Parody Books

Robin Reed creates an enjoyable blend of humor, satire, and more than a little irony in Xanthan Gumm. This is a touching story of Xanthan's accidental adventures in Chicago with his unlikely partner Al, a homeless man who befriends the ambitious and naive alien in his quest to become famous. A little bit Princess Bride, Galaxy Quest and social satire wrapped up in a thoroughly enjoyable tale. I hope enough people read Xanthan Gumm to encourage Ms. Reed to write the promised second book, X.G., Working Class Clown.

Xanthan Gumm lands on the forbidden planet of Earth with the singular goal of starring in Galactic Civilation's highest form of entertainment, The Movies. Xanthan quickly discovers that Earth isn't quite what he imagined as he struggles to find food, shelter, and the elusive King of Earth, Steven Spielberg.

The clever storyline, entertaining dialog, and generous helpings of tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation of the human race made this a very enjoyable read for me.

If you like humourous sci-fi in the vein of Bob Shaw's "Who goes here?", you'll like Xanthan Gumm.

The NORAD sequence is still stuck in my mind several months after reading it, so it isn't light enough that you'll forget about it the moment you put it down.

It is just as well that it is still stuck in my mind, because I've loaned out the book and sadly don't expect to see it back...

I'll be looking forward to similar books by Robin Reed.

What could creatures in outer space really know about us here on Earth? If they took their information from the various radio waves and television satellite signals bouncing around in the atmosphere, their opinions of us would be rather misconstrued. In Robin Reed's novel, "Xanthan Gumm," this is exactly what has happened, leaving one alien very confused that all of Earth is not really a movie set.

Earth is a forbidden planet but that doesn't really stop visitors from "out there." Xanth has decided that he desperately wants to become a movie star, joining the ranks of E.T. and Chewbacca. Hoping to find the ruler of Earth, Steven Spielberg, Xanth attempts to find Hollywood. Unfortunately, the gravity in Chicago pulls him out of the sky first. Meeting a reporter for a tabloid, Xanth is greeted as an alien in a nonchalant way. Apparently the reporter has met other aliens and isn't all that interested in Xanth's story. Then Xanth meets Al, a homeless man with a passion for the bottle.

Al isn't convinced that Xanth is an alien until a demonstration is given. After that, the two become friends and a mutual learning experience is gained through discovering that some of society's ideas of aliens are actually true if not a little off. It turns out that Vulcans do exist, the creatures in the Aliens movies are really the most mild mannered things in the galaxy, and those large headed extraterrestrials we always seem to describe when relaying an encounter of the third kind are really big pranksters with very nasally laughs.

The culture exchange is very funny and as readers follow Xanth's adventure in trying to get to Hollywood, the story carries on in a most entertaining way. Foiling a robbery, aggravating a military General and his "Commie" suspecting mother to no end, and appearing in a student film are just some of the hijinks Xanth gets into. Every chapter is packed with fun.

This hysterical book is so well done that I can't imagine it not becoming a movie - and wouldn't it be wonderful if Xanth finally found his dream in working with Spielberg? Robin Reed has produced a well thought out, affective plot that is filled with cultural icons, intricate characters, and laugh out loud humor. I loved this book and cannot wait to hear more from this author.
Review by Heather Froeschl

Xanthan Gumm is the funniest book I've read in a long time.

Robin Reed's writing style is warm and engaging, and her alien technobabble is as witty and clever as her observations on the absurdity of Earth culture. I actually laughed out loud three times on the first page alone.

Reed's tendency to go off on hilarious tangents about secondary characters and alien species reminded me very much of the conventions of Douglas Adams. If you liked the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, You'll love Xanthan Gumm!

Leslie Nielson is not everyones cup of tea, but I find his books and videos lighten up a game my friends and relatives take all too seriously. And just thinking about some of his golf tips cheers me up enough to improve my game. Great quirky humor.

This is really an instruction manual on how to play golf. I can bet you've never seen golf played this way before!

The pictures are great, and the explanations are truly hilarious. Recommended for every golfer with a good sense of humor.

The crazy antics of Leslie Nielson's golf game continue. It points out the hillarious little quirks of golf that we all wish we could really try. A must have for any golfer.

A spoof on the typical golf instruction book, this book is organized by chapters such as "The Address" and "The Swing." Here the similarities between other "instructional books" and this one end.My wife hated me while I was reading this book because the shaking bed due to my laughter kept her awake night after night. This and "Missing Links" by Rick Reilly are clearly the funniest golf books in print.

Leslie Nielson, the king of slapstick comedy, has come out with one of the funniest books that I have ever read. BAD GOLF MY WAY is one of the greatest golf instructional books ever written for the masses...well, minus those 2450 people who actually wish to improve their game.

This book is hysterical and the illustrated pictures are a riot. In this instructional book, Nielson pokes fun at golf by sharing his views and unorthodox approach to the game. His off-the-wall swing and mental aspects are hilarious. He truly is the "Arnold Palmer of Bad Golf."

This book will make you laugh out loud. It is a very quick read, and one of pure enjoyment. This is a must for any golfer. BAD GOLF MY WAY is a hole in one.

This is an easy, fun read with many passages which will make you laugh out loud at yourself and others. He has a terrific slant on the aging process. I can't wait to see how his next book 'reads'.

I am from England but this is one of the first truly American books that has tickled my sense of humour. I laughed out loud in many places in the book and my wife keeps looking strangely at me. I sent it to one of my relations in the U.S.A. but have not recieved any comments yet, it is early days. Best regards . Ron Pearson.

I was beginning to wonder if all the ailments, annoyances, shortcomings and memory lapses were only happening to me. I was pleased to read the laundry list of post 50 faculties that change for most of us. This book is a hilarious affirmation that we are all in the same boat. A great read.

Geist's book had me laughing on each page; I couldn't read excerpts to my wife without breaking up -- in laughter, not the marriage. She, however, found him less funny than I did. DON'T waste time reading this, get Geist's "Big Five-Oh" and enjoy it.

Bill Geist tickled my aging funny bone with his no-holds barred look at reaching the milestone of 50. Approaching that milestone in September 1998, I was comforted in knowing that all of the parts of my body that are failing or getting bigger are not part of some conspiracy known only to me. Geist has written a laugh out loud expose of the horrors of reaching AARP age qualification. Ron Reich

Criminal justice professionals can take a break from their serious and often stressful work days, and relax with a chuckle over Michael Weinberg's rankings of assorted criminal activities. Whether the type of crime is well known or rare in the everyday work of policing, prosecuting, or incarcerating, those working in these fields will get a well rounded perspective on how rewarding the crime is to the criminals they confront on a daily basis. Rating scores for compensation, enforcement penalties, hazards, and quality of work environment for various crimes gives the law enforcement professional a thoughtful look at what the criminal faces. In addition to his potential for success, there are the hoped for pitfalls that police officers are always on the lookout for. Careers in Crime also provides the prosecutor or watch commander with a handy conversation piece on their office desk.

The general reader will get a glimpse of the challenges that law enforcement faces without the tedium of dry statistics. And the criminal-to-be will see that many choices of crime have poorer outcomes than they may imagine, although one wonders how well they execute their career choices.

A must read for everyone on any side of crime!

This book is so well done, that at a first glance it's hard to tell whether this guy is joking or not. Either way, this hilarious compilation of 50 criminal jobs made the perfect gift for the guy in my life who already thinks he's a spy. I just hope he doesn't get any crazy ideas about a new career path!

I've never seen a book quite like this. In one sense, it's a parody of the bizillion over-serious career advice books out there. At the same time, it contains more inside information, anecdotes and hard data on criminal occupations than the 1,000 or so other true crime books I've read combined! This is the ULTIMATE gift book for anyone interested in criminals, careers on just plain laughs.

Michael Weinberg seems to know just a little too much about a life of crime. 'Careers in Crime: An Applicant's Guide' ranks 50 activities in terms of what each illegal occupation requires, the chances of getting arrested, potential compensation, and the stresses and hazards of the job. Written in an entertainingly faux-serious style, it presents interesting facts and anecdotes about the crooked life. For example, if you're considering becoming a mercenary, Weinberg wants you to know 'Extended visits to foreign lands can provide cultural enrichment, but battlefields are often uncomfortable places, and mercenaries typically work long hours under extraordinarily challenging physical and psychological conditions....' And while meth lab operators have to worry about explosions, fires, and inhaling toxic fumes, money launderers are more likely to worry about finger and eye fatique from having to count large stacks of bills by hand. (Poor dears!) In addition to being a great novelty gift -- think of how much fun it would be to hand this over to a recent graduate while their horrified parents look on -- 'Careers in Crime' could also be useful for fiction writers who want to create a shady character or two they could use it to jump-start their research and figure out the best (or worst) life of crime for the character. Or if you're a goody-two-shoes like me you could buy the book simply to read for fun. More than once I picked it up intending just to flip through it and ended up settling back to read for a while. It's reassuring to know I've made some good choices in life. I don't like traveling enough to be a cigarette smuggler, I sunburn too easily to hang out outside all day dealing crack, and safecracking sounds way too stressful. Much better just to read about it.

"Careers in Crime" was compiled by Michael Weinberg, an editor of the actual Jobs Rated Almanac, as a tongue-in-cheek counterpart of job seekers' manuals. He hits it right on, and Careers in Crime is packed full of interesting information on prospects for hot, not-so-legal careers, with an emphasis on crime for profit (rather than passion.)

The tone is so deadpan that it usually hits closer to "dead serious"; the entries are all real-life, info-dense, and fact-based, and when you come upon a rare phrase or sentence that's obviously meant as humor it's jarring more than funny; but that aside. the writing is engaging and the content is continously fascinating.

The text is sprinkled with graphics, graphs, and visualizations, in the style of the books it parodies; unfortunately, (and, unfortunately, also true to the original) most of the graphs could have been textbook examples from "How To Lie With Statistics" - I don't doubt the data is good, but always take a second look at how it's presented. My only other minor quibbles are with the typesetting - the columns are small and the letterspacing can change so much it interferes with reading. There's also a hidden but unfortunately clear assumption assumption in many entries that Weinberg's reader is male - a section assessing romantic prospects simply assumes that a high proportion of male practictioners is *bad* for dating prospects, and then there's the (highly stupid) Prison Wife article, which beyond its bewilderingly bowdlerized title, again completely ignores a woman's experience.

That said - this was a fun book, and full of great information which I would have been hard-pressed to know where to look for elsewhere. If you've ever watched a TV crime drama or read a suspense novel and thought "do people *really* do that for money?", this book has the answers. It's going on my reference shelf to stay.

The words rang true, and my laughter rang loud. This book was enjoyable throughout. As a new father, this was a gift from my co-workers. It helped me keep a little perspective on the otherwise overwhelmingness of it all. Getting ready for fatherhood was a busy time, so one good thing is I was able to read it in small doses when I found time. My wife enjoyed it too. It's good to know others are going through the same emotions and craziness as you!

I gave it to my husband to read and he said everything in it is true, but would have enjoyed it better before the baby was born.

I got this for my husband, but I read it straight through first and loved it. The author has a knack for intelligent humor that shines right through to the truth. Easy to read in short spurts during the first year.

If you are single or married, female or male, childless or have a dozen kids to your credit (poor credit rating no doubt!), you will love this book. Like all great humorists, Jeff Yoder keeps his tongue implanted in his cheek by making you laugh at the awful truth. Through hilarious examples of what men and women go through in having children, the beauty of the book lies in Yoder's recognition and understanding that few things in life could possibly surpass the benefits of fatherhood. Everyone needs to read this book to better appreciate your children, your parents and the real meaning of life. Enjoy!!

Jeff Yoder has managed to create a testament to fatherhood that straddles the macho male, the enlightened male, the besotted father, the exhausted and cranky father, the wry dad, and the political satirist all at once.

If you know anyone who ever was a father, had a father, or will be one-or is thinking of teaming up with one-you will be doing them a favor by giving them this book. It will let them know that thinking they'll lose their mind as well as their sleep and their sex life doesn't mean they will or that they are crazy. This book will let them know they are not alone and that crises and insanity are temporary and, eventually, grist for hilarious reminiscence.

It also gives us women some insight into what a stretch fatherhood is for men these days-just as it is for most of us! Women too will love this book as I did.

I bought a dozen of the books for father's day.

If this is what Yoder can do with raising babies, I can't wait to see what he'll write about raising teenagers.

hilarious book, a great break from the serious parenting books. we laugh so hard we were crying.

I just read this book at a friend's house and ordered several copies to give as gifts for new parents. I laughed to the point of crying, just the thing new parents need to lighten the load of a new baby.

This would be a great baby gift for new parents-to-be, especially dads-to-be. It really is cute, and occasionally caused me to laugh out loud. I bought it for myself and will pass it on happily to the next set of friends who are expecting, but I wouldn't buy it for myself again.

This has got to be the all time funniest thing I have EVER read! And I'm an English/Poetry grad student, I read a LOT!

Besides the humerous stuff worth its weight in gold, it doesn't have to be read straight through, you can just open it to any random page and read something - a little or a lot, it's all good!!

Being a new parent is tough, and a lot of times depressing and demoralizing. This is the PERFECT pick-me-up. It's even more funny-cuz-it's-true when you have more kids!

This book is highly recommended, for you or for anyone you know with babies.

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard! Wasson's parody of parenting strikes at the truth so many times -- I saw reality written all through this satire. Plus, a thought I will often ponder: My parents could have spared me the problem of encountering multiple other Carlies in school by naming me Carlee or, for that matter, Carleeeee. I mean, seriously. Why didn't they think of it? =) Read this book, you just might laugh so hard that people will think you're sobbing.

I just hate bogus reviews (rounded up by the author -- author's friends, etc.) These are 1 time reviewers, no other reviews in their history on Amazon and from what I can see in LA. So I won't buy this book.

This book is hysterical, & by hysterical, I mean brutally honest and insightful. True, I'm not a woman, but as a gay man I think Wendy's advice translates perfectly. If you read only one book this year, read this one, then smack yourself in the head, you should read more. You're probably not going to meet Mr. Right anyway and at least you'll have read a book.

Brilliant!! This is the perfect gift for a woman with a real sense of humor.
Any harsh critic would love this book! I did, and then got one for all
my friends. If you like the Daily Show, Sedaris, or laughing...this is it!

Okay, first let me say that my wife bought this book. Not me. But after suffering through the platitudes of all her self-help twaddle that has pushed my Tom Clancy novels off the bookcase, I thought I'd give this thing a chance. And it is actually hilarious.


Imagine my embarrassment when she caught my laughing out loud at one of her dumb "women's books". Now I'm terrified that she's going to draft me for her book club and make me read Oprah's latest selection (What? Toni Morrison has ANOTHER book?).

No, I'm ashamed to say that this pretty sharp satire, and you don't have to be a lady to get it. Good stuff.

I usually hate laughing, but this book made me laugh and cry at the same time. There is truth everywhere and when it's the funny kind of truth, it's the best kind of truth. Read it-- unless you're too scared in which case you should have someone else read it to you. Also I am a boy, so many parts of this book both confused and frightened me.

This is a good book to get.You'll see the following:

more of Garfield's dog put-downs! more gluttony more adventures and of course: more lasagna

So if you're a true Garfield fan like me get this book

Garfield is one of my favorite comic book characters. I highly reccomend this one!!!

Garfield Forever!!!

This was the funniest collection I have read yet! Poor Odie

Garfield Eats His Heart Out (#6) contains all daily comics from June 8, 1981 through January 10, 1982. The Second Garfield Tresury contains all of #6's sunday strips in color.

There is nothing funnier than an fat, orange tabby cat with black stripes sleeping thirteen hours a day (or more), stuffing his face fat full of food, and getting stuck in a tree. When I read my morning paper, the first thing I go to is the comic section and read my daily Garfield strip. I own all 40 books of collections of Garfield strips from the last twenty five years. The animation in Garfield's first few years is a bit on the crude side but he was still funny nevertheless. It is weird seeing Garfield physically evolve until "Garfield Takes the Cake" and "Garfield Eats His Heart Out". I think Jim Davis really defined Garfield's appearance in the 5th and 6th books. Jim has yet to fail me with Garfield's antics. I love it when Jon puts Garfield on a diet or tries to go on a vacation without his lazy cat. Of course what is Garfield without a visit from Nermal, the world's cutest kitten? One of my personal favorite moments in the book is when Jon wakes up and is startled to see Garfield wearing his reading glasses. Another great moment is when Jon and Garfield visits Jon's parents on the farm, and Garfield falls into a pig waller and gets covered in mud. Garfield is hilarious when he makes some snide remark about his girlfriend Arlene's gap between her teeth. There is never a shortage of laughs in any Garfield book. Jim Davis never seems to fail me with his abilities to make me laugh through his famous fat cat.

I enjoyed and recommend this book because Merriam writes from the point of veiw of a person living in the situation, not of one looking down on it. She portrayed things the way they were then, and sadly, the way they are now.

This book powerfully and accurately portrays the struggles of the inner city and the attitudes of those who have not experience or turn away from the very real problems. This is a wonderfully written and illustrated book, revealing the many truths behind the apparent innocence of nursery rhymes that originated from rich white societies.

While the language of Eve Merriam's Inner City Mother Goose seems shocking at first glace, it is a very accurate depiction of the happenings in the inner city. As a future educator, I firmly believe that the words in this book can be used to reach these less fortunate children far better than the book's counterpart. Not only did Merriam's book create contoversy, but it created a bridge for those who live in that world to those who have not experienced it. The language is depictive of the society, and Diaz's illustrations and use of color illuminate the child's eye view of their world. This book is a required reading for any person who deals with children from this background in order to not only gain a better understanding of the child, but of your own world.

Dubbed a "powder keg" by LIBRARY JOURNAL when it was first published in 1969, THE INNER CITY MOTHER GOOSE is probably Eve Merriam's most influential, provocative, and controversial book. It was the source of two musical plays, INNER CITY, which opened on Broadway in 1971, and STREET DREAMS, which opened in 1982, the same year a new edition of the book was released. A third edition, with an introduction by poet Nikki Giovanni, was published in 1996.

Like the original Mother Goose rhymes, THE INNER CITY MOTHER GOOSE delivers social and political commentary. It is less subtle than Mother Goose rhymes, however. It will take many readers outside their own neighborhoods -- and their own comfort zones -- as it vividly depicts the brutal reality of life in contemporary urban areas: the poverty, the violence, the oppression, the filth, the corruption, the desperation. Still, readers are likely to recognize that they share many dreams with the INNER CITY characters: for love, fairness, education, a decent home, gainful employment.

Many of the rhymes echo the words and/or the rhythm of familiar Mother Goose rhymes, creating the illusion of playfulness and innocence. Often the last line of a poem takes an unexpected twist that ambushes the reader as if he or she were being mugged on a dark street.

Eve Merriam said, "I have been told that THE INNER CITY MOTHER GOOSE was at one time the second most banned book in the country. I didn't write it for children. It was never intended to be a children's book. But it has percolated down, certainly to high school and junior high."

THE INNER CITY MOTHER GOOSE offers much food for thought and discussion -- from the forms it mimics to the social situations it portrays. Teen and pre-teen readers might need guidance to distinguish between a lifestyle described and a lifestyle endorsed.

I first heard Eve Merriam's "The Inner City Mother Goose" in 1971, when it was part of the Oral Interpretation performed by Richard Quezada that won the New Mexico State Speech contest. Rick had a wonderful deep voice, the sort that radio DJs would die for, and he made these poems really come alive. Today people get all excited by politically correct fairy tales, but for our generation it was Merriam turning nursery rhymes on their head to reflect the realities of the urban ghetto that were a sign of the times. These are not parodies, but telling satires that take beloved nursery rhymes as their point of departure. Most of the time her starting points are perfectly clear, as with "Simple Simon, "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick," and "If." Besides, not all of her reference points are nursery rhymes, because you will also see the echoes of Christmas carols (e.g., "Twelve Rooftops Leaping"). Other poems simply are in the general style of children's rhymes, albeit with more serious intent (but then remember, "Ring Around the Rosie" was about the Black Death).

The language of some of these poems was shocking back in 1969, but, of course, today these words would not cause a ripple on a rap album. However, what is important is that here we are decades later and do any of us doubt that the world of which this poems speak still exists? This volume contains the text of the 1982 expanded edition, with a new introduction by poet Nikki Giovanni, and ten full-color paintings by David Diaz. Final Note: You know, the "real" Mother Goose (Elizabeth Vergoose) is buried in Boston's Old Granary Burial Ground, along with the victims of the Boston Massacre, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere. Given her final resting place is amongst the patriots of the American Revolution, no, I do not believe she is spinning in her grave over Merriam's poems.

I wasn't expecting too much from this book, but between the unexpected stress of my simple wedding and my true awe/suspicion of Martha Stewart's abilities, it just struck a chord (particularly the segment about silverware). I would highly recommend this book for any wedding party that is finding stress in the most insignificant aspects of their wedding.

This is one of the most fun books to pass around when your friends are over. It's great for humorus wedding gifts, showers and the like. Martha may not be quite the tower of perfection she once was, but sometimes it's fun to kick at (in this case, a formerly 'hot') dog when she's down. No harm done - lots of fun.

Uhh....it's almost TOO well done!!! The subtlety, the sarcasm. Martha herself would be proud of the ideas and craft concepts presented. You will find yourself laughing out loud. Fits perfectly on my coffee table next to my real "Living" magazines. HAHAHAHAHAHA

A friend bought this book for me as a joke because i like Martha Stewart so much. it is incredibly funny!its just like her magazine and books. id reccomend this book to anyone who either thinks martha is too much or loves her! id rate this book 5 "ha ha's"

This book is hillarious! It isn't written by the REAL Martha Stewart- it's a parody of her work. I loved the part where the bridemaids' dresses are purposely ordered several sizes too small :) Refreshing and a welcome relief from the weight of wedding planning, I think every bride-to-be should have a copy of this to see her through the most difficult stages of pre-wedding chaos. Even if you're not a bride, I'm sure anyone can relate to the comic situations that are so wonderfully illustrated and laughed at. :)