Political Books - Page 5

The Political Zoo

Michael Savage

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the real national zoo!

 

As Aristotle said, "Man is a political animal." Talk radio sensation and New York Times best-selling author Michael Savage is afraid that the ancient philosopher was all too right, and in ways he never could have imagined. In Savage's funniest, most biting book yet, the nation's fiercest independent thinker invites you to take a riotous tour through The Political Zoo-an outrageous look at today's most prominent politicos and pundits as the reptiles, rats, and birds of prey they most resemble.

 

Animal by animal and cage by cage, Savage brandishes his irreverent wit to keep these beasts in check. Serving as resident biologist and zookeeper, Dr. Savage asks that you watch your step when approaching the widemouth copperhead Ted Turner (also known as Mouthus desouthus), do not feed the ego of stuffed turkey Alec Baldwin (Notalentus anti-americanus), and please keep your children with you at all times around wolf boy Bill Clinton (Fondlem undgropeum).

 

"The world of politics is filled with uncivilized, snarling, rapacious beasts that, like untrained mutts, raise their legs and urinate on everything we hold dear," says Savage. And this sensational book is your guide for navigating the jungle of today's animal-political kingdom.

A Treasury of Great American Scandals: Tantalizing True Tales of Historic Misbehavior by the Founding Fathers and Others Who Let Freedom Swing

Michael Farquhar

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Following on the heels of his national bestseller A Treasury of Royal Scandals, Michael Farquhar turns his attention to matters a little closer to home with A Treasury of Great American Scandals. From the unhappy family relationships of prominent Americans to the feuds, smear campaigns, duels, and infamous sex scandals that have punctuated our history, we see our founding fathers and other American heroes in the course of their all-too-human events. Ineffectual presidents, lazy generals, traitors; treacherous fathers, nagging mothers, ungrateful children, embarrassing siblings; and stories about insanity, death, and disturbing postmortems are all here, as are disagreeable marriages, vile habits, and, of course, sex: good sex, bad sex, and good-bad sex too. We can take comfort in the fact that we are no worse and no better than our forebears. But we do have better media coverage. Bonus educational material:

* A brief history of the United States, including scandals!
* The American Hall of Shame!
* A complete listing of presidential administrations!

The Onion Presents: Our Dumb World 2009 Wall Calendar

Editors of the Onion

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Presidential Doodles: Two Centuries of Scribbles, Scratches, Squiggles, and Scrawls from the Oval Office squiggles & scrawls from the Oval Office

Cabinet Magazine, David Greenberg

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Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

What were the leaders of the free world really doing during all those meetings? As the editors of Cabinet magazine reveal here for the first time, they were doodling. Our Founding Fathers doodled, and so did Andrew Jackson. Benjamin Harrison accomplished almost nothing during his time in the White House, but he left behind some impressive doodles. During the twentieth century-as the federal bureaucracy grew and the meetings got longer-the Presidential doodle truly came into its own. Theodore Roosevelt doodled animals and children, while Dwight Eisenhower doodled weapons and self-portraits. FDR doodled gunboats, and JFK doodled sailboats. Ronald Reagan doodled cowboys and football players and lots of hearts for Nancy. The nation went wild for Herbert Hoover’s doodles: A line of children’s clothing was patterned on his geometric designs. Cabinet magazine has spent years scouring archives and libraries across America, unearthing hundreds of Presidential doodles. Here the editors of Cabinet present the finest examples of the genre. Historian David Greenberg sets these images in context and explains what they reveal about the inner lives of our Commanders in Chief. Are Kennedy’s dominoes merely squiggles, or do they reflect deeper anxieties about the Cold War? Why did LBJ and his cabinet spend so much time doodling caricatures of one another? Smart, revealing, and hilarious-Presidential Doodles is the ideal gift for anyone interested in politics or history. And for anyone who doodles!

Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel

Richard H. Minear, Art Spiegelman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A different view of the good doctor 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Long before he started writing children's books, Theodor Geisel did advertising ("Quick Henry, the Flit!"), and even editorial cartooning. This book collects a large number of his WWII cartoon, and offers a fascinating commentary on those cartoons and on the man who drew them.

The militancy of these cartoons stands in stark contrast to the gentle goofiness of, for example, "One Fish, Two Fish." Of course, he took on Hitler, Mussolini, and other Axis leaders, using ridicule as his weapon against them. Other cartoons blast the appeasers and not-our-problem isolationists of the time. Interestingly, other cartoons came out with strongly anti-racist themes - a bit radical for the time, but he treated exclusion of blacks from wartime industry as a form of sabotage or treason. Minear's commentary offers helpful insight into the times in which the cartoons arose, and into some of the controversy they engendred, making its points with clear cross-references to specific cartoons.

It's hard to see these today as serious political statements. Too many of us grew up on The Cat in the Hat and other of Geisel's later work. When we see his distinctive lines and style, they can no longer carry the adult clout that they did in the 1940s. It's hard to see his artwork through the eyes of these cartoons' original readers, and to see the outrage that Seuss both satirized and ignited. It's worth the effort, though. WWII was a very different time than today, and did a lot to shape what today has become. Minear's book examines a unique facet of that time.

//wiredweird

Editorial Review:

The bestselling treasure trove of World War II political cartoons by Dr. Seuss. For decades, readers throughout the world have enjoyed the marvelous stories and illustrations of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. But few know the work Geisel did as a political cartoonist during World War II, for the New York daily newspaper PM. In these extraordinarily trenchant cartoons, Geisel presents "a provocative history of wartime politics" (Entertainment Weekly). Dr. Seuss Goes to War features handsome, large-format reproductions of more than two hundred of Geisel's cartoons, alongside "insightful" (Booklist) commentary by the historian Richard H. Minear that places them in the context of the national climate they reflect. Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman's introduction places Seuss firmly in the pantheon of the leading political cartoonists of our time. 200 black-and-white illustrations.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

Al Franken

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3034 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Poor Effort by 15 Supposedly High-Powered Individuals 2 out of 5 stars.
18 of 22 people found this review helpful.

I bought & read this book to see what a prominent leftist had to say in response to the unbelievably damning indictments of the left that resulted from the public release of information from the Venona Project. Conservative writers such as Ann Coulter and Mona Charon included material on the Venona Project in two of their books, and I expected to see some sort of a contrary comment. I was disappointed, and forget about Franken's index: there isn't any. And if you discount the New York Times and other left-leaning newspapers and magazines, there's not much remaining of Franken's sources. I'm reminded of the old adage; "If you only talk with those who hold the same opinion as you, you will never learn anything."

Backed by the power and monetary resources of Harvard University, Franken assembled a team of 14 researchers from whom much could be expected. Unfortunately, it appears they spent most of their time bolstering ad hominum attacks on various conservatives rather than building cases able to stand up under close scrutiny. Questioning Ann Coulter's age and making an issue out of the typical use of "footnote" for "endnote" was simply silly. Current scholarship favors the extensive use of endnotes so as to not break up the continuity of analytical presentation. Working at Harvard, Franken should have known that.

In many cases it was impossible to separate the author's lame attempts at sarcasm or humor from what he might be representing as fact. Quite possibly he used this mechanism to be able to reject any scholarly criticism of his "facts" by simply saying that the point in question wasn't meant to be factual -- it was merely humor. Serious criticisms of conservatives that could have been presented were lost in the multiplicity of inane discussions like why he calls Ann Coulter a "nutcase." Moreover, it is never appropriate to use such terms, which the author freely interjects throughout his book, and his case is greatly damaged as a result.

Harvard University should be ashamed of supporting this project, and without supporting a like project from conservatives, Harvard must be firmly placed at the top of the list of leftist schools, more interested in pushing a point of view than scholarly research and publication of the evidence of such research and its analysis.

Franken does inestimable harm to liberal political thought with the publication of this book. I do not recommend it to liberals or conservatives who wish to add to their knowledge.

Editorial Review:

Al Franken, one of our "savviest satirists" (People), has been studying the rhetoric of the Right. He has listened to their cries of "slander," "bias," and even "treason." He has examined the Bush administration’s policies of squandering our surplus, ravaging the environment, and alienating the rest of the world. He’s even watched Fox News. A lot.

And, in this fair and balanced report, Al bravely and candidly exposes them all for what they are: liars. Lying, lying liars. Al destroys the liberal media bias myth by doing what his targets seem incapable of: getting his facts straight. Using the Right’s own words against them, he takes on the pundits, the politicians, and the issues, in the most talked about book of the year.

Timely, provocative, unfailingly honest, and always funny, Lies sticks it to the most right-wing administration in memory, and to the right-wing media hacks who do its bidding.

Makers and Takers: Why conservatives work harder, feel happier, have closer families, take fewer drugs, give more generously, value honesty more, are less materialistic and

Peter Schweizer

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Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In Makers and Takers you will discover why:

* Seventy-one percent of conservatives say you have an obligation to care for a seriously injured spouse or parent versus less than half (46 percent) of liberals.

* Conservatives have a better work ethic and are much less likely to call in sick than their liberal counterparts.

* Liberals are 2½ times more likely to be resentful of others’ success and 50 percent more likely to be jealous of other people’s good luck.

* Liberals are 2 times more likely to say it is okay to cheat the government out of welfare money you don’t deserve.

* Conservatives are more likely than liberals to hug their children and “significantly more likely” to display positive nurturing emotions.

* Liberals are less trusting of family members and much less likely to stay in touch with their parents.

* Do you get satisfaction from putting someone else’s happiness ahead of your own? Fifty-five percent of conservatives said yes versus only 20 percent of liberals.

* Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan, Bill O’Reilly and Dick Cheney have given large sums of money to people in need, while Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Moore, and Al Gore have not.

* Those who are “very liberal” are 3 times more likely than conservatives to throw things when they get angry.

The American left prides itself on being superior to conservatives: more generous, less materialistic, more tolerant, more intellectual, and more selfless. For years scholars have constructed—and the media has pushed—elaborate theories designed to demonstrate that conservatives suffer from a host of personality defects and character flaws. According to these supposedly unbiased studies, conservatives are mean-spirited, greedy, selfish malcontents with authoritarian tendencies. Far from the belief of a few cranks, prominent liberals from John Kenneth Galbraith to Hillary Clinton have succumbed to these prejudices. But what do the facts show?

Peter Schweizer has dug deep—through tax documents, scholarly data, primary opinion research surveys, and private records—and has discovered that these claims are a myth. Indeed, he shows that many of these claims actually apply more to liberals than conservatives. Much as he did in his bestseller Do as I Say (Not as I Do), he brings to light never-before-revealed facts that will upset conventional wisdom.

Conservatives such as Ronald Reagan and Robert Bork have long argued that liberal policies promote social decay. Schweizer, using the latest data and research, exposes how, in general:

* Liberals are more self-centered than conservatives.
* Conservatives are more generous and charitable than liberals.
* Liberals are more envious and less hardworking than conservatives.
* Conservatives value truth more than liberals, and are less prone to cheating and lying.
* Liberals are more angry than conservatives.
* Conservatives are actually more knowledgeable than liberals.
* Liberals are more dissatisfied and unhappy than conservatives.

Schweizer argues that the failure lies in modern liberal ideas, which foster a self-centered, “if it feels good do it” attitude that leads liberals to outsource their responsibilities to the government and focus instead on themselves and their own desires.

Notes on Democracy

H. L. Mencken

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

[Democracy] is, perhaps, the most charming form of government ever devised by man... It is based on propositions that are palpably not true and what is not true, as everyone knows, is always immensely more fascinating and satisfying to the vast majority of men than what is true...

H.L. Mencken, America's greatest journalist and critic, wrote Notes on Democracy over 80 years ago. His time, the paranoid and intolerant years of World War I, Prohibition and the Scopes trial, is strikingly like our own. Notes isn't just a blast from the past, but also a perceptive and unsentimental report on contemporary life.

Dissident Books is proud to reintroduce this gem of cynicism and clear-thinking to a new generation. Mencken performs a brilliant, merciless and often hilarious vivisection on that most holy of sacred cows: democracy. The new edition is supplemented by extensive annotations that put Mencken's words and ideas in context and expose fascinating details and nuances.

Don't even think about voting until you read this book!

Royalty's Strangest Characters: Extraordinary But True Tales from 2,000 Years of Mad Monarchs and Raving Rulers (Strangest series)

Geoff Tibballs

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Fascinating and Irreverent Romp Through History 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

In this remarkable book, fifty royal individuals are briefly profiled, spanning a period from the third century BC to the present day. In these profiles, the author has gone to great pains to focus on these individuals' various types and degrees of weirdness: from having odd but notable quirks to being stark raving mad. But what makes this book so enjoyable is the author's irreverent tongue-in-cheek writing style. On several occasions I found myself laughing out loud at his careful, well-thought-out choice of words and witty descriptions. This book should be of interest to everyone, but especially history buff who are looking for light historical narrative with a most pleasant twist.

Great Find 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Anyone who likes books such as "Royal Babylon" by Karl Shaw, or "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" by Michael Farquhar will love this book!

Editorial Review:

Endlessly entertaining, these albums of mad miscellany abound with true tales of history's strangest characters and events—from potty potentates to dotty inventions. A mind-boggling excursion through the byways of the bizarre.

Nothing's Sacred

Lewis Black

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Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

You've seen him on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart offering up his trademark angry observational humor on everything from politics to pop culture. You've seen his energetic stand-up performances on HBO, Comedy Central, and in venues across the globe. Now, for the first time, Lewis Black translates his volcanic eruptions into book form in Nothing's Sacred, a collection of rants against stupidity and authority, which oftentimes go hand in hand.

With subversive wit and intellectual honesty, Lewis examines the events of his life that shaped his antiauthoritarian point of view and developed his comedic perspective. Growing up in 1950s suburbia when father knew best and there was a sitcom to prove it, he began to regard authority with a jaundiced eye at an early age. And as that sentiment grew stronger with each passing year, so did his ability to hone in on the absurd.

True to form, he puts common sense above ideology and distills hilarious, biting commentary on all things politically and culturally relevant. "No one is safe from Lewis Black's comic missiles." (New York Times)

You have been warned....