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Summary: Who'd Have Known ???
Review: I didn't even know Franken had a new book out till I read all the hoopla in the papers about the Fox network suing to prevent him from using,(of all things!),the words "fair and balanced".(Not to overuse these parentheses,but),(the suit had the effect of shooting the book from number 489 to number one on the amazon site.) Yikes !!!
Boy did they make a blunder. One that will reverberate through the political right wing and all the way up to the Presidency if there is any justice in this country.
Al and his (brilliant)Harvard student aides have crafted a book that is completely and devastatingly,(to conservatives),backed up by documentation as to what lies were told, by whom, and finally unimpeachable sources that show the lies were truly a part of the ("if not vast, then very, very large"), (Al's words), right wing conspiracy.
Do yourself and your book-sharing buddies a favor and spread this important book around!!! (Please...)
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Summary: A magnificent book. Mark Twain lives.
Review: I didn't expect a book that had received so much hype to be more than mildly amusing, but Al Franken has raised the bar for political satire with this effort. He proves that simply telling the truth about the right-wing blowhards who rule the airwaves can be hilariously uplifting. No one since Twain has deflated hypocrisy so deftly. I'm buying this book for friends and family. As the Bush bullies muddle from mis-adventure to quagmire, it's great to see writers like Franken and Joe Conason are finally setting the record straight.
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Summary: Too Pro-Democratic, but all too true
Review: I didn't find it particularly fair and balanced as far as the way it presented Clinton and Gore, but it's presentation of the right was pretty much bullet proof and irrefutable. Clinton was a lying lyar too, and although Franken acknowledges this, I think he presents a prettier picture of him than he deserves. There are plenty of negative reviews in this thread, which amount to little more than the whining they accuse Franken of. Not one has anything resembling a scholarly refutation. Michael Moore is biased for sure and shouldn't really be grouped with Al Franken. It's a good light read and well worth the time.
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Summary: Is this guy funny?
Review: I didn't find this book particularly funny, nor do I think that the writing style is very good. The book, starting with the title, has a juvenile name-calling frat-boy style. A premise that conservatives are liars and mean really don't hold a candle to this diatribe from a pretty much failed comedian. Great revues from the New York Times would be expected, but don't buy the book if you are a serious follower of politics. It's mean spirited and fluffy.
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Summary: But what can it contribute?
Review: I didn't finish this book. While I trumpet much of what Franken has to say, I don't give this book much more credit than many of the polemics that have cropped up on both sides of the political knife. While I give Franken decent marks for doing his homework and think his research is much sounder than many on the right, my main problem with this book is that it can only divide the populace. Its spirit is very much in line with the right's venomous attacks in print, lead by the vituperative Ann Coulter with the obvious difference being that he is attacking from the other side of the coin. Books such as this simply raise the price of mud.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe mudslinging is the vogue weapon of 21st century politics. I can certainly attest that George W. has angered me more than any other president of my time. Maybe the left needs its own shrill voices and we should elevate the Frankens and Michael Moores within the political demolition derby. Is there a large swath of people out there who only react to this type of book and will only be swayed by the sharp and pointed ends of attack words? Personally, I would rather read more studied and academic works that speak to real policy change that is needed. Where have you gone, common ground, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you?
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Summary: GO AL GO!
Review: I didn't just read this book. I absorbed it, inhaled it, soaked it up like a sponge. Al Franken brazenly---and hilariously---rolls back the I'm-more-patriotic-than-you veneer of certain conservative politicians and media pundits, revealing them for the lying and heartless pit of snakes they are.As funny as Al Franken is here, he is equally mad. And rightfully so. Certain politicians and their lapdogs in the media deserve the whuppin' they get in this sure-fire best-seller. It should be noted, however, that Al Franken takes care not to fire buckshot at the Republican party or the media as a whole. He's careful to go after the most rabid cases and the whoppers they tell. The deserving victims include Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Hannity and his benign sidekick (colmes), Bush, Cheney, and Ashcroft. They get it with both barrels. And Franken's ammo (read: sources) are impeccable. Like Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men" last year, "LIES" is poised become a major pain in the right wing's keester between now and the 2004 elections. Thanks, Al, for a job well done. You will enjoy a nice long ride atop the best-seller lists.
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Summary: Brilliant brilliant brilliant
Review: I didn't laugh until I cried... I laughed, and THEN I cried, over and over again -- because everything he says is true. Hilariously, heartwrenchingly true. And that's the point. At a time when everyone is too lazy or apathetic to check into the facts -- especially reporters -- Al and Team Franken (14 Harvard grad students) took the time to research and document the facts. They show how so many of these "fair and balanced" "journalists" not only lie, but create news stories out of those lies by repeating themselves and quoting each other, until the stories are picked up by mainstream journalists and then echo about in our airheaded political consciousness and ultimately shape public opinion and history (i.e. the Gore lying story, the one about Wellstone's memorial turning into a Republican-bashing event, the vandalism of the West Wing). This is a brilliant book based on what has become a radical idea: report the things these people say and then do good old-fashioned journalistic research to find out if there's any truth to them at all. I highly recommend this book for everyone at Fox News, the New York Post, the Washington Times and their ilk, who could really benefit from seeing how actual research is done. And as for the boys from Texas... thankfully, they're probably too arrogant/misunderestimating to read this (don't tell them we're catching on to their dirty tricks!).
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Summary: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced
Review: I didn't pay for the book and I am so thankful. Any body who pays for this trash will be upset. How can this guy get away with this slander and not get sued. Thank God for the freedom that Al can write this trash. We know how stupid he is. It was really hard to read this and not get upset with the fact of people will believe some of Al's lies. The Title might reflect Al's Autobiography. Be careful what you say, you might tell what you do on an everday basis.
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Summary: Franken is a weiner
Review: I didn't read this book, but Al Franken is a liberal weiner who has no logical bones in his body. I would never even consider reading this book because after viewing this idiot on television, I am convinced that he is as stupid as every other liberal in this country.
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Summary: Wothless
Review: I didn't think this guy was funny on SNL, and I don't think he's a good writer. This book is a waste of time and money. If you want something worthwhile, get the dvd "New Sex Now" and learn something you will enjoy!
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