| Author: |
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John Stackhouse
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| Title: |
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Timbit Nation: a Hitchhiker's View of Canada |
| Moochable copies: |
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No copies available |
| Amazon suggests: |
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| Topics: |
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| Published in: |
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English |
| Binding: |
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Paperback |
| Pages: |
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320 |
| Date: |
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2004-06-01 |
| ISBN: |
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0679313508 |
| Publisher: |
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Vintage Canada |
| Weight: |
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0.45 pounds |
| Size: |
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5.5 x 8.5 x 1.0 inches |
Amazon prices: |
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| Previous givers: |
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3 PoshMoggy (Canada), Jake (Canada), davidsmi (Canada) |
| Previous moochers: |
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3 Thia (Canada), Cassandra & Ron (USA: MN), midwifey (Canada) |
| Wishlists: |
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| Description: |
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From Amazon
In Timbit Nation, award-winning Globe and Mail reporter John Stackhouse (Out of Poverty) sticks his thumb out to catch a barrelling ride along the Trans Canada Highway. His curious blend of travelogue and national pulse-taking begins in the Maritimes where physical beauty is contrasted with ugly economic reality. Most of his rides here show contempt for the federal government and mainlanders. Stackhouse also battles almost continual rain and black fly attacks, not to mention the trickle of traffic that runs through the rural Maritimes, ensuring he's an easy target for both. Such an inauspicious start drives home a central theme: This isn't the cheery road trip you might imagine. According to Timbit Nation, most Canadians are facing the decline of their old way of life. Jobs on the fishing boats in the Maritimes or in the mines of northern Ontario are being replaced at a much slower rate by positions at call centers, casinos, and in the government. This switch has come at a price as Canadians become disconnected from the land and sea that originally made them prosperous. Thus, he reports a softening of the separatist's stance in his travels through Quebec--replaced by a new pragmatism that, according to the author, has focused Quebecois energies on economic issues. With few exceptions, for the folks who offer Stackhouse a ride, jobs trump any other concern. Some readers may bemoan the emphasis Stackhouse places on the actual ordeal of hitchhiking; reading this book will certainly convince all but the most foolhardy to avoid this mode of cross-county transport. When fish farmers Ray and Dave finally drop Stackhouse in Tofino, British Columbia, the road behind him reveals a country in a state of flux. --Moe Berg
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| URL: |
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http://bookmooch.com/0679313508 |
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