Conformist Kraut to Contentious Canuck

Book excerpt: Despite a perilous childhood in Nazi Germany and immigration from Germany to Canada in 1951, Herb Duerr finds all but a few things amusing, and he never fails to write about the world as he sees it, based on his extensive travel and fascinating experiences. Following The Unhyphenated Canuck and several autobiographical books, Duerr has done it again with stimulating musings and personal adventures that cover fifty years of historical, cultural, and social evolution in the Canadian milieu-just as he lived it. Conformist Kraut to Contentious Canuck portrays Duerr's struggle to become Canadian by conviction and commitment. Providing entertainment and information in equal measure, this collection follows Duerr's progress as he confronts the challenges of a strange new world in the context of historical facts and causes. His observations are embarrassingly revealing, ominously critical, and impertinently controversial, in relation to current affairs. Duerr's opinions are both contentious and refreshingly playful. In his words, "I documented my experiences and views, never hesitating to reveal my ignorance, folly, or just bloody-mindedness." Using pertinent anecdotes and self-deprecating humour, Duerr's latest thoughts will fuel your interest from beginning to end.