"America: The Book" by Jon Stewart/Daily Show writers

[Rose Siding]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446532681/ref%3Dnosim/youwonnowwhat/103-5719680-6998263

The NYT write-up:
Politics 101, With All Its Spitballs and Sneers

In the midst of an especially bitter political season, the troublemakers at "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" can be seen regularly on Comedy Central, shamelessly exploiting current events for their own gain. Now this crew carries its mischief even further with a mock textbook that purports to describe American democracy. It tells us, among other things, that the Oval Office has no corners in which the president can be made to sit in if he shames the nation. It also tells us that if "The Daily Show'' had its way, the world would be a vastly funnier place.

In spirit, "America (The Book)" is a direct offshoot of "The Daily Show.'' A little of it is silly. ("If the president were the longest recorded flight by a chicken, he would be 13 seconds.") A little, like a picture that claims to show the Supreme Court justices naked, is just plain unforgivable. But the rest is the devil's own comedic handiwork, a side-splitting guide to the abuses and absurdities built into our political processes and institutions. The responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration, this book maintains, is to provide the second halves of prescription drug commercials, the parts about nausea and diarrhea.

"America'' can be opened at random, the way it will be in college dormitories when it becomes much loved and indispensable. But it can also be read straight through, thanks to sustained clever writing and a smart, durable premise. This brightly illustrated guide (with a handsome design by Pentagram) follows the rise of democracy from prehistoric man through the Ten Commandments given to the Israelites in 1300 B.C. ("Nothing bad ever happens to Jews again.") It moves on to early American history and then to the conundrums of the present day.

"I did some research," writes Rob Corddry, one of the show's hilarious on-the-air correspondents, "and it turns out if Betsy Ross was alive and sewing American flags today, she'd be a 13-year-old Laotian boy." The book also has Alexander Hamilton touting the Constitution as "the must-ratify document of the summer" and John Adams describing it as "a decent jumping off point" for a president.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/books/16masl.html

[dolo amber]

1. Omg....*snort!!*

From the Editorial Review...


"The book is laid out like a textbook, with "Discussion Questions" ("Why do you think the Framers made the Constitution so soul-crushingly boring?"), "Classroom Activities" ("Using felt and yarn, make a hand puppet of Clarence Thomas. Ta-da! You're Antonin Scalia!")..."

:D:D:D

[REP]

3. Wow - TDW and TDSWJS Fan

I thought I was that entire demographic!

They both rule, OK?

[LisaLynne]

2. Well ...

I was trying to cut down on frivolous purchases, but I'm off to Amazon right now. :)

Edited to add .. Not that I would call anything written by Jon Stewart frivolous ... He's my personal savior!

[Rose Siding]

4. kick

[Rose Siding]

5. and again

[smirkymonkey]

6. That Betsy Ross/Laotian Boy comment was such a tease...

now I MUST get the book! I am going broke on books alone!

[Rose Siding]

7. One more for the funny

[tedoll78]

8. YES.

I am so there. some of my unemployment benefits could be going this way in a little while. No coffee for me for a week!