Satire Books - Page 2

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

A. J. Jacobs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 404 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the bestselling author of The Know-It-All comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible.

Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.

The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history's most influential book with new eyes.

Jacobs's quest transforms his life even more radically than the year spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica for The Know-It-All. His beard grows so unruly that he is regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. He immerses himself in prayer, tends sheep in the Israeli desert, battles idolatry, and tells the absolute truth in all situations - much to his wife's chagrin.

Throughout the book, Jacobs also embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally. He tours a Kentucky-based creationist museum and sings hymns with Pennsylvania Amish. He dances with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and does Scripture study with Jehovah's Witnesses. He discovers ancient biblical wisdom of startling relevance. And he wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the twenty-first-century brain.Jacobs's extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part Cliff Notes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down.

Goodnight Bush: A Parody

Gan Golan, Erich Origen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Goodnight Bush 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was funny, sad and true. I'm glad I got it when I did as I doubt these will be around much longer. The seller provided it as promised and well within the shipment window promised.

GOODNIGHT BUSH & CO. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Clever, funny and terrifying. Wonderful illustrations deserve long hard look to catch additional insights.

Brutally funny take on the Bush years 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A dark comedic masterpiece to anyone intimately familiar with the original "Goodnight Moon" and deeply disturbed by the Bush legacy. Having read "Goodnight moon" literally hundreds of times to my children when they were young, every page hit a familiar, yet oddly discordant note. The same kind of surreal visual progression yet lulling cadence is used as in the original to great effect. Lots of small details to notice on subsequent readings. A sad story, but one that carries a positive message that the end of this long trying "day" in American history is nearly over. A book you'll likely either love or hate.

Editorial Review:

A brilliant parody of the children's classic Goodnight Moon, built around the coming end of the worst presidency ever.

Goodnight Bush: An Unauthorized Parody is a hilarious and poignant visual requiem for the Bush administration. In it we see a childlike George W. Bush tucked safely away in the confines of his own room with all of the toys he's willfully destroyed, abused, or defaced. Complete with a quiet Dick Cheney whispering "hush," this bedtime story lets us finally say goodnight to the disaster that was the last eight years.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

David Sedaris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 736 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not as funny as I'd hoped. 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sedaris describes vignettes from his life in this wry-humored self-deprecating autobiography.

He and I do not share the same sense of humor, so though I did find some of his stories throughout the middle of the text quite funny (particularly the way he described learning French and moving to France), I found the beginning and end of the book tedious reading. Perhaps I didn't read it in the right frame of mind. If I had approached it as a collection of short stories instead of a continuing narrative, I might have enjoyed it better, and I am willing to take the blame for that oversight, though I didn't see any reference to this book as a collection of short stories in any reviews.

In the beginning, Sedaris describes himself as a vapid and shallow child, and a pretentious and annoying art student. As a reader, I simply didn't care about him.

If you can stick with this novel until chapter nine, when Sedaris moves to NYC, his humor kicks into gear and the book becomes very amusing through chapter twenty-three.

After that, subsequent chapters about uncomfortable self-revelations and insomniac fantasies are at times both repulsive and tedious, and divorced from any of the previous text. But then Sedaris finishes with one of the funniest chapters of the whole lot which leaves the reader laughing, but does nothing to draw the whole book together in conclusion.

Many people have loved this book, but I did not find it very appealing or satisfying.

C.A.Wulff - author of Born Without a Tail

Editorial Review:

A new collection from David Sedaris is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris has inspired hilarious pieces, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, about his attempts to learn French. His family is another inspiration. You Cant Kill the Rooster is a portrait of his brother who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one hones a finer fury in response to such modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ludicrous towers and cashiers with 6-inch fingernails. Compared by The New Yorker to Twain and Hawthorne, Sedaris has become one of our best-loved authors.

Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions

Christian Lander

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday New York Times, and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, indie music, food co-ops, and vintage T-shirts make them weak in the knees.

They believe they’re unique, yet somehow they’re all exactly the same, talking about how they “get” Sarah Silverman’s “subversive” comedy and Wes Anderson’s “droll” films. They’re also down with diversity and up on all the best microbrews, breakfast spots, foreign cinema, and authentic sushi. They’re organic, ironic, and do not own TVs.

You know who they are: They’re white people. And they’re here, and you’re gonna have to deal. Fortunately, here’s a book that investigates, explains, and offers advice for finding social success with the Caucasian persuasion. So kick back on your IKEA couch and lose yourself in the ultimate guide to the unbearable whiteness of being.

Praise for STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE:

“The best of a hilarious Web site: an uncannily accurate catalog of dead-on predilections. The Criterion Collection of classic films? Haircuts with bangs? Expensive fruit juice? ‘Blonde on Blonde’ on the iPod? The author knows who reads The New Yorker and who wears plaid.”
–Janet Maslin’s summer picks, CBS.com

“The author of "Stuff White People Like" skewers the sacred cows of lefty Caucasian culture, from the Prius to David Sedaris. . . . It gently mocks the habits and pretensions of urbane, educated, left-leaning whites, skewering their passion for Barack Obama and public transportation (as long as it's not a bus), their idle threats to move to Canada, and joy in playing children's games as adults. Kickball, anyone?”
–Salon.com

“A handy reference guide with which you can check just how white you are. Hint: If you like only documentaries and think your child is gifted, you glow in the dark, buddy.”
–NY Daily News

An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems

Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 444 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The world is a mess. It seems that every time you turn around, there's another problem:

Iran is developing nuclear capabilities. Public schools actually seem to be making our kids dumber. Charlie Sheen has a hit sitcom. Obesity is a national epidemic.

The divorce rates is rising faster than gas prices. Did you hear me--Charlie Sheen has a hit sitcom!



This just barely scratches the surface. Sadly, there's no shortage of problems what we need now are solutions. If only there was a man who could simplify things, cut through the rhetoric and fix everything? Then, if he was just able to put all of that insight into a book that people could buy...in a store and online say, for like $24.99? Man, that would be great...

Wait a minute!

"Inconvenient Book: The Real Story Behind The Biggest Problems In The World!" is that very book the one source for the Real Story behind the problems that seemed too big and complicated to solve (until now) plus their common sense solutions. Think of it as a Hints From Heloise that's less "getting red wine out of your carpet" and more "keeping illegal aliens out of your country"...

The Areas of My Expertise

John Hodgman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 128 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Brilliant from start to finish 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I will try to be as unbiased as possible, but it should be known that John Hodgman cut my face with a broken bottle during a disagreement over whether one should be allowed to flip over any Scrabble tile and then consider it to be a "blank." He was down 754-30, and tensions were high. I take some responsibility for provoking Mr. Hodgman with sing-song nursery rhymes intended to raise questions about his virility and ancestry.

That said, this book is one of the best-conceived, fully realized humor tours de force I have ever read. Even parts that I thought would be tedious -- such as his guide to all fifty states, or the complete list of 700 hobo names -- turned out to be unrelentingly hilarious.

So I wear my scar proudly, John Hodgman, because I must admit after reading this book: It was doled out by the better man.

Editorial Review:

Hot on the heels of the #1 bestsellers The Onion's Our Dumb Century and Jon Stewart's America comes The Areas of My Expertise, the brilliant and uproarious #15 bestseller (i.e., a runaway phenomenon in its own right-no, seriously)-a lavish compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom-all of it completely unresearched, completely undocumented and (presumably) completely untrue, fabricated by the illuminating, prodigious imagination of John Hodgman, certifiable genius.

Late Show Fun Facts

David Letterman, The Late Show Writers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

It truly is worth your last $20 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

David Letterman jokes around about his new offering 'Late Show Fun Facts' on his show of course, but he really is right on the money. Despite economic times this book is definately worth the price (even the conversion rate to Australian dollars for myself). If you love the show and especially his fun facts segment this truly does provide you with hours of fun, remembering some he has already done and some great new entries. I still haven't gotten through to the end. So believe me this is no 'pamphlet' it is 239 pages of fun...some will make you cringe, some will make you laugh out loud, but all of them - and other segments and info inserted into the book - you will find endlessly fascinating.

hilarious 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

perfect funny little book to keep on the living room table. I love Letterman and record it every night so I am a little biased!

Editorial Review:

Drawn from the popular weekly segment, Late Show Fun Facts is a collection of unusual, little-known--and sometimes even true--bits of trivia assembled by the Federal Bureau of Miscellaneous Information.

Holidays on Ice: Stories

David Sedaris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 164 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

HOLIDAYS ON ICE:STORIES 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I am very pleased with the book. The condition was perfect. It arrived on time. I would purchase from dealer again.

Good, but not as good. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

While I enjoyed this book (especially the final story), I did not find it as outright hilarious as his other books. Which is not to say it isn't funny. It just did not meet the very high bar the other books set.

David Sedaris is brilliant. A must own! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Holidays On Ice is a terrific compilation and should be given as a gift to anyone who is less than enthused when December rolls around. David and his sister Amy are two of the funniest people on earth it seems. While there are a couple of stories in here that are less enjoyable than others, it is still superb comic writing and had me in hysterics while reading some parts of this collection. SantaLand Diaries is pitch perfect and ends on a hilarious note that sums up much of the ridiculous nature of the Christmas season. Front Row Center With Thaddeus Bristol is a brilliant idea executed to perfection as various children's pageants are picked apart without pity. My favorite in this collection is perhaps Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!! which is written in such a similar nature to so many Christmas letters I've read over the years except for some of the more theatrical elements of course. The tone he writes with in that piece is dead on. An absolutely wonderful present to give yourself or anyone who deserves a treat at any time of year. I'm fairly irritated to see that it is being released again this coming holiday season with new stories included which seems like a ploy to make more money, similar to the Christmas shopping season exploits depicted in this book.

Editorial Review:

HOLIDAYS ON ICE collects six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories into one slender volume perfect for use as a last-minute coaster or ice scraper.This drinking man's companion can be enjoyed by the warmth of a raging fire, the glow of a brilliantly decorated tree, or even the backseat of a van or police car. It should be read with your eyes, felt with your heart, and heard only when spoken to. It should, in short, behave much like a book.And, oh, what a book it is!

Our Dumb World

The Onion

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 106 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Funny AND educational 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This paperback edition of the 2007 hardcover version of Our Dumb World contains "30% More Asia"! If only high school geography was this sarcastic and realistic, maybe Americans would know exactly where the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, or Jordan are, but as it is, geography is so dull that Our Dumb World brings a breath of fresh air and levity to our world. Laid out like a regular Atlas, you see the land mass, flag, facts and major contemporary details about each country.

Taking after their irreverent humor that their weekly newspaper elicits, with headlines that could read: "Florida fallen off Continental Shelf, orange juice production low, adult diapers high," this Atlas pokes jabs at every major country as you guffaw your way around the globe. Even the most uptight, humorless individual would read these pages and laugh. Everyone has heard of Palestine, but has it been thought of in the context of, "On 24-Hour Suicide-Bombing Watch"? Or Yemen & Oman, "Doing Terrorism's Grunt Work." These are all headliners that sum up a specific land mass pretty adequately with that snide Onion `we know you love reading us because we're such good writers of cynicism.' This book delivers a good belly laugh and perhaps even some education thrown in for good measure.

Armchair Interviews says: Beautiful layout, well written, and funny. A must have for your high school student; then you can borrow it.

Editorial Review:

OUR DUMB WORLD is the world's most comprehensive fake atlas: a repository of all known information about the planet Earth (except where covered by clouds).

In late 2007 the hardcover edition became one of the hottest books of the holiday season, entertaining and offending hundreds of thousands of readers around the globe. This new, easy-to-carry paperback edition is perfect for the intrepid traveler to any of the world's exotic locales--from Afghanistan, "Allah's Cat Box," to Ukraine, "the Bridebasket of Europe," to the USA's own Nevada, "Where Everyone's a Loser."

Packed with beautiful full-color maps and framed with inaccurate essays about all the world's peoples and places, OUR DUMB WORLD is a gut-busting send-up in which no nation escapes unscathed.

"Bottom line: laughed my head off." --Deirdre Donahue, USA Today

The Complete Peanuts 1967-1970 Box Set

Charles M. Schulz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The 60's come to a close in style with the Peanuts gang 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

'741.5 SCH'

That may be gibberish to some, but to me, it was the dewey-decimal system location of the Peanuts strips in my Elementary school library. I really gained my love of Peanuts from those library-bound books, but always remembered coming back to 'The Peanuts Jubilee,' which was (at the time) the only way to find insight into the earlier strips. With Fantagraphic Books, we've been able to see what many of those early years were like. With the latest volume, we've moved into familiar territory with some of the more familiar characters and stories.

In this volume, a number of revelations come about:

-Lucy goes to extreme measures and throws Schroeder's piano to the kite-eating tree.

-Snoopy befriends one of the many birds that hangs around his doghouse, and the friendship with Woodstock is born.

-The Little Red-Haired Girl moves out of the neighborhood.

-The Head-Beagle appears(in name only). Soon after his 'appearance,' Snoopy is promoted to the role...and finds out how hard a job it is.

-Snoopy becomes the first beagle on the moon.

Some of the comics in this collection have been seen in some previous collections, but most cut out some of the key bits. One example was a previous Peanuts collection that showed the aftermath of the Little Red-Haired Girl moving away, but not what came before.

One note to make is that there appear to be two different versions of this volume. If you purchase the volume as a single book, it includes a 3-panel strip that was not included in the previous volume. The version that comes in the 2-book set (The Complete Peanuts 1967-1970) does not have the missing strip.

Editorial Review:

With intros by John Waters and Mo Willems! The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 is a particularly Snoopy-heavy collection. In addition to seeing the beagle adopt multiple personas, this volume also sees the appearance of what would be Schulz's most controversial major character: Franklin. In Charles Schulz's The Complete Peanuts 1969-1970, Woodstock makes his first appearance, Snoopy is left in the Van Pelt family's care as the Browns vacation... and the Little Red-Haired Girl moves away.