Satire Books

For those seeking an "easy read" diversion from today's negative news reports, this author provides a hilarious prespective of various aspects of our lives in America. Surely several of these vignettes will touch everyone and remind us all to remember that our life on this planet is relatively short, so we should really "lighten up" and enjoy the trip.....You cannot help but enjoy every page and become a better person to face future life experiences.

Baldwin's Flush Times is a great historical resource. Baldwin paints an interesting tale of frontier Alabama and Mississippi and the characters which lived in the region. Overall, a great illustration of the American frontier and the Jacksonian era.

I'm 14 and read "American Satire" because I am very interested in the subject. This book was, in my opinion, was enjoyable and interesting. Some of the satire was over my head, therefore a little boring, but the nice thing about short stories is that you can always go back to them. Benjamin Franklin, Will Rogers, Ambrose Bierce, and Art Buchwald were my favorites. This book also gives a little background information on the authors who wrote the stories. My only problem with the book itself was that some of the stories are just excerpts from larger books. I would've liked to see the complete version of the "The Devil's Dictionary" because it is extremely funny. But if your interested in satire or American literature, this is something that you'll want to check out.

A fairy tale or a nightmare? It all began with a dream by Major, a Middle White boar, of equality, and freedom from oppression. Maybe not in our life comrade, but eventually.

The dream brings a song. Intolerable conditions lead to revolution. As time passes things change; not exactly as planned.

There are two striking parts to this tale that stand out. First when Boxer is sent to the hospital and Benjamin reads the side of the van "Horse Slaughterer." Secondly there was a party in the farm house as the pigs were playing cards with the men, two aces of spades showed up. An argument ensues. Then a realization was drawn by the creatures outside looking in as they "...looked from pig to man, and man to pig, and from pig to man again..."

"Animal Planet" is a fierce and brilliant work of satire. It's singular aim seems to be the ultimate revelation of absurdity of corporate America. More than this, however, the book examines the true nature of revolution. It tears apart the myths of romance and glory that Americans believe about revolutionaries. The great revolutionaries of this book are not larger than life. They do not lead glorious armies. They resist when it is neccissary and run when it is not. They live underground, scared of shadows and afraid for their lives. Most of their revolution is conducted alone and out of contact as they run across Antarctica. They are heroes by chance. They are icons not because of who they are, but because of what they appear to be. Glory is a lie. They know this to be true. In this their greatness lies.

Another Stereotype Bites the Dust is the second collection of Candorville comic strips by award-winning cartoonist Darrin Bell. Set in the inner city, Another Stereotype Bites the Dust follows the educated yet underachieving African-American writer Lemont Brown and his friends, an assertive Mexican-American woman and a mooching, rapper who still lives with his mother. The Candorville strip does not shy from edgy dialogue or equal jabs at modern social problems, governmental failings, and excessive political correctness. In one strip, Lemont Brown tries to vote and is told "Well that explains why you haven't received your absentee ballot, Mr. Brawn. You're on the felon list. Felons aren't allowed to vote in Candorville." "Brown! Not Brawn! Brown!" "Thank you for turning yourself in, Mr. Brawn." A wickedly funny, "must-read" humor book showcasing the talent, insight, and biting criticisms of a rising star among cartoonists.

Ex-Merry Prankster Paul Foster has written a crafty and penetrating tale of his life in the Sixties counter-culture alongside his friends and cohorts Ken Kesey, Jerry Garcia Wavy Gravy and others. Mr. Foster has also illustrated this fascinating book with his inimitable "speed freak" drawings, seen previously in the Ken Kesey book "Garage Sale". The stories related here are at once illuminating and cautionary, and those times viewed with good humor and a clear and penetrating eye for detail. Kudos for a job well done and a plea added for a second volume.

I found this book to be extremely enjoyable and laughed a lot. I enjoyed the humor and style and would recommend it. I'm not just a reader, I'm also a patient who has complete trust in the good Doctor! He's as accomplished as an author and commedian as he is a doctor. The book is lots of fun - I'll be sharing it with my family.

Don West was born in Kentucky, but spent most of his childhood in Michigan. He graduated from Michigan State and went on to complete an MFA in theater direction and poetry at The Ohio University. He has published one prior novel, DREAM OF THE GREAT BLUE, which was nominated for ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award in 2005. He has also garnered awards for short stories and poems THE ART OF MURDER is his first Nestor Pike mystery. He presently lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Nestor Pike is a noir private eye, a la Mike Hammer. His wife, Shirl, is a foxy waitress and emerging artist, and they "date," but don't live together. The death of their son, Nathanial, looms between them, although it hasn't diminished their obvious love for one another. The tale opens on a Friday afternoon after Carter Lee Hollenbeck III, Trustee at the Getty gallery, is found crushed beneath a sculpture. As Nestor reads the story in the paper two thugs show up to beat him up. The trouble is, he has no idea what they are talking about when they warn him off "the case." What case?

"I turned off the phone, put it on my desk, and sipped my coffee. I needed some time to mull over what Maldonado has just told me. Who would've hired this killer to pay little ole me a social call? And more to the point, why? But that would have to wait. I looked at my watch. It was ten past nine, and I was beginning to think Ms. Smith was standing us up again, when I heard someone, a woman by the sound of her voice, enter the outer office. I unclipped the Magnum from my belt and put it in my desk, leaving the drawer open. I stood up and walked around in time to meet Felia and whoa--."

Noir Satire is Don West's writing modus operandi. The hero, in this case, Nestor Pike, is a sad loner, although he is surrounded by beautiful women. There are supposed to be no happy endings, and we don't want to give anything away. But Nestor is a great detective, although he is banged up for much of the story. The ending has a bit of a twist,

ensuring the reader will want to come back for more. Suffice to say that there is gritty humor; a great plot; characters that really are oddballs; and lots of fun in this dark tale of the detective world. And there's all the old chestnuts...a poor, misunderstood, P.I.; his sexy secretary; and the cops he works with...some trustworthy; some not. A great read!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

The ART of S. CLAY WILSON is one hundred fifty-four pages of non-stop art. As always, Wilson's art is wild, visceral, violent, sexual, sincere, and enormously playful. The work is arranged chronologically, 1961 through 2006, and it's a helluva freewheeling ride.
This book opens with six short (1-3 pages) introductory pieces written by R. Crumb, Mark Pascale (Associate Curator of Pints & Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago), John Francis Putnam (writing in The Realist), Charles Plymell (Wilson's first publisher), Geoffrey Young (Curator, The Geoffrey Young Gallery), and Bob Levin (author - his "Outlaws, Rebels, Free-Thinkers and Pirates" includes a chapter on Wilson). Most are funny, revealing, or sentimental (!), all provide some background information for the work that follows.
The book itself is a beauty, surprisingly understated in design and layout. The clean presentation complements the relentlessly detailed art. There are nice touches throughout, including checkered endpapers and a title page self-portrait.
You'll find very few pages of comics or stories in this volume. The ART of S. CLAY WILSON is a life-spanning collection of mostly full-page drawings and illustrations. If you're looking for Wilson comics, try Last Gasp's THE COLLECTED CHECKERED DEMON.
If you're a Wilson fan, snatch this book up. It's a good one.