The Wit and Wisdom of Joe Casey

Les Harding is the author of The Voyages of Lesser Men: Thumbnail
Sketches in Canadian Exploration and The Journeys of Remarkable Women:
Their Travels on the Canadian Frontier.

Joe Casey was born in a small Nova Scotia fishing port in 1918. In his
life he has had a varied career as a businessman, naval officer, Bay of
Fundy pilot, and long-time supporter of the Liberal Party. Since 1970
Casey has represented Digby County in the Nova Scotia Legislature.
Co-author Barbara Erjavec is a Casey friend and campaign worker.

Casey has earned an enviable reputation as a storyteller, an
after-dinner speaker who can always be relied on to provide a quip,
joke, or an ad-lib. I am not about to challenge Casey’s reputation,
but I found that this book often fell flat. It reads as if the author
followed her subject around with a tape recorder, pressed the record
button every time he gave signs of launching into an anecdote, and then
rushed home and transcribed the result. So much of good storytelling
depends on voice, mannerisms, and delivery. Unfortunately, none of that
comes through here. There are some amusing stories in these pages (the
bootlegger who wore his artificial feet backwards to fool the Mounties
is my favorite), but for most of the anecdotes, as the saying goes,
“You had to be there.” I am sure this book will be popular with
those who are familiar with Casey; but those, such as this reviewer, who
have never seen its subject in action may come away more puzzled than
anything else. The book is illustrated with some photographs of
Casey’s career and a number of black-and-white drawings.