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The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (精装)
by Jon Stewart
| Category:
Politics, American politics, American history |
| Market price: ¥ 278.00
MSL price:
¥ 248.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
By far one of the most irreverent and wittiest political books you're likely to stumble upon. |
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AllReviews |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
America (The Book) will never be mistaken for the dry textbooks many of us used in high school. The book focuses on "the past, present and future of American democracy." This concept is covered in nine chapters:
1: Democracy Before America
2: The Founding of America
3: The President: King of Democracy
4: Congress: Quagmire of Freedom
5: The Judicial Branch: It Rules
6: Campaigns and Elections: America Changes the Sheets
7: The Media: Democracy's Valiant Vulgarians
8: The Future of Democracy: Four Score and Seven Years from Now
9: The Rest of the World: International House of Horrors
All of The Daily Show correspondents make contributions, ranging from what it's like in Canada, to photo expressions of TV journalists. Each chapter ends with Discussion Questions ("Which would you rather see being made: sausages or laws?") and Classroom Activities ("Take construction paper, trace you hand, and make a Turkey of Congress").
America is also a visual treat because of all the colorful graphics. You can play the Game of the Presidency, which is similar to another well-known board game. You can also dress the Supreme Court Judges who are unfortunately anatomically correct and in living color. (There is nudity and it is not pretty).
In response to criticism that the previous edition was filled with misinformation, Professor Schultz has corrected this edition. In the beginning, I found the red ink distracting but eventually my eyes adjusted. I would definitely recommend reading the comments because they are written in the same spirit as the book.
Unlike The Daily Show where the swearing is bleeped out, here it is left in. It didn't bother me but it may offend other readers.
America is witty, intelligent and irreverent as it examines the highlights and failures of our political system. If you are a fan of The Daily Show, this is a must read. It will have you laughing out loud and more importantly, have you stop, question and think.
Armchair Interviews says: This is one textbook that will not cause drowsiness!
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
There are few books out there that can make you think, laugh, and cringe at the same time. This is one of them.
First, let me say that I do watch The Daily Show on the Comedy Channel. It's witty, informative, and sometimes vile. I love it. In a time where the news media takes itself too seriously, or acts more like an entertainment venue than a forum for public information, The Daily Show is a breath of fresh air. So I was eager to pick up a copy of "America" and read.
There may be some worries on the part of Republicans (based on The Daily Show's left leaning style of reporting) that this book might be a bashing of their political base. It isn't. The bashing is spewed across an incredibly large landscape (yes, Republicans are in there, but so are the Democrats, the Independents, the Jews, the Supreme Court, publishers, radio and television, science, religion, and... oh God, there's just tons of potshots taken on every single page).
America The Book is about democracy, from its founding to the mess we currently find ourselves in - and there's even a look into what our future might hold: "Genetically "enhanced" children will talk at a younger age, be born toilet-trained and never get sick. They will also lack the capacity to love."
But we start out with Greece in the fifth century BC and travel a bumpy road full of aching democracies, until we reach the United States. Once in the mighty U.S., we begin to see our nation take flight (or at least glide a few feet before bouncing off the ground).
The thing that amazed me about the book is that it actually IS a textbook of sorts. A twisted textbook, but a textbook nonetheless. If you don't like reading a merry chorus of "F-yous" and the like - once in a while - be forewarned, they are in here. But if you don't mind that sort of language, and enjoy laughing and learning, you should pick up a copy.
The fact that you can flip to any page in this book and learn something about our great nation while tears of mirth drip down your cheeks is something not to be taken lightly.
Don't believe me?
Let's take a little test. I'm going to open the book to a random page right now. There! Let me see here... um... okay, here we go. Page 49. Quoting the President: On Honesty. "Martha, when I tell you I was helping Ms. Hemings move her bed against the wall, I mean precisely that." - Thomas Jefferson, August 20, 1785.
Now it might help to know a little bit of history, and if you do I'm sure you're chuckling at this made-up quote. But it's also incredibly informative in its own way. Ms. Hemings was a slave, and Thom Jefferson a slave owner who may have fathered children by her. Although this book makes light of the subject, it's also an effective way to learn (those that don't know about Ms. Hemings might be inclined to look her up on the internet after reading something like that. I wish THIS had been part of my reading assignments when I was in high school or college!).
That I could go on and on about how wonderful this book is shows its powerful and thought-provoking messages.
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Robert Moore (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
The brilliant thing about this book is that in poking fun at our comically inadequate response to the promise contained in the grand experiment founding our nation, it manages to encapsulate some of the most trenchant critique of what is wrong with our nation. What is amazing about this is that none of our national news media has been willing to do this in quite some time. I recently heard something truly sad: in polls of the factual knowledge by American television viewers, those who said that The Daily Show was their primary TV source of the news scored higher than the viewers of any other source. Jon Stewart himself would be the first to insist that this points up a great tragedy in contemporary American life.
So, this book succeeds on a number of levels. First and foremost, it is funny. I mean really, truly funny. A few of the jokes fall flat, but a shockingly large number strike home. From the very beginning, with the Foreword by Thomas Jefferson to the "Praise for AMERICA (THE BOOK) on the back cover, the book made me laugh.
But what makes the book brilliant is the dead-on criticisms it makes of the way the American experiment in democracy has gone wrong. Instead of a Jeffersonian spirit of democracy empowering the individual, we see the corporate appropriation of the democratic process through massive contributions to politicians and corporate ownership of the media outlets. And the free press, which ought to be safeguarding our interests through a vigorous discussion of government, more often than not gives our politicians a free pass even in cases where a president sends us off to war after lying about why we need to go to war. Though Stewart and his cohorts are clearly left leaning, the left is hardly left unscathed. If the Right is criticized for its catering to corporate American and the corporate owned media, the Left - well, what passes for the Left in America, which is actually more like the Right-Center in any other developed nation - is castigated for its gutlessness and unwillingness to rock the boat to help average Americans.
In the end, the point of the book is to point up what has gone wrong in our country, and maybe helping us to laugh about it at the same time. Perhaps we have gotten not the government we wanted, but merely the one we deserve. In the meantime, we can all laugh both at government and at ourselves. A brilliant book.
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E. Kelly (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
These days, you don't see many people with the interest or guts to do what Jon Stewart and his co-workers do. In America, the book, they aim to teach misinformed Americans what their government is really about. Many people don't actually know what the heck goes on in the government, nor do they care.
The book, filled with hilarious tidbits, great explanations, and well thought out presentations, aims to make the government interesting. It's got history, how the government works, modern day conflicts, theories, ideas, people, and what our Founders did for this great nation. It should be a book in every classroom and required reading for every citizen.
Jon Stewart and the authors of this book went out on a limb for this. They went against the grain and did what they knew was right. It's our duty as Americans to criticize the government. When there's something wrong and you have the ability to fix it, you have the responsibility to fix it.
Hopefully this has changed America.
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Arjun (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
I bought this book the other day, and I must say I can't put it down. I find that reading it is like watching an extra long episode of the Daily Show, which If you are like me, makes it all the more worth reading. Many reviews on this website criticize the book for not being "accurate" (such as Jimmy Carter never having a beard), whereas I would say that if you lack the intellectual capacity to differentiate between satire (FAKE NEWS) and an actual history textbook, you probably should go back to picture books and work your way up. This book is NOT meant to be an actual textbook. If you are reading this to learn about US history, save your time. If you can’t see that it is satirical in nature you just might be dumb enough to need The Book in the title, as a previous reviewer complained about. That being said, this book is incredible! At this price, it is a must own. |
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Silber (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
If you watch The Daily Show, then this book is specifically tailored for you. It reads like a high school text book-gone-wrong. Reading it is like watching a long, brilliant episode of The Daily Show, complete with articles from Stewart's television comrades. It takes the history of America and turns it on its head showing the hilarity of all the serious moments of the past billion years. I can't think of one serious moment in this book, yet, if you were to give it to a middle schooler, it may actually pass of as a text book to them. It's that well written in its satire. Pure, unbridled comedic genius. |
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Melissa Niksik (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction is Jon Stewart's abbreviated (and hilarious) take on the history of democracy. The book is set up like a textbook and includes "Discussion Questions" and "Classroom Activities." There are also special features like a board game similar to Life which chronicles a presidential term and a "Dress the Supreme Court" paper doll set that features nine court justices clad only in their birthday suits... YIKES!
Although Stewart takes a lot of comic liberties with the material, most of the historical information is surprisingly accurate. There's a pretty nasty chapter that takes a very harsh look at the media, a brief section devoted to how lucky Americans are compared to the rest of the world, and a humorous chapter that scrutinizes the 2004 presidential candidates.
All in all, America (The Book) is a fun and informative read... it's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to see from the creators of The Daily Show.
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Patrick Rice (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
I just finished reading through America and I truly enjoyed it. The book surprisingly contains a considerable amount of factual information. Of course, the little known and quirky facts are the most amusing. These "Were You Aware" segments are great.
The layout of the book is superb! It looks just like the history book that I had in school many years ago. From the "This Book is Property Of" stamp in the inside front cover to the "Certificate of Completion" at the end I think the authors really nailed it.
The games, word associations, and discussion questions are funny and if you are not careful, you will actually learn something.
As a professional photographer, I appreciate that they included the outtake photos from the book's cover shoot. Some of the photos with that eagle are very funny.
One final note. My daughter is in her second year of college and her history professor wanted to make this book part of the class criteria, but the school administration wouldn't allow it. When a University Professor feels there is enough valuable information in a textbook to consider it for a class, it must be a pretty good book.
It is a great book and I think most people will really enjoy it. |
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Mikhail (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
I only watch The Daily Show occasionally, but what I do see convinced me to get this book for Christmas. And the verdict? It's very funny. Almost overly funny. The book is so full of material that you get exhausted reading it, because EVERYTHING is important, even the sidebars and the foreword and the table of contents and all the little parts of a book that no one reads. You have to read these parts. There's even a flipbook car chase at the bottom corner of one of the chapters (which doesn't work well with the binding). Jon Stewart takes a whack at everyone, Republicans, Democrats, and other countries. So, if you're focused on political correctness or are easily offended, don't buy this book. Because a lot of it is offensive, in a funny way, but for example, the continuous use of the f-word became kind of tiring and detracted from the premise that the book is a fake textbook. The graphics also weren't very good and could probably have been left out. However, this book is even funnier if you know what a typical civics textbook is like, with all the horrible "Did You Know" blurbs and the inane discussion questions. These are much better, trust me. This book is a must for anyone who is sick of/irritated by the American political system and who doesn't mind a bit of humor that's in hilarious but poor taste (the pornography could have been left out - it makes a nice chapter summary but it's really disgusting). But if you read this book, read all of it! Every single word! Even the stamp on the inside of the front cover (hint). The captions, the sidebars, the table of contents, the discussion questions, everything. If you don't, you'll miss a lot of fun stuff. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
This book is a work of genius. The premise is brilliant (high school history textbook as authored by Jon Stewart & Co.) and it really delivers in the humor department. But not only that, it will actually make one THINK about the current state of our Union.
First off, a quick warning: Political machines and honored American institutions of every stripe get mercilessly lampooned in creative and profane ways throughout, so if you're a rabid fan of the Bush Administration (or conversely, an unfettered believer in the demogoguery that Michael Moore spews out) you ought to steer clear. While The Daily Show leans its satire more toward the left side of the aisle, America The Book takes no prisoners. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I love the layout, replete with little sidebars, margin "scribblings," diagrams, exercises, quizzes, discussion, etc. If it weren't for the vulgar wit sprinkled thoroughly within (not to mention p. 99... avoid if you do not wish to scar your retinas for life) you could use this as supplemental high school teaching material. It's a very insightful, spot-on, and unsanitized history of modern democracy and its foibles. Well, okay, somehow I doubt that Jefferson penned the original Declaration Of Independence on fuchia paper, but that's a minor quibble...
Favorite sections: "Recreate The Middle East," anything devoted to the Founding Fathers, Samantha Bee's U.S./Canada segments, Stewart's venomous shots at the American media, etc. etc. etc.
If you relish brilliant political satire and aren't too hung-up about defending your party of choice, this is a must. I haven't been this entertained in ages. |
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