Timbit Nation: A Hitchhiker's View of Canada

Stackhouse, John

ISBN 10: 0679313508 / ISBN 13: 9780679313502

Published by Vintage Books Canada, 2004

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0679313508I4N00

Synopsis:

After spending years travelling through some of the poorest nations of the world, seeking out the people’s story, award-winning journalist and bestselling author John Stackhouse turns his keen eye toward his own country.

Most people who travel across Canada begin their journey at either end of an impressively long strand of national highway. But Stackhouse, thumb out and knapsack in hand, chooses Saint John, New Brunswick, as a launching point, where his ancestors arrived in the late 18th century as refugees of the Loyalist rebellion. From there he heads east to Newfoundland, north into Labrador and straight west to Vancouver Island, curious to discover how Canada has changed in his lifetime -- since the advent of the superhighway, a global culture and continental economy have taken hold. Is Canada capable of remaining a distinct nation?

Following the route of the explorers, Stackhouse endures rain, bugs and gale-force winds, but also meets some incredible personalities, each with their own fascinating anecdotes and often surprising social and political commentary as well. Once and for all they dispel the myth that Canadians are a bland and complacent lot. Contemplating a Timbit in a Tim Hortons on the highway -- a truly Canadian experience -- leads Stackhouse to reflect on our remaining distinctions from our neighbour to the south. Americans may have perfected the doughnut as a fast-food staple, but it took Canadians to figure out how to truly exploit the hole.

A wry and perceptive look at our country in the present, Timbit Nation has all the prerequisites of
good travel literature: a cast of colourful characters, funny, informative writing, and a landscape of tremendous beauty.

About the Author: Timbit Nation evolved from a series of very popular articles John Stackhouse wrote for the Globe and Mail. He is also the author of Out of Poverty and has won five National Newspaper Awards, including one for his account of living on the streets of Toronto, a National Magazine Award and an Amnesty International prize for reporting on human rights. He is currently the Globe’s foreign editor, and lives in Toronto with his family.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Timbit Nation: A Hitchhiker's View of Canada
Publisher: Vintage Books Canada
Publication Date: 2004
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket