You Might Be From Hamilton If...

by Graeme MacKay

The Hammer. The Ambitious City. Steel town. Canada's tenth largest city, Hamilton, Ontario, has been called a lot of things. But Hamiltonians, near and far, know they can always come home to a place that has a rich history--and a lot of amusing stories only locals would know. In comes Graeme MacKay, the editorial cartoonist for the Hamilton Spectator. As a Hamiltonian born and bred, he knows this city's quirks, its characters and its love affair with being the underdog to Toronto's "Centre of the Universe" mentality. With more than 120 cartoons, MacKay illustrates what so many people have come to love (and perhaps cringe a little) about this port city. Founding father, George Hamilton, would be proud.

128 pages, Paperback

Published May 11, 2017

Reviews

[Kat Drennan-Scace]

A funny look at some of the quirks of Hamilton. Even though I didn’t grow up here, I still got most of the references and appreciated the fun being poked at the city I call home. Recommended for Hamiltonians.

[Stephanie]

This book is absolutely hilarious! MacKay has produced a series of cartoons that are truly representative of my city. The author is a cartoonist from the local Hamilton newspaper, "The Spectator," and a native of the city. He has managed to capture all of the most interesting anecdotes, jokes, sayings, geographical oddities and politics of our city's great history. Unfortunately, it appeals to such a niche community that "outsiders" may not appreciate or understand the references.

[Earl Inglis]

An encyclopedia of Hamilton, lots of fun.

[Jen Jones]

Love this insightful and hilarious book. The drawing style is warm and engaging, and the wit is superb, by The Hamilton Spectator’s editorial cartoonist (recently nominated for a National Newspaper Award), Graeme MacKay. I bought copies for all of the Hamiltonians on my Christmas list two years ago and they were extremely well received (my husband snuck away from the gift opening to go sit in a quiet corner and read it from start to finish, cackling all the while). I highly recommend this book to any former, current or future Hamiltonian, it gives you a real flavour of the city (a cigarette butt at the bottom of a mostly empty Tim Horton’s cup comes to mind, the remnants of a Double-Double—but don’t forget the waterfalls!).