Satire Books

El Negro Fontanarrosa describe, principalmente a traves de los dialogos de sus personajes y no con una extensa prosa tipo ensayo, a los argentinos "del pueblo" (y mas especificamente a los de Buenos Aires y Rosario). Una lectura amena, muy divertida y que muestra la cultura popular de un pais.

Hablar del negro Fontanarrosa, es hablar de un tipo, al que no conoci, pero me hubiera encantado conocerlo personalmente, aunque no conoci pero me siento con la confianza de llamarlo Negro, porque no lo conoci en persona, pero lo leo desde que soy muy chico, desde hace casi mas de 30 anos, desde que pude leer alguno de sus comics como Boogie el aceitoso, y como cuando lo primero que leia era la parte de atras del diario Clarin, la pagina de los chistes, con su Inodoro Pereyra y Mendieta "lo pario". Puta hablar del Negro sin que se me piante un lagrimon, pero por supuesto de alegria, porque no tuve la oportunidad de conocerlo personalmente pero siento que lo conozco desde toda la vida. Hoy esta en el cielo, pero esta con nosotros con su legado de libros y sabiduria popular. Senor Roberto Negro Fontanarrosa, mis respetos, aplauso y gracias.

The series of "Hall of Shame" books would not be complete without these stories of ridiculous, pathetic, laughable, and horrifying acts that have taken place in the history of the gridiron. I have read, re-read, and re-re-read the various stories in this book, and shared much of it with friends.

For instance, learn of the cheapest owner in the history of pro sports, Harry Wismer, whose New York Titans (which eventually became the Jets) watched all their game film on a single projector, with squads taking turns; whose scouting department consisted of a single copy of Street & Smith's; and whose motto was, "Don't cash your paycheck with anybody you like."

How about the most lopsided score in football history (222-0)? How about the TV network who forever changed programming history by cutting away from a tight game to show "Heidi," thereby inventing the phrase "______ will be shown in its entirety at the completion of our game"? How about the player who cost his team a Rose Bowl victory by running the wrong way with a fumble, ultimately scoring a safety for the other guys instead of a TD for his own? These are just a very, very few of the dozens of fantastic stories collected here.

Better snap yours up quick, as it is out of print and not everyone is willing to let go of a used copy.

One of my favorite authors was Erma Bombeck mainly because she could take a hum drum day, turn it inside out and find the humor in it. Well I am sure that Erma is giving Joyce Faulkner a standing ovation right now. Throughout this book, Joyce has taken just about every situation that could be described as a lemon and truly made lemonade out of it. Sharing so much of her own personal life stories and giving each one a good taste of plain out humor made me identify so much of my own tales, and wishing I had found some of that same humor. I can't tell you how many times I found myself laughing out loud. O.K., maybe I can. About 36 times. That's the same number of short stories that are in the book. About 14 of these made me lose control and just about fall off my chair. Not just the humor itself, but the way each story embraces you and makes you remember similar stories of your own life. Now I finally met Joyce recently and want all you readers to know that I believe every single story in this book! Joyce Faulkner looks at things with a smile and a wit, and draws the positive out of any situation. A lesson we can all learn and should practice. Thanks Joyce for putting a smile on my face!

Michael Vance has written a fascinating book about ACG, a relatively obscure little comic book company that put out some great stuff, as well as lots of duds. Vance doesn't regurgitate stuff from other 'history' books...he actually interviewed people who were there during ACG's existence, starting in the 1940's through 1967. The result is a well-written history of ACG, with lots of great anecdotes and inside information. My only complaint is that there are no illustrations. A book about comic books really needs at least a few! However, the writing still makes this book a must for 40's-60's comic book fans.

I have followed the career of Steve Brodner for years (very closley) and find him more brilliant with each passing election. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who appreciates wit, humor, and brilliance. He is an American treasure!

This book was very insightful. It discusses four different prophecies which the author considers to be satire. His main work is with the book of Jonah. Marcus takes the different difficulties of the book (running away, big fish, animals in sackcloth, etc) and discusses how they are elements of satire. With this viewpoint, what was once difficulties of the book have become strengths in his theory.

Marcus outlines his book very well and has laid out the themes and concepts in his book well also. All in all, it is a good book for those who desire to read a book about the possibility that some of the prophets actions were written for satirical effect.

This book is a bunch of short stories about divorced life. It has a great sence of humor and is very real-life.

What a pleasure to peek inside the mind of bright, sensitive, and very funny gentleman, while he attempts to cope with life on the road, dealing with the pressures of being a divorced dad, trying to make sense of a world seemingly gone mad, and being a liberal Jew in one of the reddest of states. Yikes!

Mr. Friedman writes with a voice that nearly everyone can enjoy and appreciate. A real winner.

Excellent book which manages to chart the ... and (related) invectives, poetry and jokes of the late-republic/early Roman Empire. In contrast to the arid writing style of the New Historians on the classics, this is a breath of fresh air. She also provides good counter arguments to the ideas of Foucault and neo-Foucaultians, although not without problems; for example, she thinks the 'cinaedi', a term of insult roughly translated to today's 'queer', denoted a group of 'passive homosexuals', which she thinks was a (sub)cultural group in the Roman empire (there may well have been ... sub-cultures, but her idea is too reductive). Still, highly enjoyable, scholarly and recommended.