I Am America (And So Can You!)
by Stephen Colbert
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Book Reviews of I Am America (And So Can You!)
Book Review: I am America (and so can you)! Stephen Colbert
Summary: 5 Stars
This book -- beautifully bound and, not a surprise, cleverly penned -- is not for everyone. Here's how I know. My 95-year old mother, a huge fan of THE COLBERT REPORT, mentioned wanting to buy this book. I told her to wait for a special occasion and that I'd buy it for her. The "special occasion" came soon after when she had successfully passed the written portion of the California driver's test (yes, you read that right, her driver's test at 95!), so, as promised, I ordered Colbert's book from Amazon. My mother was ecstatic to receive the book and began reading it the night it arrived. Next day when I was talking with her by phone, I asked her how she liked the book. "Oh, my lord, Ann. You wouldn't believe the language in the section on sports. I can't even begin to describe what I mean, but -- and I don't want you to feel bad -- I just don't think I can finish this thing! This guy must be crazy. I can't imagine what in the world he was thinking about when he wrote it." Okay, my curiosity piqued, I bought the book (another victory for you, Stephen!) and read the section mentioned (Please note that my mother is the type who can find THE ONE vulgar word in a 5,000 page treatise, and she is also one who does not start at the BEGINNING of the book; rather, she sort of scouts it out for "bad words."). Oops. Not a proper book for a nonagenarian, I'd submit or, rather, not one for a PROPER nonagenarian, in any case! Let this review be a word to the wise and maybe a smile as well to you children of parents in their 90's. As for me, I loved the book. How does he do it? Ann Woody, San Antonio, TXBook Review: If Colbert said that...maybe you should think about it!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Colbert is one of the best satirists around today. In a time when we are being continually bombarded with absolute nonsense from politicians ( sure we have always been always subjected to these types,but never have they been so entrenched.Where politicians got turfrd out quite regularly in the past,they have made such a career out of it now,that it would be easier to move the Rock of Gibraltar a mile than to change one of them ;or their minds one iota.)
Whether you are hearing about racism,gay rights,global warming,American Imperialism,media bias,world government,the left or the right,America's enemies,class warfare,education,sexual exploitation,religion and on and on; Colbert is a master at stopping the nonsense being spouted,and setting the issue back on a path of reality.
There is abaolutely no point at all in trying to reason with demagogury,soapbox oratory,delusion or outright stupidity in any other fasion but with the satire it deserves.As you read Colbert's ideas you are stopped in your tracks and can't help but see the hilarity of what is going on. It takes a person with the talanted insight of Colbert to see through the fog of it all and in one instant expose the nonsence.
We have a lot to learn from Colbert, and when we see the rubbish,twaddle,bunk,bilge,drivil,tripe,gibberish,guff,bombast,claptrap, hogwash,hokum,blather,piffle,poppycock,tommyrot,and yes, outright lies and deception come flowing at us like water over the top of Niagara Falls;stop and think of things the way Colbert does,and your life can once again become normal,enlightened and above all else enjoyable.
Book Review: Imitation as the sincerest form of ridicule
Summary: 4 Stars
From the moment I first saw Stephen Colbert's fully realized conservative pundit character, I thought it was brilliant through and through. With the legions of pompous, flag-waving yahoos out there posing as political commentators in order to sell books and ad slots, the phenomenon was overripe for a skewering. Colbert pokes them with his pen-sword mercilessly, playing with their bag of tricks like Houdini debunking phony spiritualists (which most conservative pundits might well qualify as, from a certain perspective).
What makes Colbert's schtick so good is that he plays it so straight. A middlebrow Right-winger picking up this book who'd never heard of S.C. would read for a good while before realizing the mockery at work. In the Religion chapter, he says America is a nation based on Judeo-Christian values--but qualifies that as a slight misnomer in that it suggests Jesus and Moses are equal. If you think of it like Sears & Roebuck, Moses is Roebuck. Your average Mall of America shopper is as likely to nod in agreement as crack a smile at that.
If you get with the Colbert brand of court-jestering, you'll laugh (and nod... and shake your head) at this book. Parts are just OK, parts are pure genius, but it hits the mark again and again. I particularly enjoyed the appendix which reprints his 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner speech--which will go down in history as perhaps the greatest bit of Naked Emperor-spotting of any age.
And, no, I have no "facts" or "statistics" or "research" to back that up. I just feel it in my gut.
- mattmchugh.com
Book Review: Mostly mean but not wicked
Summary: 3 Stars
In "I am America," Stephen Colbert does his standard shtick, for 200+ pages. He poses as a hyper-right wingnut who devalues gays and women but adores war and George W. Bush. Lots of the humor comes from asides, typed into the margins, that either amplify or contradict the material in the main part of the text. Once in a while, there are "Stephen Speaks for Me" sections, which are essays purportedly written by average Americans (such as an vulgar and obnoxious football fan) who share Colbert's outlook. There are also Fun Zone game sections to break up the book.
When the book first came out, I didn't think that Colbert's character could sustain my interest for so many pages. Unexpectedly, there were a few LOLs in the first chapter. Colbert is best when his persona delivers unexpected flights that connect to real issues via an unexpected pathway. His aside that "Messy houses drive boys into the arms of bald musclemen with earrings," under which was the image of bald muscleman Mr. Clean, was a classic that unexpectedly linked the gay "threat" with an benign cultural figure. But after Chapter 1, Colbert just got tiring. His comments are predictably unpredictable, and he plays the un-PC card until it falls to pieces. The only thing that would make this book funny is if it reached beyond mere imitation of the hyper-squeaky right to something more profound and lopsided. Kind of what he managed when he roasted "W" at the National Press Club.
There's a fine line between crudity and sublime social commentary. Sadly, for the most part, Colbert stays well shy of that line.
Book Review: Welfare dad
Summary: 1 Stars
Two things I find amazing about this guy - 1, he never comes out of character or at least I have never seen him out of character and 2, he changed the pronunciation of his last name to sound what..., French?
I guess I'm considered a Welfare Dad because I didn't buy this garbage, I borrowed it, the CD version, from a friend at work (now I have to reconsider my friendship because my buddy actually thinks this guy is funny). Anyway, after listening to about half the first disc I can honestly say that I haven't even cracked a smile yet. Obtuse cynicism at its worst is all I can call this excuse for a book. Certainly anybody that thinks this is funny, humorous, poignant or sarcastic wit hasn't read or listened to any real humor.
The thing that bothers me most about Colbert (pronounced col-burt and not col-bear) is that I have never seen him out of character leaving me to believe that this guy is really the cynical idiot he portrays himself to be and wondering if he actually applies his value system to his own life. I don't know much about him nor do I care too but I only hope that his family isn't affected by his view of life.
I always read the worst reviews first to see what people have to say negatively about something before I make my decision. I am honest enough to say that I'm not a fan of this guy - I really can't stand him - but I figured hey, he's supposed to be a comedian so let's see how funny he is - well - he ain't funny!!!!