TALKING TO CANADIANS by Rick Mercer is a memoir. Born in Newfoundland Rick shares highlights of his youth growing up in St. John’s. The focus for most of the book his on his career and how he became one of the most famous television personalities in Canada.
I am a huge Rick Mercer fan. Loved all the shows he has been and I have read his earlier books. TALKING TO CANADIANS is an excellent read. I loved it. Overall the book was humorous and entertaining. Rick Mercer included the story of how he came to visit the Canadian Peacekeepers stationed in Bosnia. I remember seeing the segment on television. I had tears then and I had more tears when I read the story in the book. Touching!
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced digital edition of this book.

Rick Mercer is one of my favourite comedians. He has hosted satirical news shows, such as The Rick Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, as well as many Canadian awards shows. In this memoir, he talks about his early life and how he got into show business. He’s had a fascinating career that has led him to becoming one of the funniest Canadian entertainers.

My top 3 favourite comedians are from Newfoundland: Jonny Harris, Mark Critch, and Rick Mercer. The beginning of this memoir was set in Newfoundland during Rick’s childhood. I traveled to Newfoundland a couple of years ago and I have family who lives in Newfoundland (in Bishop’s Falls which also got a little cameo appearance in this memoir). Canada, and particularly Newfoundland, are such small places that even one of my English university professors was mentioned in this book. All of the Canadian references really made me feel connected to this book.

I’ve watched both of Rick’s shows since I was a child. I’ve been a fan of his for as long as I can remember. Many of his best jokes were in this memoir, including his segment called Talking to Americans. He would interview Americans and tell them made up things about Canada that they believed. I remember watching one episode where he told people in an American city that Canada was going to start using the 24 hour clock. They congratulated the country on adopting this way of counting time. This was some of his classic comedy, that made me laugh out loud many times while reading this book.

Talking to Canadians is a hilarious Canadian memoir!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.