age demographic, there was a lot of content in here that is much earlier than my 35 year old self was around for or can remember. And I think that is where there is a disconnect in this book. But, as a result of this, there was a lot for me to learn about the culture of my own country.

Is Canada Even Real?: How a Nation Built on Hobos, Beavers, Weirdos, and Hip Hop Convinced the World to Beliebe by J.C. Villamere is a look at that other side of Canadian history that usually doesn't make it into the history books. Villamere knew how to drive a Ski-Doo by age eight and her body is 90 percent maple syrup. She is the most Canadian woman in the world. Villamere writes to remind you that your country is wise and weird and you‘re in charge of keeping it that way. She is the publisher of Villamere: The Lowbrow Magazine of High-End Can Lit. She lives in Hamilton.

Canada is a country with a rich history but little of it gets south of the border. The history presented here is more of a cultural history. The Littlest Hobo a series that ran six years is a cross between Lassie and Scooby-Do. It was the 1980s videotaped show with a dog helps a person plot to secret agent dog. Although sounding a bit corny it had a wide range of guest stars from Abe Vigoda to Mike Myers. This ties into the real hobos of Canada and the rise of yodeling music...aka Canadian country music and the rise of the original singing cowboy (not the one who sang about Rudolf). Music continues to be a theme covering Canadian pop music to the rise of Degrassi star turned rapper Drake and his being genuine in his music and not trying to be a gangster rapper without the cred like Vanilla Ice and Hammer.

Politics and political characters play a role in the book from McDonald to Trudeau and his hair (Bieber's hair has a tie-in to). It seems Reagan was not the only modern world leader with ties to the supernatural. Canada's Mackenzie King followed and ask to be communicated with after he died; CTV complied. Politics gives way to mascots including Peter Puck and Quebec's Bonhomme who made it to the cover of McLeans.

Villamere takes the reader on an interesting tour of things Canadian and pop culture. Each section is followed by a quiz to test your knowledge of related subjects. Not being Canadian myself, I could follow along quite well with the stories told. Villamere does an excellent job explaining the background of the material she covers. The quizzes at the end of the chapter are not completely covered in the text, but the answers are well explained. The book flows well with the chapters leading into the next smoothly. A well done, informative and fun book on our neighbors to the north.

I've been loving the non-fiction I've read recently so I could't wait to start this book as it seemed like a fun, quirky non-fiction about Canada but sadly for me it turned out to be 60% boring, unrelatable and unusually formatted (although I think that's just because of the e-book format) and only 40% of the book was genuinely interesting and informative - I think Canadian would fid it more interesting and nostalgic compared to non-Canadians such as myself. Also the photographs were unusual, blank or a little amateurish. I did however find the sections about Canadian prime ministers and mascots interesting but that's not enough to save the rest of the book from a low rating!

Did you know that Canada is a real country? That 2017 marks her 150 year of independence? Did you know they have their own tv and government and have hosted the olympics?

As an American I know how horribly ignorant we our of our neighbors to the north. And you are probably wondering how different they could be

This book pokes fun at those differences. You don't need to know Canadian history or culture to enjoy this book. You don't need to know who was the first prime minister or what tv shows they have had. In fact the book is written with the assumption that you do not know any of these things.

Don't expect to read it to learn anything non trivial though. This is all weird trivia and totally fun. We learn there is a cartoon character called Peter the Puck to promote hockey. We learn about a pair of mascots for the Calgary olympics called Hidy and Howdy, pollard bears even though there are no polar bears living in Calgary. And we learn that the name of the Hudson Bay Company magazine fit years was called The Beaver.

Each chapter ends with a quiz with the answers, which are also amusing.

Would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about the weirder facts of Canada

Thanks to Netgalley for making this available for an honest review