Onion Books

Long a mainstay of America's southern cuisine, collard greens are becoming popular nationwide as it can be grown in many different horticultural zones across the country. Indeed, about half of all commercially available collard greens are now grown in Californian fields. For those unfamiliar with the culinary uses of collard greens there is now available a cookbook dedicated to this nutritious, dark green, leafy vegetable. "The Collard Patch: Collard Country Cookbook and Reader, Collards and Cornbread Y'all Will Love" is the cooperative work of Mary Lou Cheatham and Paul Elliot. The first section explains the history, handling, nutrient values, and other issues relevant to collard greens. Then presented is an impressively diverse series of 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes featuring an Ingredients list, Preparation instructions, and Equipment/Utensils required. Of special note for each recipe is an 'info block' of Nutrition Facts that includes the number of servings, as well as calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, and miscellaneous additional information of value to health conscious consumers. From Perfect Collard Greens; Spinach and Collards; Netherland Salad; and Mexican Collard and Black Bean Soup; to Huevos Collards Picantes; Collard and Shrimp Quesadillas; Collard Biscuits; and Apple Collard Raisin Pie, "The Collard Patch" is a compendium of recipes offering gourmet quality dishes suitable for any dining occasion. Of special note are the various cornbread recipes that are also featured, making "The Collard Patch" a very special addition to personal and community library cookbook collections.

This cook book is great. I'm a guy who struggles when it comes to cooking. But since I've started using The Collard Patch, life in the kitchen has become much more exciting and much easier. I give it two thumbs up!! I also have Flavored with Love. I got that one first. When I saw The Collard Patch I knew I had to get it too.

Here's a culinary reference from two great cooks which opened my eyes to an entirely new realm of cookery; however, before I launch into the details of all that, I wished to spotlight the attractive and noteworthy cover of this splendid cookbook.

The front cover of "The Collard Patch" holds a special appeal for me. It consists of two photographs, one above the other. The bottom photo illustrates a view of perfectly cultivated rows of collard greens in the porous soils of the Deep South. I immediately thought back to my youth when local farmers here in the ancient Teays River Valley of southern Ohio, also a sandy-soil environment, farmed huge fields of turnips. At a distance, the rows of turnip greens looked very much the same. Growing up around those 1950s Appalachian farms were some great days for me and I savor anything that reminds me of that simpler era.

The second photo somewhat blends in with the first - it's a close-up of collard green leaves, the striated natural colors of which recall an artist's palette. The chief hue is what might be regarded as blue-green or perhaps sea-foam green. The color features of this picture reminded me of an ethereal view of surfer-quality waves along a Pacific shoreline as the evening rays of the sun shine back through them. Conceptually, it's really just several great aquamarine shades which manifest a peaceful ambiance, reminiscent of a slow-paced existence of the Old South.

The crux of the book is, of course, focused upon collard greens, a staple dish of the southern United States as much as are fatback, grits, pecan pie, and cornbread. Mary Lou Cheatham and Paul Elliott have achieved a superb final product by assembling both collard recipes as well as dishes related to that notable southern relative of spinach and kale. I guess I've never previously considered that collard greens could be used in casseroles; to supplement risotto; as a creamed veggie; in soufflés, in omelettes and crepes; in crock pot dishes; in soups; in breads; in dips; in desserts, and; even as a pizza topping!

There are also lots of "associated" recipes in the book such as:

Peach Salsa (page 71)
Sauce Mornay with Colby Jack (page 85)
Ruth's Old-Fashioned Biscuits (page 118)
Sour Cream Soft Bread (page 240)

The overall content of the work covers quite a bit of territory. There are mini-biographies of local but notable southerners, nostalgic tales of the south, and some general cooking tips. Also, the authors thankfully did not diverge from employing the local vernacular so when they say "...a mess of collards," or make a reference to "[collard]...Pot Likker," I have every reason to believe that the content is quite correct and genuine concerning these tried and tested recipes.

Regarding the collard greens themselves, the book is bulging with every possible aspect of collard lore such as the plant's history, cultivation (including planting and pest control), harvesting, cleaning (a significant concern with collards as soil really sticks to the leaves!), cooking, storage, and kitchen equipment used to maximize the flavor and appearance of collards. Elliott, himself a physician, also discusses the numerous health benefits of collards and has thus contributed many heart healthy recipes. He mentions that collards are a great source for beta carotene, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, niacin, and vitamin E. Apparently, the substitution of Splenda for sugar works well in the cooking of collard greens, making these dishes notably more diet-friendly.

Finally, Elliott has injected his considerable story-telling abilities into an entire chapter devoted to personal reminiscences of his family's Texas farm ("Collard Country"), some of which exude the "Mississipus peccadillus" aspect of the often dubious activities of teen boys everywhere. His co-author, Mary Lou Cheatham has also sprinkled spiritual quotations throughout the text.

This softcover edition of "The Collard Patch" contains nearly 200 great recipes (there are 31 "guest contributors" of recipes who have presented some of their top culinary creations here!) and the text runs 288 pages in length, broken down into 14 chapters. To accommodate the nice readable fonts the outer dimensions are 8 ½" x 11". There's generally one recipe per page which makes it convenient to read recipe details and cook at the same time. The cover is a slick material which facilitates the wiping away of any spills, an actuality which certainly seems to always occur in my kitchen.

Also by Mary Lou Cheatham (aka Jane Riley): Flavored with Love: Mary Lou's Family and Friends Can Cook

In summary, if you enjoy southern culture, southern cooking, and/or short humorous anecdotes, "The Collard Patch" is probably right up your alley. Highly recommended.

I don't think I've ever had collards the same way twice. I've tried to cook them, and I've been less than happy with the results. Well, here is a book with much about collards (headless cabbage.) There is plenty of lore on growing, cleaning and cooking these healthful and delicious staple of Southern cooking. I am sure if I don't find a way to make them come out to the elusive way I like (cooked down, not greasy, a bit of sweet and sour) then this book wasn't at fault. There are hundreds of recipes, from basic greens a la various Southern cooks to sides like cornbread and biscuit. One thing I didn't know; pot likker (the cooking liquid) is not a feature of collards. That is for turnip or mustard greens. Collards are cooked in a minimum of water. Hmmm.

This sunny and delightful book will guide you along to the collard patch.Not a rushed introduction to the collard green, but a nice long and friendly visit to the rearing up of seedlings and growing up with collard greens in the backyard.
This is not just a recipe book but a book with lovely and fun farm stories,some Biblical quotes,recipe contributions from some of Mary Lou and Pauls many friends.
This book features many nutritional facts,fun facts and historical facts on this vegetable.It induces the reader into a relaxed,pleasant smooth ride into the country.
I read this book slowly,devouring a distinct southern flavor.It is written in a easy friendly style.A book being friendly ? You will quickly grasp the authors love for sharing recipes, stories of their friends meeting at the grocers or at church and exchanging recipes and suggestions for cooking collard greens in recipes they acquired from famous restaurants including appetizers and snacks,which was my favorite.
This is a book you will want to spend one long,lovely summer afternoon with, maybe beside a brook or under a shady tree.Although I didn't read the book in such a sweetly pleasant environment,I felt as though I had.
One suggestion I enjoyed and like to share is "don't discard the leftover liquid,instead make the easy soup", since the pot is already flavorful,you don't rinse and waste any precious flavors.
One of my favorite recipes was The Glorious Collard recipe and The Collard Green Puffs. I am looking forward to baking Apple Collard Raisin Pie.
This is a quality piece of work and I enjoyed every minute reading it.You'll love it for its healthy recipes,fun stories and joining the authors in a nostalgic look back with their childhood stories and pets.
Highly recommended ! Read slowly and enjoy.

This dog is great for the canine looking to break free of the urban lifestyle and reconnect with his or her roots. Few dogs know of the rich oral traditions and ancient culture of mans best friend. Get this book if you need reassurance that you are a good dog and those feelings you have about the cat are completely natural.

The first dangerous thing about this book is that it WILL make you laugh out loud, which will cause other "humans" to think you might indeed be crazy. But what difference does that really make? Your dog already knows you're crazy. Probably the most dangerous thing about this book is that it's true. Any dog owner will adore this read as they see hints of themselves in the vivid descriptions within its pages. But don't say you haven't been warned. After reading this book you may find yourself watching your best friend just a little bit closer.

We love it, can't find enough copies to send to everyone in the family! I'd heard of the books for girls and boys, but this one is too funny. We have 11 month old pups, and believe me, they've already read it. I especially love the question and answer chapter, "who's a good boy"? Yes, if you want to understand your best friend, check out this quick read. No kids required, just the love of a good canine.

This book is an endless source of levity and promotes enough loud laughter to scare your dog out of the room! It's so great I've already gotten 3 other folks hooked on it.

My husband and I were reading one of these stories aloud the other day - the one about "How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot" while Scottie slept at our feet. Or so we thought he was sleeping. The next day on his walk, Scottie executed the instructions from the book to a 'T', thus turning both of us into - well, startled and laughing - but idiots nonetheless! Read page 119 for the full story, but read it silently. They listen to this book and you might be the next victim!!!

Priceless. Don't think twice -- I recommend to buy it now!

I gave this to my son for Christmas, who is an animal lover, and he really enojyed it very much.

I first met Betty McDonald when I read The Egg and I, back in high school in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1960s, and I was completely enthralled. First of all: she writes extremely well. Her sentences are terse and well-formed, and she has a knack for shaping quips of all kinds: the quick laugh, the sudden surprise laugh line, and the careful set-up gag. Most of all, though, I find myself laughing aloud (she's one of the few authors who makes me laugh aloud while reading) at the perfection of a sentence which is at the same time witty, perfectly balanced, completely appropriate, and completely unexpected.

You will find all this - in spades - in Onions in the Stew. It is a mellower book than the others, for many reasons; she was older when she wrote it - and, I think, happier in her second marriage; also, her already considerable skill at writing had grown. Her descriptions of Vashon Island in the 1940s are utterly perfect: beautiful, clever, and bittersweet all at once. Her descriptions of her husband and daughters - and others in her family - are full of warmth, and are at the same time completely clear-eyed and unsentimental.

Frankly, comparing Betty to Erma Bombeck is like comparing Julia Child to Rachael Ray. They can both cook - but, oh boy, I know whose house I'd like to visit for lunch . . .

I first read Onions in the Stew almost thirty years ago, in a Reader's Digest Condensed Books version, and I never forgot it. What a JOY to receive the complete version as a gift years later, along with The Plague and I, and Anybody Can Do Anything, when they were reissued by The Common Reader. I absolutely devoured them, passed them around among my friends & loved ones (keeping track of who had them, very uncharacteristic but they're the kind of books you never want to lose!!!!) and agree with every five-star reviewer here, especially "pony-express," that Betty is the best friend you never met. Also enjoyed the comment about how much fun heaven will be, to drink strong coffee & yak with Betty MacDonald. She is still as witty today as when she wrote her books, utterly classic and fresh, laugh-out-loud and tremendously endearing without EVER being cloying. Such a cut above. Her other books are equally wonderful, and I just wish more people were exposed to her; she's a tonic for stress, an antidote to depression. So glad there are others out there who love her as I do!

I've just finished the fourth Betty MacDonald memoir. Thank you Amazon for the access to all these out of print books!
I now know what's going to be fun in Heaven - chatting with Betty over strong cups of coffee.
These books were like discovering a new best friend. I've never been so entertained by reading. What a gal!

Having finished my previous book and waiting for Amazon's free shipping promo to buy more, I picked up this book collecting dust in my book closet. I was pleasantly surprised.

It is smart and funny and so down-to-earth that you have to instantly like Betty as your best friend. Althouhg I am not a big fan of women titles (those seems to dominate the New York Times bestsellers list these days), I laughed out loud on a plane from Washington DC to Houston on a business trip. Who knew that everyday domestic issues can be so light and funny?

Anyway, just try it. You will find it more enjoyable than you want to admit.

"The Egg and I." As I said in my review of the earlier book, although I found parts of "Egg" charming, the chapter on Indians made my part-Cherokee blood boil, and that other parts seemed rather mean-spirited as well.

There is none of the mean-spiritedness in "Onions", probably because, in spite of the various toils and tribulations of life on the island, Betty was basically happy there, as opposed to "Egg" where she was mostly miserable.

I loved the part about the small woman who loved to curl up on soft, comfy places like sofas, armchairs, and other women's husbands' laps. I wondered, though, why Betty didn't just ask her to step out into the garden and then drop-kick her across the straight to Seattle? I'm sure she could have gotten some of the other women in their circle of friends to help.

Many of the events she tells of show us that teenage girls have always been a handful, whatever they say. However, in spite of all the complaining and whining, the girls were willing to pich in; how many girls their age nowadays would have something like stuffed pork chops waiting when their parents came home from work?

While "Egg" left me wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to run a chicken farm in the middle of a howling wilderness, "Onions" made me wonder if living on an island might not be fun.

I absolutely loved this book, I read it in one day! This is such a real life, regular family situation that you can't help but fall into the life of every character. d.r. dale is a great writer and I hope she will follow this with many more stories from her heart.

d. r. dale writes an endearing tale in ONION SOUP. She tells the story of two
sisters who are reunited after years of being apart. Although separated by
time and distance, the sisters managed to maintain a tight bond throughout the
years. Their reunion conjures up a number of secrets that they both harbor
about their pasts as well as a number of familial hurts that have been buried.

Gwen is the younger of the two sisters, but she is the more settled and the
more spiritual one. She is the one who prays for everyone and picks up lost
folks at bus terminals and offers them a hot meal and a ride. Journey is the
older sister, a retired Army officer. She has maintained a transient
lifestyle and has largely remained a loner. Gwen and Journey's reunion signals
the beginning of change in both of their lives as they confront their pasts
and face an uncertain future.

d. r. dale spins a wonderful heartwarming tale of family and friendships. She
laces the pages with a number of likable and memorable characters who complete
the circle of Gwen and Journey's lives. When I first picked up this book, I
was expecting a dull read. The cover is simple and drab with a mug of onion
soup pictured. But I was thrilled to find a treasure within its pages. ONION
SOUP is a delightful story that will send you running to hug your sisters. I
can't wait to read more from this writer.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I think that d.r. dale is an excellent author. The book was well-written. The plot of the story was based on reality and it kept me on edge until the very end; I would not mind reading the book more than once. I can not wait for more of dale's book to be published, so that I can experience more of her writing.

'Onion Soup' was an enjoyable book. I found it easy to read and extremely exciting. I couldn't stop turning the pages. 'Onion Soup' made me laugh and cry. It's a must read.

I found Onion Soup to be one the most enjoyable books that I've read in a long time. Jam packed with humor, family secrets, and betrayal, I could not put it down.

Even though I pick one up every week I still get the annual compilations since they can preserve the timely and timeless comedy of America's Finest News Source.

Once again, Editors Carol Kolb and Robert Siegel produce a hilarious collection of "newsworthy" crap. Volume 15 is no less funny than the previous volumes and it is the essence of clever, yet mind boggling nonsense that makes a great gift for the bored or the obsessive reader. There is no end to the hundreds and hundreds of amazing stories and that can be a blessing or a curse to read. If you enjoy having a 264 page book of completely sacrilegious and hilarious news articles, this is your baby! Collect them all and then check yourself into the nearest sanitarium!

If you like the humor of the National Lampoon or Saturday Night Live you will love this book. I laughed out loud at several pages.
For any humor book there are some duds but they are few and far between with this excellent book.

This is the type of book you will want to read aloud to friends.

Some poor taste and not PC which is what makes it great.

Enjoy!

The Onion has been on my favorites list for many years. Who else is able to come out with a heaping helping of hilarity every week and stay as consistently original, literate, and sophisticated as these folks? Not many. For those of you expecting low-brow spoofs, you might be surprised, but I think that ultimately, you will enjoy it. The Onion is similar to a print version of The Daily Show, for all of you fans out there. There are contributing columnists (especially hilarious is a certain accountant gangsta') and parodies of current events, politics, celebrities, and culture. The principal difference is, perhaps, the flat-out invention of news stories to achieve this end, while Jon Stewart prefers to mock the newsmakers. Both approaches work, and if you like one you'll probably like the other. This anthology contains an entire year of Onion hilarity (for about 15 bucks--what a deal). Samples of the Onion's headlines: Cheney enters Presidential race himself (but he's still on the ticket with Bush), Kerry selects 1968 version of self as running mate, McDonalds to remove the "Hammurderer" from its promotional material (the "Grapist" is also going to have to go), etc. I could tell you more, but I think my point is made. Get the book...please.

Having used this text since it's first publication, I am more than able to vouch for the valuable resource that it has deservedly become. The 3rd edition is smaller, compact and easy to use. The fact that I have worked with the author for 14 years at the Maine-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency Program will make some of you doubt my unbiased opinion. However, for those on the "frontline of primary care medicine," it is clearly one of the rapid-fire, comprehensive references that should be dog-eared and sitting on your desk and in your briefcase.

I took a few years off from diagnostic radiology, but decided to return to work after 9-11. The state of Florida required I take the SPEX exam. I got 51 on their sample questions, about what I would expect from a non radiologist trying to read xrays. Some review seemed in order, so I studied this book and took a course. Most things I read nowadays are either quite technical, written in a defensive pose so that most of what they say is not what I want to read, or "popular," written so as to fill an entire book with a single idea. It was most refreshing to read something written simply to get the information across as quickly and as accurately as possible. My English teachers would call that "Good Writing." The pearls were helpful. It was a good read and a help in getting back into the harness. I passed with a score of 81.

Don't be fooled by the title. This is a comprehensive resource book of considerable scholarship, with up-to-date references and state-of-the-art notes on therapy. For its depth, references, and pearls, it is far better a resource than the Barnes Manual for internists, family practitioners, and academicians who find themselves confronted with sick patients.

Very impressive and very helpful. This is what I have been looking for. Much easier to use than the 5-Minute Consult and much more succinct. The "med-esse" is a bit confusing at times but after a while it becomes 2nd nature. I find myself writing little notes in the margins and the book has been quite helpful. Like the reviewer before me said, much more than hot ears and sore throats.

If you're looking for a "user" in your practice....this may be it.

Completely a reference books. No pics. No graphs. Each title has references from known pubs like the New England Journal. Spiral bound. Pages rip out a bit too easy but that is because the book is a lot bigger than the title suggests. It is not a lab coat book. It is a full reference text meaning if you find it Washington Manual or the 5-Minute Consult there is probably a reference in this book. Takes just a few minutes or less to review each subject.

Good and useful. Isn't that what we want in medicine?

If you have a saracastic sense of humor (or know someone who does) this is great! If you like the Daily Show, get these. These books are so funny. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in need of: good, hardy laughter, the perfect present, or an interesting set of books. This is truly a great set and a great value.

A longtime fan of The Onion, I bought this set for a friend's birthday. Our birthday dinner in a sedate restaurant ended up with five of us reading headlines out loud, laughing so loud that we were reprimanded by the staff. Cynicism lives!

This box set is HILARIOUS! The three books (Our Dumb Century, The Onion's Finest News Reporting, Dispatches From the Tenth Circle) that are in here are all great. I challenge you to read this, and not laugh! I bought this as a gift for my friend, and we just died laughing everytime we read any of it. It is just the best!

It's also a really good price, and makes a great gift. If you know anyone who loves The Onion, or any similar types of humor, I totally recommend this!

I've reading The Onion since it was a freebie paper in southern Wisconsin and worried it would lose it's edge when it went national...NOT AT ALL. Though not for the easily offended, it is laugh-out-loud, wet-your-pants funny as well as dead center in it's satire of life in these United States.

Liberal vegan meets corporate carnivore. What could possibly go wrong?

Never sleep with the boss. Ever. Thomas Stone has one cardinal rule and he broke it unintentionally when the man he slept with his first night in town just happens to be his new boss. His life is screwed up enough and the last thing he needs is another complication, which is exactly what Phil would be if he allows his one-night stand to develop into something more. But he can't seem to keep his hands off the man. What's a guy to do?

Philip Sorrells is thrilled to discover that the new bartender his manager hired for his restaurant The Happy Onion is the hot little blonde he slept with and can't forget. Thom is Phil's dream come true, from his angelic face to his fiery temper. For the first time, Phil hears the siren song of monogamy and he's tempted to follow it. But Thom, who had a very bad experience with his previous boss, decides that his personal health and welfare are too important to risk even for the hottest sex he has ever had and he tells Phil that as long as he remains in his employ it's hands off. Then the original job for which he had been hired is back in play and romance is in the air once again. But things don't run smoothly for our two lovers - Phil is a nature-loving tree hugger and Thom sits on the other side of the fence as a corporate climber. These differences in ideology raise their ugly heads time and again and threaten their fragile bond. Thom and Phil find that their new relationship may not be able to sustain the pressures of everyday life.

Hunky 6 ft Phil and small, gorgeous, blonde Thom have an unlikely sexual relationship as Thom is the Dom in bed and out of it and Phil can't get enough of his `little' man, whom he lovingly calls "Bubbles" for reasons you can read about in the book. What I really love about this couple is that no matter how mad they are they always look out for each other. The sex was truly exceptional and enlightening. I don't want to spoil some of the surprises in the book, but I would like to know where the author conducted her research and did she use live subjects. The sex was hot as a poker just out of the fire, smooth as butter and when you mix in the emotion emanating from Thom and Phil you get an incendiary, combustible explosion.

The dialogue in The Happy Onion is sparkling, fresh and incredibly funny and the characters of Thom and Phil are so real and three dimensional you wouldn't be surprised to meet them in the local vegan store or neighbourhood bar. The twists and turns of the plot kept me engaged until the end and the villains were very well drawn and realistic. Ally Blue is a truly gifted writer. The Happy Onion rocks!

Not Allys' usual but she has given us one amusing, sweet, charming and light hearted romance with 2 very likable characters. A hunk who loves to bottom and a little spit-fire who tops. When these 2 come together the sex sizzles. Certain scenes are just pure fun and sexy. The dream featuring a blanket, Phil insisting Thom resembles one of his favorite carton characters (no spoiler here) have me chuckling aloud.
Thom and Phil are so different in character but that is where the fun is. Phil annoying Thom because he finds a fired-up Thom so sexy is just comical. And it is nice to have the seemingly submissive Phil in their relationship so possessive and protective over Thom, who is forced to be tough throughout his life because of his smaller physique and pretty face.
Of course Ally manages to inject some angsy moments into her romance too. I have a fun time reading this one and I thought Thom, who has nothing in the beginning of the story, finally finding a home with Phil is just touching.

Ally Blue is usually known as the Queen of Angst (Forgotten Song, Easy, but also the more recent Untamed Hearts). Here she takes a detour from her usual path and writes a funny comedy.

Thom is a pretty boy with an angelic face and a devilish behavior; long blond hair, blue eyes and lithe body hide a very strong character and dom tendency. Probably since he is tired to always been considered weak only due to his look, Thom has developed a very bad boy attitude, arriving even to be forceful with his partners.

On the other hand, Phil is a big boy with a uber tender heart. At six feet and three inches, he likes the pretty boy type, but he also like to be dominated. Nothing excite him more than a little thing that can order him around. So he is the perfect partner for Thom, if not that they are at totally opposite, not only physically but also in expectations: Phil is a flower-child type who runs a own business like a charity project... if he has enough to eat and dress, it is all right. Instead Thom is more the business man type, with the right degree and the dream to go far from where he started. Plus he had a very bad experience with a former lover, and so he is pretty skittish when it arrives to commitment.

When Thom goes to work for a company with a very bad reputation in civil rights and fair play, the relationship with Phil is at risk. But what I really like of this couple is that they manage to understand that one thing is work and another thing is love: they can disagree on the first and still be very hot and deeply involved by the other. And then the diversity in their point of view is not so huge as they think; Thom's disagreement is more a question of stubbornness, something he needs to defend to not have to admit that he is wrong. Stubbornness is maybe the worst fault of Thom.

This is exactly the case where opposite attract in a very good way: Phil's simple and quite behavior is the perfect balance for the little hell cat that is Thom. There is also a lot of sex, funny and light, but not too much to overwhelming the story: for example (little spoiler), Ally Blue decided to not completely tell us Thom and Phil's first sex encounter: she leads us till a point, with a lot of expectation, to then, like a trick, leave us suspending, and maybe drooling. But don't worry, soon after she makes amend, and Thom and Phil will experiment every possible position and place...

Delightful, insightful, witty and charming. In the style of Fulghum and Trillin ... Max Israelite is one of those gifted people that can take an everyday incident and find the pathos or humor. Combine that with a fine storytelling flair and it conjures up the kind of person I (we all?) wish we would find sitting next to us at a dinner party . I never met author but hope to ...in the meantime I suggest this book for those long plane rides or a rainy weekend. This book travels to new readers (I imagine) mostly by word of mouth. It was suggested (to me) by a client. In keeping with the obligation of karma... I pass on this uncommon little volume.

A unique collection of glimpses into the world of Max Israelite, sometimes reflective, but mostly hilarious. An unusual book with a rare perspecitve - it is absolutely a smile-producer!

I Never Met An Inion I Didn't Like is easy reading with a chuckle or two on every page. The humor and the richness of vocabulary kept a smile on my face throughout and prompted me to share some of the two or three page stories with a high school class I taught. Everyone, young and old, can identify with the situations described in this short book. We have all eaten at fast food restaurants but in one of my favorite stories the author compares a gourmet restaurant meal to what one finds at fast food places. He humorously convinces the reader as to the superiority of the fine restaurant--except in cases when "an automobile with no brakes is careening downhill in your direction, or when the Governor's pardon is not forthcoming and the hangman begins to slip the noose around your neck...." Mr. Israelite has a way with words. For those readers who lived through World War II several stories will appeal to you. My favorite was "Beating the Censor." I hoped that the writer was able to get his location out to his family and was on the edge of my bed wondering if his plan would work. Onion is homespun humor often difficult to find today. It is reminiscent of Will Rogers without the lasso. I Never Met An Onion I Didn't Like belongs in the waiting rooms of professionals, on the coffee tables of those who entertain and in the homes of young and old alike. It is a belly laugh waiting to explode. Francine Miller Educator, Tempe High School Tempe, Arizona

The only thing I have to add to Labradorman's review is that the social commentary in The Onion never crosses over into meanspiritedness (in case anyone was wondering). But its writers have an unerring eye in spotting and reporting the ridiculous wherever it may be found. The stories aren't real but most of them contain more than a grain of truth about our society.

My favorite Onion features are the regular columns written by fictitious characters who are part of The Onion's "Community Voices" - particularly the "gansta" Accounts Receivable manager Herbert Kornfeld and slacker Craig Anchower.

The Onion levels its aim at everything from pro sports teams to the loss of a "perfect" eBay feedback rating. It's a gem.

The Onion is by far one of the best publications out there today. I really don't have much else to say other than this package is a deal and will provide many hours of entertainment and biting social commentary.

For those of us who have long chuckled at the wry and winsome humor of the collective effort at the "Onion" website, this compilation of several earlier collections into one effort is a treasure trove of biting satire and clever use of modern language. Somehow the writers manage to tickle our funny bones as they educate and entertain us with their insight and insider's understanding of the madness know as politics, social farce, and correct cultural thinking. They most often approach the subject at hand via parody, and some of the finest I have ever read have been within their pages. They are almost monotonously brilliant, nearly uniformly informative, and best of all, universally irreverent. This is one to take to a trip to the rest room, folks, for it will have you enjoying life's most personal moments with tears of laughter the unavoidable net result.

The editors and writers at the Onion website, one of the most often visited such sites on the web; routinely attack the most sacred shibboleths and taboos of society, ranging from abortion to homophobia, from sexism to animal rights, and from racism to the dangers of cloning. One of my favorites is a tongue-in-cheek examination of the Canadians as though they were nothing more than closet Americans trying to rebel against the monolithic forces of our culture. To be sure, the humor that results is by its very nature often tasteless and even a little but crude, so if you have a delicate stomach or a fragile disposition this collection of satiric pieces culled from three previous collections may not be something you would enjoy. But those of us with a taste for such bawdy fare will read the pieces again and again, until the whole book gets a little dog-eared. Nice to have all this stuff in print and available for instant replay. Enjoy!