You Might as Well Laugh

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Barrie, Ontario.

Ed Smith was a teacher and principal in Springfield, Newfoundland, for
most of his working life. Writing was a side interest that started with
a weekly column, “The View from Here,” in the Northern Pen. His
humorous observations struck a chord not only with Maritimers, but with
people all across Canada. His columns are regularly reprinted in a
number of other Canadian newspapers and magazines.

In 1998, Smith sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident and
became quadriplegic. Rather than letting his physical challenges dampen
his enthusiasm for life, he continued to write. In 2001, Smith won the
Canadian Nurses’ Association award for excellence in broadcasting for
his series of radio clips on life with quadriplegia. In 2003, he won the
Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award for his non-fiction work From the
Ashes of My Dreams.

You Might As Well Laugh is a collection of the best of Smith’s
columns from the early 1990s. There are 76 short rants about everyday
topics such as parenthood, family, marriage, pets, cars and roads,
laundry, singing, and Santa, to name a few. No subtitles go unnoticed,
and the author puts a spotlight on our use of language, gestures, moods,
and habits.

Smith’s curious and engaging collection is the thinking person’s
guide to everyday humour.