Satire Books

This novel convinces me, were I in need of convincing, that Percival Everett is the most devious, unscrupulpous, and altogether brilliant writer of comedy in America. Hell, he'sprobably the best writer of anything.

This is an immensely enjoyable read. Once I cut it open, I could not put it down. Everett's main character, Rhino Tanner, is so detestable, you end up actually accepting him simply because he revels in his own distorted and destructive ideas. 'Comedy with fangs'? I totally agree.

I have not read any of Everett's other works but I will now. Grand Canyon Inc. is hilarious--a wild mad-cap romp following the life of red-blooded American, Rhino Tanner, hunter, developer, man's man, and a complete moron. This somewhere between Vonnegut and Voltaire satire chronicals the rise of a shallow mad-man entrepeneur who wants to develop the Grand Canyon. He rides through life on a raft of lies and destroys everything beautiful in his path. Read this book--it is short, brilliant, and laugh-out-loud funny.

This book was not funny.

-Rush Limbaug

HARVARD LAMPOON PRESENTS MEDIAGATE is the funniest thing ever put on paper and pressed between two covers. Get it now or suffer a tremendous void in your comedy development

A true lost treasure. This little-known book is one of the funniest satires of American culture ever published. Several of the writers have since gone on to write for and create America's best TV shows (The Simpsons, Futurama, The PJs, The Downtowners)

This guy has been funny and touching for four decades now. I can't imagine how he does it, but I have them all and I love them all. You think about Peanuts and you think peaks and long declines, but this strip is as funny as ever and his art is so much stronger. I don't agree with everything, but I enjoy it all.

This collection of Doonesbury comics focuses a lot on B.D.'s attempts to reenter American life after having his leg amputated due to an incident in Iran. That being said, the sheer number of laughs present in these pages is simply amazing. The strips focusing on Alex's search for the right college and Zonker's on-the-job- faux pas at McFriendly's are hilarious, and serve as much-needed counterpoints to the multitude of strips depicting George Bush's incompetence.

Overall, this collection was much better than I expected, and I recommend it highly.

This book is a delight. I just wish the publisher printed all of the Doonesbury strips. For reasons beyond my comprehension, almost every comic strip reprint book, except from the "comics" related publishers such as Fantagraphics, skip a few strips. Since I can't imagine a prose book skipping pages, I can only assume it is the editor's way of saying, "This is only a comic strip, so a few skipped strips won't really matter." This book skips the strips for the week of September 5, 2005 and the week of November 14, 2005. The Sunday run is complete except, of course, it doesn't reprint rerun strips.

If you enjoy reading HERMAN then this book is a must. We couldn't stop laughing so much. A lot are duplicates from other Jim Unger books BUT in color they are so much better.

I first discovered Jim Unger's "Herman" when I was a teenager. For the next several years I bought every Herman Treasury Collection as they became available. I was amazed that any comic could be so consistently (laugh-out-loud type) funny. I'm now 41 and I just rediscovered my Herman collection during a move. The humor of Herman is definitely ageless because I still laugh every time I pick up one of the collections.
I just purchased the Herman Classics Collections vol. 1, 2 and 3 (beautiful books, great print quality) and I hope that their are more on the way.
My recommendation to the publisher - publish a hardbound master collection at some point, something that would look nice on my bookshelves and something that I can pass along to my grandkids ("Gee, grandpa had a sense of humor!").

Unger's work continues to illicit laughs years after his first cartoons were published. A keen eye for the every day and every man humour around us, he strikes at the heart of what amuses us, the ordinary presented ridiculously, or the irritating presented with great style and understatement. And not a page is turned without a chuckle or a gut busting laugh. If you've been a fan, as I have been for many years, or are new to Unger, the Classics Volume 3 will delight, entertain, and leave you with more than a few tears of laughter rolling down your cheeks. If you're new to Unger pick up Classics Volume 3 and you'll find yourself returning for previous volumes. Every fan of the absurd and ridiculous should have a library of Unger to recharge your humour batteries when they're running low. Thanks Jim for the laughs.

All hail Hirschfeld, and, more importantly, all hail this trio of tomes featuring works by the premier theater and entertainment illustrator of the 20th century. For decades, Big Al's works adorned the cover of Sunday's New York Times Arts and Leisure sections, sketches celebrating plays, musicals, movies and celebrities gracing Gotham that particular week. The bearded, rotund artist (sort of a secular Santa for show-biz folk) was ubiquitous at opening nights in and out of town. And, of course, each week, there were the "Ninas," his daughter's name, hidden, sometimes once, sometimes up to eight times, in each sketch. (The number next to his signature would clue us in on the number of times Nina's name was hidden.) Cross-country phone calls wailing, "Where's the last Nina?" ensued on many a Sunday afternoon.
Nina-searchers can now glut themselves on Hirschfeld's British Aisles, a collection culled from the New York Times; as a special treat, there are welcome commentaries from such big name Brits as Julie Andrews, Dame Edna, Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Lynn Redgrave.
A veddy nice job, but the real treats are Hirschfeld's Harlem and The Speakeasies of 1932. In Harlem, we can see the artist's style develop; before the detailed line drawings we have come to expect came almost impressionistic pencil shadings, at once more personal and mysterious, more abstract, and evocative and startling in their originality. Harlem has, as well as several historical essays, text by a band of authorities, including Bobby Short, Lena Horne, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee and Savion Glover.
The Speakeasies of 1932 is a fascinating look at the dives and divine watering holes of that noble experiment, prohibition. Sketches of bars, bartenders and patrons, along with a written description of the joints, are included. Added to this fizzy mix are drink recipes from each bar; we should, perhaps, avoid the cocktail simply called "Smoke," from an establishment called O'Leary's on the Bowery. The principle ingredient? Two cans of Sterno.
Art should teach us something about the past, about ourselves, about our society. But it should also be fun. Al Hirschfeld accomplished all of this with pencil, pen and ink. If you aren't familiar with his work, meet this terrific triumvirate. And if you are familiar with dear Al (and Nina), then enjoy a reunion with old and treasured friends.

This is a very impressive and moving collection of artwork that captures a robust culture from a unique perspective. While best known for his apparently goofy caricatures (a common opinion that is a caricature in itself), Al Hirschfeld is actually a keen and insightful observer of culture. Hirschfeld came of age in New York City almost next door to Harlem, and was heavily influenced by the culture of the Harlem Renaissance, and this spirit informed his interpretation of African American culture for the next 75 years.

Before embarking on his well-known celebrity caricatures, Hirschfeld captured the spirit of Harlem culture and nightlife in narrative paintings of regular people, which are collected impressively in this book's opening gallery. Here Hirschfeld's misleadingly simple style captures a full range of motion and emotion - capturing dancing, music making, and street culture with incredible power. The same goes for the uncharacteristically haunting "Ebony Sister" which speaks volumes on black experience. Next is a fantastic collection of caricatures of African American celebrities, covering a good 75 years of showbiz greatness, in which Hirschfeld uses simplicity and humor to bring out each performer's most eye-catching strengths.

As usual, it is great fun to search for the Nina's that Hirschfeld always slipped into his portraits - the best is one of Whoopi Goldberg, whose dreadlocks are made up almost entirely of Nina's. This book is well-supported by an outstanding essay on the Harlem Renaissance by Gail Lumet Buckley, as well as commentary by many black entertainers who have been moved by Hirschfeld's documentation of their culture, and who sure don't treat him like any sort of outsider. This is truly a winning collection not just of great artwork, but of its place in culture and history. [~doomsdayer520~]

This book is a must for any Hirschfeld fan. A great addition to my Hirschfeld collection of books.

Dave Barry is always funny, but in this book, he is mind-bogglingly hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing, and when I tried to read my favorite parts to friends, I couldn't get the words out for all the hilarity. If you've ever had to go through a move, you will appreciate Barry's insights and observations. This book is classic Dave Barry. I've had my copy for at 20 years, and I still laugh at the jokes. Money well spent for the decades of enjoyment.

Dave hits the nail on the head with this refreshing view of not only how to buy, but maintain, and eventually sell your home.

When I prepared to have a baby join our family, I turned to Dave Barry's "Baby's and other hazzards of sex" to help me make that adjustment.

Thank the maker that Dave was also there for me when we got ready to buy our first home!

If you are thinking about buying a home, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! It explains that it doesn't really matter who all those people are who show up at the closing...but that it's your responsibility to keep writing out the checks as long as someone is in line.

There are hillariously practical tips to searching for, buying, and maintaining your home. Dave presents hints and suggestions that will help you to appear knowledgeable while looking at houses, how to get into serious debt, and even about challenges you will face while redecorating.

He even has the audacity to suggest that it's possible to redecorate "for under $650,000." Come on Dave! Everyone knows that's impossible!

And when you are all done fixing up, being worn down, and you are ready to sell your home, he also presents hints on how to fool someone into buying your "black hole."

Great stuff through and through! 5 stars for humor and real life applicability!

One of the funniest books I've ever read or heard about. I laughed so hard that I couldn't continue reading !

Fantastic book that will make you forget to eat or sleep.

I gave this book to people of Italian descent. They said, "Yep, that's exactly how it is!"

Then I gave the book to people of Southern descent. They said, "Yep, that's exactly how it is in our family!"

Then I gave it to a family in the Northeastern U.S., and they said the same thing.

And so on. So what's going on? The author has captured something universal about how families see themselves and their neighbors.

I sincerely hope this book comes back into print again. It deserves it, and I think it would do really well.

If you are part of an Italian family, through birth or through marriage, or if you know any Italian families, then this book will crack you up. I read this book years ago and thought it was hilarious how accurate the authors descriptions were. I am so happy to finally have found it again. Its something Ive never forgotten.

I have to say that this book was one of the few that I have read that actually made me laugh out loud. I don't know if it is because I could relate to what the author was saying, since I am Italian, or if it was the way he wrote, but this book is a gem.

The author gives you first hand information on how to survive dealing with an Italian family. During meals, on trips, and yes even at a funeral. Hey, I have been to many Italian funerals, you just don't know what you are missing until you have attended one.
His comparison between an Italian family and a non-Italian family is a riot!

I loved "The Italian Mother's Early Morning Worry List." Yes, that is because I myself
have worried about the same things that are on the list. Great!

The cartoons add just the right amount of visual aid to enhance the pure joy of this read. Fantastic! Chuckle a minute!

If you need a good pick-me-up book that doesn't require anything from you, but only gives you a good belly laugh, you need to
pick up this one.

Thank you Mr. Detorie, I needed that smile!