The writing staff behind Comedy Central's popular fake news program makes its first foray into the world of fake publishing with this primer on American government, fashioned as a textbook complete with discussion questions and classroom activities.
Critic Reviews
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Outstanding
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Entertainment Weekly Scott Brown
America (The Book) is, without a doubt, the most ecumenical, evenhanded, and hilarious political satire since The Onion's Our Dumb Century.
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Outstanding
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Publishers Weekly
This humourous sendup of American politics never fails to entertain, poke fun and provoke thought. [6 Sep 2004, p.59]
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Outstanding
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San Francisco Chronicle David Kipen
A wickedly funny civics textbook that could keep even the most attention-deficient class clown from tuning out.
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Outstanding
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The New York Times Janet Maslin
'America'' can be opened at random, the way it will bein 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.
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Outstanding
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The New York Times Book Review Tom Carson
As with ''The Daily Show'' itself, the book's artfulness is in maintaining a balance between pointed satire of the political travesties and media bamboozling Americans should be fed up with and the sort of sublime silliness that implies equanimity.
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Outstanding
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The Onion A.V. Club Donna Bowman
The secret ingredient is point of view, and even, at times, a flash of partisan passion.
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Favorable
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Village Voice Joy Press
Like most Daily Show content, this stuff is thoroughly satirical yet could serve as a decent substitute for civics class in this underfunded No Child Left Behind era.
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Favorable
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Washington Post Warren Bass
It's not quite as funny as the show, though.
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Favorable
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Daily Telegraph Sam Leith
Like the Daily Show, it's slick, very funny, and slyly informative.
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Favorable
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The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Geoff Heinricks
America (The Book) owes much to the spirit and look of the classic late 1970s and early '80s issues of National Lampoon, and its earlier high school yearbook and Sunday newspaper parodies.
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Favorable
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Chicago Sun-Times Henry Kisor
America (The Book) will remind you of a Mel Brooks movie -- stretches of excruciatingly juvenile humor interspersed with brilliant satire.
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Favorable
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Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves
A bitingly funny look at American politics.
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