Rating:  Summary: Save yourself some dough: Go to the website. Review: As an avid reader of The Onion, I found this book, a repackaging of old articles from the Onion, nothing special. A much larger, and much better, archive of old articles can be found by going to the website. The only purpose of this book is to provide a quick follow-up on the heels of the highly successful "Our Dumb Century". However, where "Our Dumb Century" was tremendously thought out and very well executed satire, this slapdash affair of seemingly randomly chosen past articles is best left out of your bookcase. I was lured in by the possibilities of a new book by The Onion. You, however, need not make the same mistake. When satirists become the very same money-hungry media moguls they were put on earth to poke fun at, you can be pretty sure their humor is going to come out pretty stale. This book is good for anybody who does not have access to a computer but enjoys ripping satire. I have no idea who those people would be but, if you are reading this, you are obviously not one of them. I recommend going to a bookstore, picking it off the shelf and paging through it. It won't take long to read the articles you enjoy. However, the chapter introductions by T. Herman Zweiber aside, you've read it all before.
Rating:  Summary: Good for a gift, but not for a fan Review: Here's a review that is on the average star. If you don't read the Onion, consider this a five star review. If you do read The Onion it's a three star review. Why? It's just a bunch of rehashes of stories that were funny once, but don't hold up. Also problematic are the editorials. They are amusing but they don't hit the laugh-out loud hilarity of the rest of the articles. The only consistantly funny part of the editorial portion are the "What do you think" which always hits the maddeningly inarticulate and useless statements of the "man on the street" interviews perfectly. So buy it for someone that you know doesn't read The Onion, but if you want to read an Onion book, buy Our Dumb Century.
Rating:  Summary: Great stuff, as usual Review: Hey, it's the Onion. I laughed all day. This is incredibly funny.
Rating:  Summary: Hilarious Review: I discovered The Onion (its website) by accident, one day while searching on the Internet. And I was instantly hooked. The site is incredibly funny, and satirical and points the right amount of fun and directed political commentary at the key issues making the headlines. This is is simply important reading. While it is important to keep abreast of the serious journals and commnetary, its important to remember that satire and comedy are often as illustrative and explanatory than the serious stuff. Highly recommended.
Rating:  Summary: "Uhhh...blanket. Muhhh." Review: If you loved the old "National Lampoon," but felt it never got quite nasty enough, then "The Onion" is for you. Its parodies of news stories and newspaper columns are always good for a laugh, but sometimes can get savage in the style of Jonathan Swift in his "Modest Proposal" period. Good cases in point are JonBenet Ramsey's letter from Heaven and the op-ed piece, "It's Not a Crack House, It's a Crack Home." But if those are not to your taste, you can always read about Bill Gates patenting ones and zeroes, or researchers' conclusion that babies are "incredibly stupid," or inimitable advice columns such as "Ask a Faulknerian Idiot Man-Child." I take personal umbrage that a few favorites of mine from theonion.com didn't make it into this book, such as Jesse Helms and Tristan Tzara joining to fight the National Endowment for the Arts, or Wal-Mart opening a store in Winesburg, Ohio. But that's the way the ball bounces, and all I can do is repeat the headline quote from former President Reagan (as it appeared in The Onion, of course!).
Rating:  Summary: Hilarious satire, but not for everyone Review: If you're familiar with The Onion, you know what sort of mind-blowing, biting humor is in this book, and you know whether you like it or don't like it. If you're among the many who were given a copy of "Our Dumb Century" last holiday season, you have a pretty good idea of the absurdist social/cultural satire you can find in this book, and you might be interested in reading their take on more contemporary events. If you're looking for something that will make you laugh your head off, this book *might* be it. I say "might be" because this book is not for the easily offended--there's course language and graphic sexual content that some may find objectionable. If that's not you, buy this book and, when you get it, go someplace where you can laugh out loud, because you certainly will, and I mean repeatedly. Don't get me wrong--I'm not criticizing the content of the book. It's just not for the faint of heart, that's all.
Rating:  Summary: A Few Gems Review: If you've never read The Onion, you're a jerk. But in case you're thinking about getting this book anyway, look at with the online editions of The Onion first. The humor works better in a fake-newspaper format than a fake-newspaper-clippings format (the way it's presented in this book.) The difference might not be as apparent to people who've been reading the Onion for a while and automatically think in the newspaper paradigm, but if that's not you, then jumping right into this book might not give you the full effect. For peple who do regularly read The Onion, be aware that nothing in this book is original material (i.e. hasn't been culled from previous issues of The Onion.) Still, you can't find all of this in the online archives, and some of the ones you may have never seen before are probably worth looking at. And a few of them are just so side-splittingly gasping-for-air funny that you'll BARF. I am thinking specifically of the editorial "My Efforts Are Largely Unappreciated" -- which is written by a traffic cone! Apparently, it feels that it deserves more recognition in the workplace. This poor, feeble, and brainless (but incredibly earnest) inanimate object's tenuous grasp of human syntax is just plain hilarious. So this thing may not be as essential as Our Dumb History, but it's alright if you've got money and time to burn.
Rating:  Summary: Too much "stupid" and not enough funny Review: If you've read Our Dumb Century, you probably will be disappointed by this book if you're looking for something similar. Instead of being filled with funny parodies of historical events and attitudes, this book a lot of mindless "filler" (for example, an article titled "Me like being battery!" written by a 9-volt battery on how much it loves to deliver power!) I would look at a copy before buying to make sure that this is what you really want (and, if you haven't bought Our Dumb Century, why don't you?)
Rating:  Summary: Great toilet book. Review: There is no better book to have at your side While pinching a loaf than this book. Its articles are just the right length to finish your business and wipe up. which i do standing up. I have noticed a lot of people sit down to wipe...... Weird! Any way. If you dont get a newspaper on a regular, This book is a fun alternitive. This mouning i was taking the browns to the super bowl and i read a very funny one by "gorzo the mighty" by the time i was done bunrning that mule I was wiping my stink star with one hand and slapping my knee with the other. One final note. This mourning my women wasnt around to make a real breakfast so i made chille with cheddarwurst pieces and leftover honey bbq wings from KFC so im primed for some major defication tonight but im actually looking fwd to it! Enjoy your day! PhiPPs
Rating:  Summary: HILARIOUS!!! Review: This book was my first exposure to The Onion. I happened upon it on a trip and read it in one evening. I couldn't put it down, and nearly hurt myself laughing so hard. The satire is right on the money, although it may offend some people. (Doesn't good satire always do that?) But you must read this! Also, check out the website,... for more of this material. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
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