Jon Stewart (1) (1962–)

Ah, a simpler time, when our worries about the chief executive were idiocy, rather than mendacity and sedition. This faux high-school civics text covers the development of our governmental system and its components in nine highly entertaining and thought-provoking chapters.

A very funny book and, along with Steve Martin's "Pure Drivel" and Chris Buckley's "Wry Martinis", my impetus to write my first (quite sloppy) collection of essays on pop culture, "Smirking into the Abyss".

Jon juxtaposes some great cultural icons, such as the correspondences between Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, Vincent Van Gogh trying to communicate with his brother in an internet chat room, The Last Supper taking place in a trendy restaurant, Hitler guesting on "Larry King", and my show more favorite, the progression of the yearly 'Christmas form letter' from the mom of the kids from Hanson.

The only pitfall is, as with any pop culture-driven book (as I quickly learned) is that the shelf-life can be very brief, so some references are stale, unless you can take yourself back to the late 90's as you read to appreciate the pith with which Jon nails the reference. But, for the most part, the pieces hold up remarkably well. This is a very funny book. show less

America the book is freakin' hilarious. No, seriously, hilarious. Yes, it points out some failings in democracy and the particular problems with Re...ehem....I mean, partisanship, but this book is also a great testament to the free speech, free media, and the unrestricted access to information by which these jokes were able to circulate. I think that Jon Stewart is a very intelligent man, and, although this satire might offend some, to me, this book is not about the flaws in the system, but show more the social problems we all must face as human beings living together on this planet. I recommend this read to all of those who want to learn (unfactual) information about presidential nicknames, the real duties of cabinet members, and what hijinks democratic nations will be up to in the future. show less

I'm a huge fan of Jon Stewart and this book has been laying around begging to be read for quite some time. Because I'm lazy I got the audiobook which turned out to be a huge win. It's narrated by Jon Stewart, The Daily Show correspondents (including my two favorites: John Oliver and Jason Jones), and the ever surprising Sigourney Weaver. It is a funny visitor's guide to Earth with hilarious FAQs, summaries, and explanations for the way humans "rule" Earth. History, technology, religion, and show more the environment are just a few of the subjects that get delved into. The only thing I missed out on by listening to the audiobook is all the sweet pictures and diagrams, but oh well. At times laugh out loud funny, but also, a little too easy to put down. show less