Goodnight Bush: A Parody
by Erich Origen, Gan Golan
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Book Reviews of Goodnight Bush: A Parody
Book Review: Pathetic.
Summary: 2 Stars
Erich Origen and Gan Golan, Goodnight Bush (Little, Brown, 2008)
Why, exactly, do I find myself surprised that Goodnight Bush is not a gentle parody of Goodnight Moon, but a whiny book by political activists? Which, in all honesty, I probably would have been amused by were it not for Origen and Golan's afterword, which talks about how nightmarish Goodnight Moon actually is. They're right, of course; when it comes right down to it, kid-friendly media is chock full of stuff that's geared to give kids nightmares. (Watch some of those old Disney movies again through adult eyes.) Goodnight Moon is a little more subtle about it, to be sure, but there's all sorts of odd little quirks in that book that, taken at face value, would make any kid question the validity of reality. What bugs me is not only that Origen and Golan do not see this as a good thing, they feel the need to stretch to "the unquestioning acceptance of the structure of Goodnight Moon has led us straight to the evil fascist dictatorship under which we now live". (No, that is not a direct quote.) Which would be all well and good if the idea behind the dissociative state that pervades Goodnight Moon were not "you know, you should be questioning this stuff". The fact that Goodnight Moon was W's favorite kid's book is irrelevant (unless you're Origen and Golan); after all, it was also the favorite kid's book of millions of other kids, most of whom will never get to be president. Pretty small data sample you got there, guys. Perhaps you should have asked yourself, before putting that out there for all the world to laugh at, how many kids whose favorite book was Goodnight Moon grew up to be liberals.
I do have to give it some props for actually being a pretty faithful take on the original, graphics-wise, though they could have done so much more with the Osama who took the place of the mouse. * ½
Book Review: Great, albeit dark political humor
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are politically conscious, knowledgeable and concerned about the actions of former President George W. Bush, then you will find this book disturbingly funny. The scenario is George W. Bush in a flight suit lying on a bed and in the process of saying some evening remembrances. The text is a series of "Goodnight . . . " phrases, some of which are:
*) Goodnight towers
*) Goodnight balance of powers
*) Goodnight constitution
*) Goodnight democracy
*) Goodnight privacy
All of which refer to actions taken by the Bush administration that were of questionable legality or even effectiveness.
There is a great deal of subtlety in the sequence of images of George W. Bush lying on his bed and you must look closely to see them all. Some of the sub-images are:
*) Vice President Dick Cheney in a rocking chair in the role of a parent
*) A fox
*) Broken toy soldiers
*) An elephant in a sexual position astride a donkey
*) A painting of war profiteers
The best parody is an expression of genius, which is how I would describe this short book.
Book Review: Goodnight Marvin K.
Summary: 4 Stars
It is said that Dr Suess wrote Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! about Richard M. Nixon. It is a tribute to Suess that he could constrain his political fury within the nonsensical rhymes of an enduring children's book.
Here there is no attempt to lay the message "between the lines" as the Peter Paul & Mary suggested in I Dig Rock And Roll Music (Remastered LP Version). So what we have is the kind of heavy handed political parody that Larry might have read to Dharma every night, if only W. had been around the White House instead of defending the Texas-Oklahoma border in a real flight suit.
But the book, in these final days, is both cute and pointed. Perhaps in ten years or so when we have put this "long national nightmare" behind us the book will gather dust on our shelves. Until then it reminds us of lost innocence. Not the lost innocence of childhood but of an American nation.
Book Review: Goodbye Bush
Summary: 5 Stars
A friend of ours bought us this book, and what a wonderful gift it is! I have it on the coffee table - for everyone to read and ponder. For those who don't know or have forgotten Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon, I recommend keeping a copy of her book close by. I got mine from the public library.
What is the best part of this book? It's impossible to choose. The polar bear rug by the bedside table is high on my list, as is Cheney sitting in the rocking chair, wearing his crooked smile and bunny slippers. Every time I go through the book I find some new little detail that I missed before. Watch the scales balancing church and state on the mantelpiece. Watch the lines of fine powder on the bedside table. This is a book that must be read - as the mills of God grind - "slowly ... yet exceedingly small".
The two pages most appropriate for these days' news: "Goodnight bubble bursting in air"; "And goodnight piggy beyond repair."
Everyone should keep a copy of this book. Lest we forget....
Book Review: Amazingly Well Done
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, so your politics probably need to lean in this direction for you to be able to appreciate this one. Having said that, this book is a very clever poignant critique of the last seven years. What really impressed me is how well done it was. I actually purchased the original Goodnight Moon as well and read (looked at) them side by side. Much like Goodnight Moon, the subtle embedding of images within images is impressive. It's one where you keep finding new things the longer you look at each panel. That's pretty much where the similarity with the original ends though.
I will mention, as the authors and most of the other reviewers have, that unlike Goodnight Moon, this is not a children's book. It is a harsh political criticism, complete with the WTC, hurricane Katrine, torture and a lawyer hunting vice president.
I guess my take home message is that if you are not viscerally disgusted with the last seven years, you probably don't need or want to read this one. But if you are, this is clever and well done--if disturbing.