Bill Maher

In the early 2000s, Bill Maher lost his TV show for saying that it's simply incorrect to refer to the acts of the 9/11 hijackers as "cowardly" because however evil the goal, deliberately hurdling toward one's own death to achieve it takes guts. This is self-evidently true, but you weren't supposed to say such things in George W. Bush's America, and Maher had to find a new network. Apparently to this day you have to present as a comedian to say this kind of thing, like a jester in a medieval show more court. In any case here we have over three hundred pages adapted from the monologues at the end of Maher's show, saying true things that few other people can get away with saying, peppered with plenty of straight-out jokes so that everybody knows he's a comedian and is allowed to say stuff.

No one is going to agree with all the positions Maher stakes out, but his appeal lies not only in his extraordinary talent to say things straight out (while being pretty funny at the same time) but in the fact that almost everyone will soon run across something that they believe themselves but don't really want to say. Isn't it sad that we're all in this position? show less

This was an uncomfortable book to read. Although I read it about 6 years later than I should have, it is still very much worthwhile. If you can't read with an open mind, it will only piss you off, regardless of your political leanings. There is something here to offend nearly anyone.

I call it an uncomfortable book to read, because in reading Maher's short essays on a variety of topics, mostly related to the "war on terrorism" I find I must generally agree with them, even when they leave the show more finger of guilt pointing at myself. This is a book about the way we should behave - the way we should be. But like the instructions of Jesus, even if you accept in your heart of hearts that he is right, it will still be inimaginably difficult to follow the advice.

For any thinking American, this book should be required reading.

I commend Bill Maher for this book. I wish he were an advisor to the President. I only go with four stars instead of five because his humor is often out of place and sometimes unnecessarily offensive.

I am not much of a television viewer, and have never seen Maher's show. This book is my only exposure to him. show less

A print version of a monologue segment of his TV show, this second collection dates as far back as the end of the Bush II administration. His targets are largely political or cultural phenomenon, and while still very funny, parts of the book seem a little dated. Not all of the optimism shown ridiculing right-wing nut jobs has quite played out the way Maher (or the rest of the nation) had hoped. But there is still plenty of ammo which to ridicule and scorn conservatives, fundamentalists, and show more both. And for that, I must highly recommend the book. show less

This was an interesting book written post-9/11 that dealt with how culture has changed since WW-II/Vietnam, etc. The premise was that there is much more the common citizen can do than just "shop" to support the troops. Each section was prefaced with an old promotional poster doctored up to become relevant to modern times ("They Hate Us Because We Do Not Know Why They Hate Us", for example) followed by a section that elaborated upon what the poster said.

I enjoyed this book primarily due to show more its accessibility. Maher assumes that you are an idiot and, due to such, wrote the book in language that was very easy to understand. Each concept was thoroughly described and some funny jokes were had within the explanation. The book was read within an hour or so (there were some interruptions due to people coming into the apartment) but overall I felt that the book only confirmed my already held convictions.

So, it was an ok book, but overall was nothing special. show less