Satire Books

This book is sharply, flippantly written and the story, though totally bizarre, is entertaining. You'll get lost in the world of high society dinners, drugs, death, pimples, sex, excess and Jackson Pollock. I read it nearly a year ago and the crazy story and images it provokes are still with me. It's hilarious, irreverent and just plain smart. Loved it.

Michael Guinzburg's sentences make me think of Nietzche's famous quote: "Only Heine and I can write a sentence in German." He is the only English white writer I have read in the past twenty years that I know is going to be classic fin-de-millenium literature one day. Imitations will eventually arrive, but will sound trite and implausible rather than brilliantly grotesque like some pre-WWII Polish carnival fleeing from death at the border.

The French are on to something in honoring him already across the seas. I wonder what else they read?

This novel is a warlock-driven surreal take on Fitzgerald's work, with a touch of Manhattan and commentary on the Nazi ideology alive and dug in deep in the mind today, making it more than satire, comedy, or just a great read (all of which it is), but actual literature of concrete depth by Generation X. It is worth writing a Master's thesis about.

Please be prepared if you have an easy stomach. I read it in one afternoon and then after three days of thinking about it realized how disgusting some of the metaphors and images were. So if you are not absorbed, get a paper bag and don't complain.

Please continue, Mr. Guinzburg.

Really nice guy, too.

This book is raw, wild, and truly classic! I pray that Michael Guinzburg developes a following in the US so we can get the English versions of his other work (currently available and very popular in France). Guinzburg somehow interweaves the history of Jackson Pollock, the fiction of Jackson Pollock and a wild rich freakshow of the cash Hampton elite. Pearls, performance art, animal testing, and everything in between is thrown at this unlikely canvas.

My God! I picked up a copy of this amazing book in France a few weeks ago and I can't wait for the original English version.

This is the wildest, craziest, funniest salad of high literature, political/sociological observation, loony sex and scatalogical excess that has ever passed before my eyes. Totally gripping. Yanks you by the short hairs and doesn't let go. I laughed so hard I had to buy a three pack of new underpants. Where Ed Harris' new Oscar nomatinated (albeit anemic) film "Pollock" leaves off, "Top of the World, Ma!" kicks in and blasts off.

I love to review books of this nature. And I'm thinkin: WoW! This packs a wollop! babes! There's a fascination with the Diagnoses that are clearly written with thE layman in mind. Love..

This book is written as though you are a medical resident (without knowing technical terms) and being introduced to patients during rounds. Klawans leads you gently through a discussion of how he makes his diagnosis and what the key the symptoms are in a most fascinating way. When you read him you wish he were your physician. This book appeals both to those who have a background in medicine and those who do not. I have some backgroun, my husband has none and we both found it interesting enough to order all of Klawans' other books after reading it.

It is an excellent book that illustrates the exciting field of clinical neurology very well! You will find yourself trying to diagnose the patients yourself and be amazed by the suave approach Dr. Klawans handles each case. An appreciation for the title will follow only if you read the entire book, which is very easy because it's so very interesting.

Toscanini's Fumble is a book of a dozen and a half case histories coming from the files of an eminent American neurologist, Harold Klawans. They are written in layman's language, with difficult words and concepts defined and explained. Even so, those in the medical field will find the stories far from juvenile and quite rich in detail, spiced with references to Klawans' favorite baseball players and musicians. Included in the collection are interesting historical vignettes, including one about the 3rd century Roman emperor Maximinus I. The title of the book comes from the chapter devoted to the neurological condition that caused famous symphony conductor Arturo Toscanini to drop his baton while leading the NBC Symphany Orchestra during a performance of Wagner in 1954. (He was never to conduct again.) I give this book a 9 on a 10 point scale. It was enjoyable reading and easy to follow.

If anyone is interested in reading about a physician(neurologist) who has learned the ropes of the court system and whoentertains the reader with forensic medical tales, this is the book to read and savor. Although Dr. Klawans is a frequent medical expert witness for both sides of the versus, he does not hesitate to use the term "hired gun" for impartial medical experts and minces no words in describing the shortcomings of the tort system. In case after case, Dr. Klawans describes how the system works as he plays the role of expert for both plaintiffs and defendants in medical malpractice cases. I recommend this book particularly for physicians who need a distraction from the present travails of corporate socialized medicine (managed care). It will also help them get through the ropes of the court system, if and when he or she is summoned to participate in courtroom proceedings and chances are, he or she will!

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and author of Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine.

This text is an excellent reference which contains many
cases on clinical malpractice . The author details the
facts of each case and presents legal outcomes together with
the individual stories behind each legal complaint. This book
is a goldmine for anyone even considering the formulation of
a legal claim against a doctor or institution. The author
explains many of the fine legal nuances in plain English.
Here is a typical sample:

"The jury gave Mrs. Cook over one million dollars. It was the
first malpractice case in which TD resulted in a million-dollar
verdict for the plaintiff. It was not all that much money, considering the outcome. Mrs. Cook has severe contorting movements that she cannot control. There are no medicines that can help her. The standard ones we use reserpine and tetrabenazine, tend to cause severe depression in susceptible individuals. And no one could be more susceptible than Mrs.Cook."

As a newly-trained neurologist, I was fascinated by these tales of neurology and the law, from both plaintiff's and defense's viewpoint. Though the stories are dated, the general principles are all too true, and teach physician and patient alike why lawsuits occur.

Dr. Klawans protected the patients and lawyers in these cases by keeping them anonymous in this very readable book. There is no index. Chapter 1 tells how he became an expert witness when treating a patient as a neurologist. Chapter 2 tells of a sad case on iatrogenic water intoxication. Most malpractice cases involve average doctors who made a mistake (p.38). Chapter 3 tells why you have to ask the right questions to get the right answers. Chapter 4 discusses the EEGs of Jack Ruby. The importance of winning for an expert witness is in Chapter 5. One of the most important chapters is on carotid stenosis in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 explains the importance or reading labels on laundry products and following their instructions. "Therapeutic Misadventure" is explained in Chapter 8; did Dr. Parks refer Mrs. Schwartz to Dr. Cooper by mistake? Sleep drunkenness is explained in Chapter 9, and its consequences (pp.136-137).

Chapter 10 tells of a woman who had difficulty falling, she said. The rare third-nerve injury is explained in Chapter 11, and the difference between fiction and a scientific article. Chapter 12 tells of the Trial of Dan White, who shot the San Francisco mayor and another politician. The trial record has been impounded! Chapter 13 explains tardive dyskinesia, an iatrogenic disease caused by long-term exposure to drugs used to treat schizophrenia. No treatment may mean years of psychosis. If you want to know the reason for malpractice suits, read Chapter 13. It has both the good and the bad. Chapter 14 examines the "insanity" of Ezra Pound. Dr. Klawans does not appreciate the reactionary politics of that era. If a woman uses birth control pills, smoking increases the chances of having a stroke. This can create aphasia (Chapter 15).

Chapter 16 explains the disease dystonia. Dr. Klawans explained how hysteria could be mistake for this disease when the patient could gain from this disease. Could somebody escape from the police by checking into a hospital room as an AIDS patient (p.245)? The dangers of lead poisoning for children are documented in Chapter 17. Drugs, as well as premature birth, can affect a child's brain permanently. The dangers of smoking too much too long are described in Chapter 18. This is one cause of emphysema. This leads to a buildup of blood CO2 levels. But the real cause of death was human error (p.271)! The last chapter tells of a woman who had an accident in a federal office building, and began to feel tired and sleepy a lot (a common sigh of depression). The clothes worn by Dr. Klawans swayed the federal judge! Is this a warning against an inquisitorial system where the judge is also the jury?

This book is tounge-in-cheek funny. A must for all working in librarianship professionally or para-professionally.

I am an MLS student and have not yet made my mind up whether to work in reference or cataloging...my heart calls me to reference work, but part of me admires such cataloging luminaries as Sandy Berman, etc.

Moreover, catalogers of the new Era will have to be among the most computer-savvy, too. Like or no, that's the way it's gonna be.

Anyway, as with most of Will Manley's books, very funny treatment of his subject matter. He is truly the Dave Barry of the library world.

Before reading The Truth About Catalogers, I had no interest in librarians, and I certainly didn't want to be one. After reading The Truth About Catalogers, I still don't want to be a librarian. But I did find the humor to be accesible, the writing to be direct and amusing, and the illustrations to be cute. Mostly, I felt that Will Manley had captured the whimsical tone made so popular by Robert Fulghum (of the All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten fame). I found the stories to be less about Card Catalogers, and more to be about people. I feel that was the greatest strength of the book - I've never understood the Dewey Decimal system, but I laughed out loud at the exploits of people who obsess about it!

I'm a graduate student in Library and Information science major. Actually, my professor recommanded this book to us. After reading this book, I feel great. It deals with real situation in library and gives us a lot of helpful illustrations for each situation which we can encounter when we catalog a lot of resources. Anyway, you should read this book, if you want to be real librarian.

I'm a graduate student in Library and Information science major. Actually, my professor recommanded this book to us. After reading this book, I feel great. It deals with real situation in library and gives us a lot of helpful illustrations for each situation which we can encounter when we catalog a lot of resources. Anyway, you should read this book, if you want to be real librarian.

After reading this book I am both happy and relieved to say that I am finally on the road to figuring out our two reference librarians. I had thought that there would be no hope but this important guide clears up many of my long-standing questions!

Will Manley's "The Truth About Reference Librarians" is a must for stressed-out library students. Feeling pressured about your Information Sources exam? Pondering the absolute ridiculousness of LC Subject Headings? Wondering if an MLIS is really worth all this idiocy? Here's the book for you. Manley provides a selection of valuable resources: the signs of reference burnout (personal favorite: "You might be suffering from reference burnout if a patron asks for a good mystery and you offer her AACR2"), suggested epitaphs for librarians, and a list of technological innovations reference librarians *really* need (such as the odor-activated antiperspirant gun). Richard Lee's illustrations are a good complement to Manley's lively text

Just read this one, checked out from my local library. I'm not a librarian but my mom is, and I'm about to start working on my MLS. We both had a good laugh w/ this book.

The section on "stupid reference questions" made me howl. I pray I will be able to keep a straight face if I ever end up working in Reference. May end up choosing cataloging from the get-go! The 10 stages were funny, if a little depressing.

Think of Matt Groening's "Life is Hell", focused on Librarianship. That's pretty much the kind of book you have here.

When the journal _Booklist_ appears in our library mailbox, I grab it, open it, and quickly scan the table of contents for the page number of "The Manley Arts" column. Forget the book reviews -- they can wait until lunchtime. I *have* to read Will Manley first. He's the Dave Barry of librarianship, the Andy Rooney of bibliophiles, the Jerry Seinfeld of bookworms. His comments are always on the mark and usually make me smile and nod my head in agreement. Here, his observations about goofy patrons with bizarre questions and typical reference desk scenarios are accompanied by Richard Lee's funky illustrations. The result is the kind of honest silliness that should first be thoroughly enjoyed by oneself and then immediately shared with colleagues. Though this book is clearly one of specialized humor, anyone who works in a public service occupation will recognize some of the customer categories -- "Dorkus Completis," "Studentus Moronis," "Parentus Irresponsibilis," and the rest. If a layperson stumbles across these pages, let the outcome be that he/she learned that (a) librarians are people too and (b) that they have a good sense of humor. It might be a strange and twisted kind, but it is humor nevertheless. Thank you, Will, for encouraging us to laugh at ourselves.

aight y'alls i aint playin' when i be sayin this book is the bomb. shoo, i'se be cookin' ups a storms ups in my kitchens with thems resepees. thems fired mens are crispy like my chinkens.
i'se didn't realizes that them shows on tv was so funny and mades me feel good and i'se cried me some tears, yo.
anyways, goods readin' and keep writin' these guides.

before i read tvtherapy i was just a poor sap cluelessly watching television. this book is such a great guide for someone like me who knows nothin' about the healing qualities of television.
i've discovered the joys of picking the right shows to set my different moods.
thank you bev and jason for enriching my life.before i read tvtherapy i was just a poor sap cluelessly watching television. this book is such a great guide for someone like me who knows nothin' about the healing qualities of television.
i've discovered the joys of picking the right shows to set my different moods.
thank you bev and jason for enriching my life.

Sparkling with slick prose, and some downright funny quotes from a variety of TV shows, TV Therapy picks out perceptive aspects from your favorite TV shows that will have you watching them again with fresh eyes. With the food and drink recipies, you'll have culinary company that adds more dimension to the experience, whether it's burritos for dinner, or cocktails and party platters with friends.

This is the third book that I own from the Cinematherapy series, and it's wonderful. Like most people in New England, I'll be spending more time indoors as the weather gets colder and the book is packed with reviews of just about every TV show neatly arranged by type, in addition to some very creative recipes for the novice and seasoned chef alike.

There are some very funny TV quotes peppered in here and there and i can't forget to mention the drink recipes that will take care of the winter blues.

This book is a must for any TV buff.

I have been a fan of Editorial Cartoons and cartoons in general for many years. The Editorial Cartoons we get in our daily papers are pretty much written around the news of the day and are wonderful in their own way.However, they tend to lose their punch very quickly and are not intended to be otherwise.
What Sorel gives us is more the thinking man's portraits presented as caricatures.His portraits are more akin to what you see in the higher scale magazines such as The New Yorker and Esquire. Because more thought goes into these portraits;they tend to give a picture of that person over a much longer period of time and therefoe gets to their real essence.
When you look at one of these portraits,say the one of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino on page 94,you can't help but agree that Sorel has really captured the essence of these two great actors.His portrayal of the 5th Anniversary of Watergate,on page 147,as a picnic ,leaves one with the thought;What a party it was! Then on page 108 ,he steps back and portrays the Great Modern Irish Writers,Joyce,Yeats,O'Casey,Beckett,Lady Gregory,Oliver St.John O'Gogarty and Synge,and what a serious and determined lot they be;and little wonder there was no place among them for the irrasible Brendan Behan.Whether it's Sinatra,Bacall,LBJ,Nixon,Bogart,Hefner,Eastwood,Caruso,Napoleon,MadonnaReagan,Quale,Truman & Ike on page 166,Clinton in the company of Past Presidents,or Gingrich being consoled by Uncle Sam;if you like characters and the artistic portrayal of them by a great caricaturist;you'll love this book

This is a great book and a must have. Not only are the illustrations great but the text is also wonderful

"Unauthorized Portraits" is a sumptuous must-read for the working cartoonist or illustrator (like myself). Edward Sorel's clever drawings and candid text will amuse, inspire, humble, and even comfort any commercial artist or pop culture enthusiast. Sorel is an artist and a gentleman (I know; I've met him) - but he is also a visual raconteur. I hope his agile pens never run dry.

Mr. Sorel is the most elegant cartoonist there is! His sophisticated draftsmanship is superb, the subtle way he uses colors has no match and, well, I guess even the guys he most mercilessly trashes ought to be proud to appear in such fantastic cartoons!

Besides, the man obviously knows what he's talking about: art, books, movies, music, politics... Simply put, Edward Sorel's work is THE example of what an intelligent cartoonist should look like.

Get the real story behind the Great London Fire, female Ninja's (yet, they are real), Hollywood's relentless meddling with history and much, much more.

This is an amazingly good book and I heartily recommend it. Buy it sight-unseen and you'll never regret it.

What a super read!

I have bought two of this series for my husband and he is very enthusiastic about them. I will be getting the others and probably read them myself.

Trivia afficiandos rejoice - here's another wonderful sampling of historical facts, personalities and events from the "Uncle John" franchise.

Like its 2001 predecessor which sold 500,000+ copies(!), this installment ranges through all ages and all continents to bring you interesting facts on people, places and sundry things. Fun, informative articles on the history of money, medicine, the Amish, Ninjas, art, inventions, sports, flowers, literature, disasters, purses, salt, famous encounters, great goofs in history, etc., etc. - this book has it all. (I especially like the entries that correct historical inaccuracies. And those entries that spotlight how Hollywood rewrites history in its films).

So, pony up your $16.95, sit back and enjoy!

I really enjoy the whole series. Intesting factoids GALORE!

Funny conversation piece, when your guests are in your restroom for a "LONG TIME" then come out and say.. "Hey those are great books, Where'd you get those!"

I gave it to a friend for Christmas because she is from Minnesota. She really enjoyed all the trivia about her home state.

Awesome!!! Don't visit the loo without it! Bathroom jokes aside, it's overflowing with great facts and humor and the writing is superb (lots of great, undiscovered talent here). If you haven't visited Minnesota yet, you will want to after reading these excellent essays. And if you are a Minnesotan, you will chuckle and nod your head and maybe even say "wow, I didn't know that" about a tidbit or two.

Uff Da! You betcha this book is fun, interesting and educational!
Worthy of reading beyond the bathroom, Plunges into Minnesota provides an eclectic and entertaining tour of the North Star State. Great for native Minnesotans, transplanted Minnesotans and those who just want to know more about life in the Frozen (and not so frozen)land of 10,000 lakes.

Worth every penny!
I really enjoyed reading about important events and people in Minnesota history.
Very well written and not boring facts one after another.
Lots of variety with even a crossword puzzle.
I especially enjoyed the history of the large department store Daytons.

This book is an excellent source for trivia buffs and helpful tips for everyday life. My wife complains that I spend way too much time in the bathroom, which is true because I can't put the book down.

This is one great book for reading the short thoughtful and sometimes very funny, and perhaps even serious stories while in the bathroom.

I usually read it a story at a time when evacuating myself (if you know what I mean... and NO, you cannot ask for pictures). The stories and text seems to be perfected timed and written to allow for the initial sit down, to push, to rest, to push, to another rest, to the five minute half time, to push, rest, the final push for any remanants, and the final TP cleaning process. Perfect length of the stories timed to your numbers two's. This rates the book five stars all by itself.

Signed,
Erica Phillips
(My septic tank in Decatur is frozen, ask for pictures)

p.s. Some of the topics include:

1. celebrity museums
3. where Hitler's nephew lived in New York
7. how to do an authentic rain dance
19. two time toilet tomeinging
2. pop culture
5. forgotten history
88. really strange butt true lawsuits
20. really weird noises heard where else.. in the bathroom
72. unknown origins of things

I rate this book as FIVE WHOLE COMPLETE STARS and SO WILL YOU.

Goodbye again.

I have bought my boyfriend a few of these books...the first as house-warming gift. I thought between him and his room mate that they would love it. But by far, this is his favorite. If you love these books, this one is a must.

When I opened the package I was surprised that this book was so big. I was expecting something a lot smaller. Then when I started reading I was surprised that it held my attention as long as it did. Some of the items take up a page or two, and some only take up a paragraph or two. They say my mind jumps around a lot and that is what this book does, it jumps around a lot and for me it is interesting reading and it holds my attention when few books are able to do that. At the price these books are selling for used right now you can't go wrong on this one.