In this bracing collection, Mordecai Richler takes aim at the hypocrisies of politics, culture, and society with the biting humor and fearless candor that made him one of Canada’s most controversial voices. Written in the early 1970s, these essays reveal Richler at his most combative—skewering sacred cows, exposing pretension, and reminding readers that the role of the writer is not to flatter but to provoke. Whether dissecting the state of Canadian nationalism, lampooning literary trends, or challenging public figures, Richler proves that shovelling trouble is both an art and a necessity.