Rating: 
Summary: Ha-Ho-Ha!
Review: Chronicles is loaded with such delightful images, all framed within Leon's brilliant humor prose cadence. I have never laughed out loud so much while reading a book to myself. Even Leon's method of spacing his text weaves a magical comic spell. For example: reporting on his travails at the Eighth Annual America's Most Beautiful Baby Contest in Phoenix, he writes, "I've arrived early. Immediately, through direct eye-interaction from those in the mall, I've already been singled out as a child-abducting pervert. I'm the only one here without a baby. Just a grown man, alone, taking in a beautiful baby contest on a scorching hot Saturday morning, thank you."
A space in the text as Leon ponders this situation.
And then: "You really stand out without a baby. I should've brought one."
Leon has of course been compared with the likes of other infiltrators like Tom Green and Michael Moore, and though he does share similarities with those entertainers, the skill and pace of his storytelling places him in a slightly different field.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Peed in Pants
Review: Harmon Leon infiltrates the worlds of extreme sports, baby beauty pageants, nudists, bounty hunters, and telephone psychics to hysterical ends. Actually, "infiltrates" might be a bit of an overstatement; let's say Leon shows up with, or without, press credentials, to poke fun of a lot of people without their knowledge, for our cowardly, mean-spirited, voyeuristic pleasure. (The Daily Show's Stephen Colbert totally bit your style, man.) It works, every time...
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Outrageous
Review: Harmon's visit to the "Extreme Sports" festival alone makes this
a worthwhile read. Other of my favorites include his tale of becoming a licensed bounty hunter and strutting along the beachfront at Cannes with a pineapple (it makes sense when you read it).
Rating:
Summary: Hyperventilating
Review: I had to stop reading mid-paragraph several times I was laughing so hard. Simpler than Sedaris, but of the same ilk. And to the reviewer, who gave it 2-stars and "finishes every book they start", well, we'll all let that statement be a judgement as to your judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Hyperventilating
Review: I had to stop reading mid-paragraph several times I was laughing so hard. Simpler than Sedaris, but of the same ilk. And to the reviewer, who gave it 2-stars and "finishes every book they start", well, we'll all let that statement be a judgement as to your judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Original and Funny!!!
Review: I love this book. It made me laugh so hard I almost fell of my chair. Harmon is a master of uncovering the irony in every situation. I will be buying many copies for my friends and co- workers down at the plant.
Rating: 
Summary: HoHum
Review: I was very excited about this book, based on reviews and the fact that he worked on Might Magazine. I wasn't really pleased. I kept reading, mostly because I finish every book I start. The ideas he had were entertaining but the product was horrible. The writing was totally uninspired and I wasn't laughing at all. Too bad, I was hoping for more...
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Outrageous
Review: Picking up a book by a first time author can be hit or miss. You might stumble across something that you thoroughly enjoy or something that guarantees that the first time author is also a one-time author. On very rare occasions, however, you will pick up a book that will completely captivate you and make you wish for more. This is one of those books. Reading The Harmon Chronicles one gets the feeling that he or she is discovering a great new voice in American writing. Author Harmon Leon writes with clarity and humor as he investigates popular American culture. Think of Michael Moore with a sense of humor and without the anger and smug self-righteousness. Imagine David Sedaris writing for 60 Minutes. No, that's not quite right. It's better than that. Harmon Leon makes David Sedaris read like George Will. Leon will take you along as he finds out how hard it is to get fired from a fast food joint, or how easy it is to buy a gun or join the armed forces. He'll bring you along, as he becomes a telephone psychic and a rental clown, neither of which, as it turns out, require that much talent or training. The author writes of his attempts "to play the feud" with a made-up dysfunctional family named the Smuntz on The Family Feud. In one particularly hilarious essay we find the author visiting the Winter X Games, the made for cable television sports competition that is more about cool advertisements and "extreme" fashions than it is about athletic achievement. Leon pretends to be an injured world-class athlete in a made-up Winter X sport (aren't they all?) while instantly making himself famous and adored by the fans, none of whom had heard of him until he told them how important he was.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and Funny!
Review: Picking up a book by a first time author can be hit or miss. You might stumble across something that you thoroughly enjoy or something that guarantees that the first time author is also a one-time author. On very rare occasions, however, you will pick up a book that will completely captivate you and make you wish for more. This is one of those books. Reading The Harmon Chronicles one gets the feeling that he or she is discovering a great new voice in American writing. Author Harmon Leon writes with clarity and humor as he investigates popular American culture. Think of Michael Moore with a sense of humor and without the anger and smug self-righteousness. Imagine David Sedaris writing for 60 Minutes. No, that's not quite right. It's better than that. Harmon Leon makes David Sedaris read like George Will. Leon will take you along as he finds out how hard it is to get fired from a fast food joint, or how easy it is to buy a gun or join the armed forces. He'll bring you along, as he becomes a telephone psychic and a rental clown, neither of which, as it turns out, require that much talent or training. The author writes of his attempts "to play the feud" with a made-up dysfunctional family named the Smuntz on The Family Feud. In one particularly hilarious essay we find the author visiting the Winter X Games, the made for cable television sports competition that is more about cool advertisements and "extreme" fashions than it is about athletic achievement. Leon pretends to be an injured world-class athlete in a made-up Winter X sport (aren't they all?) while instantly making himself famous and adored by the fans, none of whom had heard of him until he told them how important he was.
Rating:
Summary: Silly, Intelligent, and Irreverent
Review: Stand-up comedian, comedy writer, and all-around goofball Leon sets his funnybone crosshairs on the more absurd aspects of American culture in the hysterical Harmon Chronicles. A sort of literary version of "Jackass" or Michael Moore without all the self-righteous baggage, Leon roams the country -- and, at one point, France -- enthusiastically participating in inane activities and just being a general nuisance. Posing as a German named Dieter Lieterschvantz, he gets hired at a fast food restaurant...just to see how quickly he can get fired. As "aggres-vert" athlete Chas Lemon, Leon tries to find a corporate sponsor at the X Games. And during one inspired bit, Leon attempts to find out just how crazy one has to be before a gun shop clerk refuses to sell them a weapon. And then there's the forays into bounty hunting, Scientology, and lap dancing. Leon's take on Americana is silly, intelligent, and irreverent
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