Canada

This book set the bar pretty high for the rest of 2017. I absolutely loved this memoir/exploration of Canadian culture/history of Canada! It was such a weird yet satisfying blend of so many things that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where it falls. But labels don't really concern me. Whatever you want to call it, it was fantastic.
While so many of the things Myers reminisces about from his childhood are far removed from my own experience, the way he luxuriates in the comforting realm of nostalgia kept bringing to mind my own nostalgic feelings for a time gone by. It felt like being in on all his references while never having experienced them personally.
What stands out the most for me is how funny it was. You might be thinking that I should have expected a book written by a comedian to be funny, but honestly it didn't cross my mind. It was a memoir about his life and about Canada–both of which rely heavily on relaying facts and series of events... not much room for humour. Within the first 25 pages I'd laughed out loud a minimum of six times in a crowded store–and I didn't care! I was in love. I knew I needed this book in my life.
I don't want to give too much away so I'll just finish this by saying I'm feeling fiercely Canadian after reading Myers' book and I felt the full range of emotion during my journey between its pages. Every Canadian should read it.

This was a nice memoir. Like Myers, I'm the first-generation son of immigrants from the UK, who (ultimately) settled in a working-class suburb of Toronto, so the parts where he focuses on his childhood were VERY relatable to me. There was a really nice oral history of the comedy scene in the 80s, including a lot of reminders of how groundbreaking and influential Second City has been on comedy culture.

At the same time, it's very clear Myers is writing from an outsider perspective - he has lived in the US for many years now, so his view on the culture is seen through rose-coloured glasses. Still, on the whole it's a fantastic love letter to the Great White North.