Parody Books

This author writes with a sharp, thought-provoking wit. A very entertaining and easy to read book. A real eye-opener if you ready between the lines.

Looking for a serious work? Looking for entertainment? Either way this book could be for you (well, maybe not if you hold Ann Coulter and people with similar ideologies dear). Even if you are not a politically savvy kind of person you will get a kick out of the images this writer presents, in particular those in the Coulter Family Recipes - hey, Bill Clinton as a Thanksgiving turkey had me rolling! If you want to challenge your political beliefs use this work to help you clarify your point of view. If you want to just giggle at the silliness inherent even in a topic as serious as our country's politics and the people who are a part of it, read on and have fun. I should have been brief and simply said, just read this book and go for a fun ride! Initially, I breezed through book reading only what caught my eye. Then, I went back and really read it. Now, I am passing it along to friends to read. Good work!

I read "Idiocy!" in one sitting. I couldn't put it down! Katherine Black writes hilarious parodies that are totally original. I really like the variety of characters in the book and her satire of Ann Coulter is a riot. The illustrations are great too.

Much like Stuart Smalley's book, another poor writer makes fun of a writer better than themself. But as everyone knows how slow-witted the left is, Ms. Black included pictures... Yay!... Unfortunately no crayons are included:(

A parody of said books ... my behind! These books, and people who are made fun of, are genuine patriots. They uncovered the true cesspool of crap that the liberals swim in. Liberals have bedded down with communists and extreme leftists who wanted a "violent overthrow of the current form of government" of the USA. That is just hilarious ... isn't it? Why didn't this author joke about the famous Verona documents??? That just uncovered their cockroach infestation of subversive activity. Oh, it's just hilarious ... and I guess I would have just had to go to the funny concentration camps (that the soviets had) in the USA; if the commies had taken over and the liberals would have just helped me out all the way there (remember, the soviets killed more innocent people than the Nazi's - Communist China is still in the process of adding more to their count).

Well, I can't write no more...I am just busting a gut here!

RIP RONALD REAGAN
ANN COULTER RULES !!!!

PS The funniest part is how liberals and commies just ruined an innocent politician (who really cared about his country). Yeah, they road him hard and led him to a very early grave ... when , now we know ... he was right all along !!! Who was it?? .... Oh, Yeah, Sen. Joseph McCarthy !

The author has great ideas and the premise behind this book has so much potential as a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA). (I do not want to give away many of the endings, but a roommate from hell reading bad poetry is just one potential outcome.) However, it is not well drafted and the illustrations are unnecessary and distracting. I wish the author of this book would do a piece with the authors of Whatever you want - now that would be a fantastic CYOA ride.

This book is a really great gift, a totally fun and unusual read and ideal for anyone who dates or just likes a good story and used to love the Choose Your Own Adventure books when they were a kid.

This is a fun book suitable for pre-teens and teen girls. There are chances to make some bad decisions that don't always give a harsh enough outcome (i.e. having unprotected sex with a stranger results in marriage and a baby), but in general this book was fun and when the reader makes a really bad call at one point (yes, I read through all of the endings), the author slightly chastizes the poor choice (which I found amusing and light hearted). This book does not encourage multiple dates in one night, but instead gives options of whether you want to go on a date that night, if so, what happens, and there are lots of twists and turns that make this book fun even for a pre-teen/teen who is not an avid reader. The stories are fairly short and could be read with limited time.

This book is a "must have." Dating, friendship, and coincidental humor paired with lusty excitement and it's even interactive!! "Night of a Thousand Boyfriends" allows you to channel decisions that you could have never made in realife all while making you laugh. The book is a true necessity!!!!

Need a book to blow your mind? night of a thousand boyfriends is it. this book is fun fast and a great guilt free way to indulge in man candy. mmm man candy.

Although not a waste of money (time) this book left me flat. The cover gave me the hope of something unique and strange - and my expectation was that the graphics and pop-ups would follow suit.

This was not the case.

It was mundane and pedestrian in concept and delivery.

Great fun gift for someone you don't know that well. Or know real well. It is a perfect coffee table book.

I love all pop up books, especially those falling into the newer category of adult pop up books. Very similar to the pop up book of phobias, sex, and tabloid news. Not as high a quality of actual pop up construction and intricacy as Sabuda's work, but fun none the less.

I am always on the lookout for new children's books, and especially love popups! My children are all grown, but I have two small grandsons, and I teach children's literature to college students. (HOWEVER, I would never recommend putting ANY popup book that is this intricate into the hands of a toddler.) This book is not for small children, anyway, but a real hoot to adults. I also used this book (as well a Popup Book of Phobias) in other classes I teach on Human Development, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education. Why? Because they are whimsical, interesting, help us to acknowledge fears and dreams, and the artwork involved is impressive!

I now own three "adult" pop up books (adult in theme not sexual content) and the are all just fun to have and share. They are nice enough to be coffee table books and they really bring pleasure to all who see and experience them. It is silly to say this one is better than an other one, although my personal favorite is the Pop Up Book of Phoebias, but this work by Gary Greenberg is a delight and one everyone with a sense of humor and who still loves to read Where the Wild Things Are, will love to have in their home. I gave it "only" 4 stars since I want to save a star for, say, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen but of its kind The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares is 5 star all the way.

patrick cronin

This book is great. It is an entertaining easy read and even though I am not a teenage girl anymore, I got the book for my father for this past Christmas and he loved it. I totally recommend this book to anyone who is either a daughter or has raised one!

I thought this book was very good. W. Bruce Cameron uses humor to discuss a somewhat serious topic. Other than humor, Cameron does not use many other devices to develop his topic. Cameron tries to warn fathers in this book about the different ways teenage daughters do take advantage of not only their fathers, but also other members of the family. I believe he wrote this book to not only warn family members, especially fathers, but to also write a humorous enjoyable book. This book is not only for fathers, but I think that it gives teenage girls a new perspective of how fathers feel when the girl leaves and goes on a date. I know I will definently think about my father the next time I go on a date.

I am neither the mother of a teenage girl or a teenage girl, but I used to be. This is the funniest book I've read in a while. Dave, I mean Bruce hits the nail right on the head. I hope he writes one about raising his son. He sounds like good material all by himself.

I bought this book for my husband who could use some lightening up when it comes to our teenage daughters. Glancing through it I found myself laughing my head off. I kept setting it down and picking it up, until I finally gave in and read the entire book. Incredibly a funny true to life! I learned more from this book than I do from many parenting materials. If not for Bruce Cameron I would still be wondering why my daughter connects with her dad like a weed whacker connects with a steal pole. To raise a teen you have to have a sense of humor and here is one dad who is an expert in both humor and being an observant father. Very Funny and fun to read for EVERYONE with a daughter over 10 years of age. An absolute must for EVERY Dad!!!

I dunno, the other reviewers thought this was a hoot, but I thought the humor was pretty obvious for the most part. Yes, I occasionally laughed aloud, and the very last chapter was particularly good. Occasionally Cameron comes up with a particularly apt turn-of-phrase that evokes a chuckle, or an extraordinarily inappropriate one that brings smiles. But you know, we've heard most of this before. How funny is it that teenage girls are on the phone all the time and that your phone bills are going to be twice the GNP of an impoverished African country? ...Buy it if you need a book for the bathroom desparately, otherwise, pass...Cameron is no Dave Barry.

OK, not quite -- where Woody is hung up about sex, Heimel has it figured out enough to give the rest of us neurotics a few pointers. While she's mellowed a little bit since the first Sex Tips, she's still clearly crazy and wonderfully funny about it.

This book is hillarious. I would recommend it to any woman married or single. It makes you laugh out loud. I am sure most women can relate to what Cynthia Heimel tells you about life and romance. Buy this today, you will be laughing out loud!

I love Cynthia Heimel and think this book is yet another wonderful addition to her collection...a more mature Sex Tips for Girls...and still a good dose of the famous Heimel wit.

This must be a sign of the final straw in the fight between commercialism and normalcy. The Publisher's Weekly review couldn't be more wrong. While there is material here that will remind the reader of other of Heimel's columns and books, the attentive and thoughtful reader will realize that this book too represents what all the other have: a courageousness not found among very many to rail against what the rest of us accept without question on a day-to-day basis. Heimel reminds us again and without apology that women are human, that people are by and large the same if they can get outside of what they are in the habit of believing to be true. This book is an installement in a life story, not a hip coffee table book published to sate the attention span of the average teenager. While it still is both (a testament to Heimel's genius, and what makes her so valuable as a cultural expert) mature readers should not rate this book on whether or not it offers us something modern, but on its ability to provoke thought, and change.

Once upon a time this author was brilliant and I would have done almost anything to read her in print. No longer fresh, she rests upon her laurels and seems rather bitter for it.

My dad loved this book...he used to collect the newspapers to get his students interested in reading something...anything!

This and the Holy Bible are the only two books you need.

I continue to be baffled why folks believe The New York Times but not the Weekly World News. The WWN has *never* had to print a retraction or correction. It is the journalistic standard to which the Columbia Review of Journalism should benchmark.

Modern documentation off what Old Scratch is up to.

You may want to get a copy of "Let's Pave the Stupid Rainforest and Give Teachers Stun Guns."

Heard the Weekly World News isn't going to be publishing it's funny newspaper anymore. Was so sorry to hear this. Always loved reading the headlines as I waited in the grocery store line. Maybe should have purchased the paper every time I laughed at a headline and they'd still be in business. This book brings all the top of the tops in Weekly World News back. VERY well produced and all the articles will make you laugh out loud.

From President Clinton's 3 breasted intern to blobs from space eating farmer's trucks it's all here.

HIGHLY recommended.

But I still give it five stars. I do so because I'm so happy that the creators of the Weekly World News put this book out, otherwise, I'd feel like a loser trying to colelct as many old issues as I could.

Will there ever be another periodical as great or informative as the WWN? I don't see any coming on the horizon. Even the WWN's website is down!

It all makes me depressed. But I can cheer up with one fact, that even though the Weekly World News is dead, Bat Boy still lives!

. . . then you understand why this coffee-table size book is a must have for your reference library, especially since the Weekly World News recently quit publishing. This thing would be hilarious, if it weren't so true. My only disappointment was that, while the book includes the excellent article explaining that Abe Lincoln was female (yes folks, "Babe" Lincoln), the editors neglected to include a related and one of my all time favorite WWN articles: "Woman Gives Birth to Abe Lincoln" (that is WITH beard). You'll enjoy this.

Completely astute and true commentary on stereotypes. Just about the funniest book...um...maybe ever. LOVED it, and highly recommend it to anyone who loves to people-watch. We've ALL seen/known these people.

Funny character sketches matched with quirk-capturing drawings -- a perfect combo. This book can open your eyes to the world of fruits and freaks that surround you. In fact, you may be one and not know it! If you have ever noticed a certain odd type of person around town but can't find the right words to describe them, this book is for you.

It thought it was more clever than it was. Same goes for the humor.

Does your roommate like to wear black, play D&D and frequent the mall? They might be a Food Court Druid. Does Mary at the office seem a little high strung and have the amusing habit of labeling her trashcan as her in box? Watch your step. Your likely working with a CROW. These and many more character types are displayed and analyzed in Robert Lanham's book on urban sociology. The book begins with the chapter untitled "Cube People" or, types of people that you might work with at the office. It's hilarious how dead on Lanham's profiles are because I found myself laughing out loud when I identified some of my coworkers. After "Cube People" the book gets progressively neurotic and hilarious. Every profile gets a brief introduction, population size, Gender, Habitats, Hobbies, Favorite books, sexual orientation and a idio rank , or just how strange the person is.(Ex. If a person has a idio rank of 10. RUN! the person is a freak) The book is a very entertaining and fast read and you'll find yourself spotting people from the book in no time. "Food Court Druids" is a book that helps us poke fun at other people but also helps us laugh at ourselves.

SO I found myself a mix of the Hexpatriate and the CROW. Not that this is a bad thing.

Insightful and damn funny! If you own a new Volvo and go jogging with your golden retriever every morning, AND shop at Crate and Barrel, you will be offended. If you smoke American Spirits and chastise people for not buying all organic food, you will be offended. If you use any Tom's of Maine product and wear toe rings, you will be offended. If you can't laugh at yourself, you will be offended.

It is a glorious book.

The illustraor, Jeff Bechtel, is my new hero. His drawings are RIGHT ON.

Some of us feel comfortable being seen in public reading a self-help book. Others, like myself, feel humiliated reading one even in private. They just take themselves so seriously, and force you to take yourself even more so. The "Secrets of the SuperOptimist" is just the opposite. It's like a buddhist monk slipping on a banana peel. Wisdom and humor combined seamlessly. And, i did get something out of this book. A lot, actually. And i constantly go back to it, for small chunks of wisdom and insight to get me through the moment, or sometimes the whole day. Such is the power of the seemingly throw-away bits of advice offered in "Secrets..." The authors obviously could have chosen to present their "secrets" in a more conventional format. But, then, you wouldn't want to read the thing. More importantly, you wouldn't be smiling your way back to mental health. - david

I actually was going to give this book 2 stars, but then I thought to myself that, "Obviously most of the other reviews are either friends of the authors, their alter-egos or shills," so a book as mediocre as this with such misleading reviews deserves 1 star.

I admit, I only read part of it. I very much doubt anybody would want to read the whole thing. Blech.

The cover is very well done. Perhaps the authors should leave writing and dive into misleading book-cover design?

Did you know that one of the authors defined "superoptimist" in wikipedia and had the gall to mention their writing?

I'm not a total cynic. I'm open to reading about new philosophies, new ideas and original ways of thinking about the world. But most of the tripe that gets published under the banner of "self-help" treats you like a child and talks down to you.

This book makes fun of that whole phenomenon and the entire idea that self-help books have a secret that they're generous enough to bestow on you. The "Secrets" in the book include "Set No Goals", "Boredom is Power" and "Respect the Pineapple".

Not that the authors don't have something to say. Ultimately the book has a compelling message at its core, a pseudo-hybrid philosophy made up of Objectivism and Buddhism and...some other stuff. It's funny, but the stuff rings true. And they trust you to get it, instead of spoon-feeding it to you.

All in all a totally unique book. Well done.

This book will inevitably be categorized as "humor," and humorous it certainly is, with its spot-on and very funny parodic takes on idiotic self-help tomes. The amazing part is that it actually has more to say about life choices than most "serious" books in the same area. Morton and Whitten have clearly done their homework by slogging through the usual bromides, cliches, and platitudes. They have been there, read this, been nauseated by that, and had it up to here, but luckily haven't lost their sense of comedic absurdity in the process. And we are the beneficiaries. Their disillusion is our gain. All we need to do now is listen a little, learn a little more, and laugh a whole lot.

Very smart book about how to turn absolutely any negative into a positive. Great tongue-in-cheek writing that reminded me of the Colbert Report.

Especially love the exercises at the end, like the tips for dealing with the death of a loved one that include chanting "I am not a wizard", and the memory exercises that help you remember your sexual experiences by having you write a very complimentary and detailed letter from your lover to yourself.

Clever and funny, but with an air of real intelligence and truth, and damned if it won't actually make you think about things a little differently.

What an absolute delight this book is! As a cat owner I was amazed at how the author was able to put down on paper the mind musings of our furry family members. I have read this book so many times...just opening to any page and it can always warm my heart, make me laugh or make me cry. I have gifted this book to many cat owner friends and family and they agree that this is a "must have" in any kitty household!

I purchased this book as a gift for a fellow cat lover, and it was a big hit. I recommend it for anyone who loves cats and is not yet familiar with the Cat's Bill of Rights.

While you read this book, (probably while your cat is trying to get your attention by pushing the book down, or trying to paw at your lap) you will realize why so many people own cats, and why they are so fun to play with. You won't ever look at your cat the same, because you will always be trying to figure out exactly what is in his mind.

I purchased this book as a gift for a fellow cat lover, and it was a big hit. I recommend it for anyone who loves cats and is not yet familiar with the Cat's Bill of Rights.

a fun-loving, spirited narration from a cat's perspective. Provides levity and proves refreshing to cat lovers who spend too much time in concerns of the human world and not enough in the Zen state of their furry friends.

Cheerful, humorous and beats anything in the Chicken Soup for Human Soul department.

Meoowwwww!

Valerie Frankel's book consists of British jokes, British terms, and some funny British moments. In the book, some of the names are changed to Lord Revolting, Bumbling Bore, and Dumpy DOrky. The main character gets invited to CHickenfeet Academy. The book tells people that all characters need vacations, and the book tries to get across that being courageous and doing the right thing are essential. There's lots of humor.

I had hopes for this for my Harry Potter fans in my my family and after the good reviews I ordered it. It was disappointing in that it was very childish instead of tounge in cheek and some didn't even bother to finish it.

Henry Potty is a parody of the Harry Potter series. The fun all starts when Henry gets an invitation to attend the Chickenfeet Academy to study being a gizzard. He goes through strange quests, and takes on weird tasks at Chickenfeet Academy. The humor in this book is really random, and really hilarious. People will laugh at the tasks poor Henry Potty has to face, such as trying to find his dorm room. One hilarious scene in the book is when Lord Revolting doesn't seem to be "all there." Henry goes through the many dorm halls, like Heroes Dorm and Losers' Dorm and the Sort-of Room. This parody is far off from JK Rowling's series. This book is very modern, also, in that it has reference to internet web counters, and toaster ovens, and such. There are interesting and new weird things, such as flying pigs, flying vacuum cleaners, and magical hot dogs.

This is a hilarious must have book for all Harry Potter friends. I got this for my friend and she loves it since she is such a huge fan of the book.

It's hilarious! It really kept us entertained while my family was traveling! Any Harry Potter fan would totally enjoy this, with its off-the-wall references to the Sorting Rat, Bumbling bore, Quick-Grab the FIsh and so on. Plus teachers like the Wicked Witch of the Vest. You can try reading it out loud as a family--that's what we did.