Rating: 
Summary: Less Than Stellar
Review: The format of this book is too busy: a lot of wasted pages with single-sentence quotes pulled out and printed as stand-alone blurbs; too many hypothetical speeches inserted into the text; and overdone spotlights on "regular" Americans who have been hurt by Bush's policies (preaching to the choir here, since it's likely all lefties buying the book). Huffington swerves from guffaw-seeking to self-important attempts at loftiness, and neither one really works. It seems as if she thinks that people have been waiting for her to deliver this oracle of advice to Democrats, so that we can now finally know how to take our country back. But despite her inflated sense of gravitas, there isn't much of substance in her prescriptions beyond the usual liberal fare. For funnier and more trenchant stuff, go with Al Franken and Michael Moore. For more interesting substance, see anything by Lewis Lapham, the current book from Thomas Frank ("What's the Matter with Kansas?"), or the David Corn book.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Analysis, Poignant Satire, A Great Read
Review: To clarify a few assertions from the Publishers Weekly Review, and other readers' reviews that "Fanatics and Fools" only rehashes other so called "anti-Bush" books, this is true in the sense that there is so much material and research to comb through, analyze, and write about so people understand the unprecedented breadth, severity and sheer quantity of the destructive policies of this administration. Inasmuch as there is an enormous amount for various authors to cover, then yes, it does resemble other anti-bush books in that it, too, dissects the misguided behavior of Bush and Co. Her book differs from others, though, in the clever and laugh-out-loud funny way that this is executed, and also in Huffington's well thought out prescription for Kerry to redefine the debate in this country and offer something better and bigger than the failed democratic campaigns of recent years. In short, if Kerry campaigns on the terms that Rove is trying to lay out and plays defense, he will inspire no one, and will suffer defeat in November. If he offers voters a completely alternative form of leadership, redefined priorities, and a new vision for the country, then he can win by inspiring the 50% of voters who have given up on voting in this country, as opposed to the "tried-and-untrue" failed swing voter strategy that has plagued the democrats and kept them playing Republican-lite for years. (This leads to the central thesis of the "Fools" portion of her work).
And to clarify the so-called "tastelessness" of the joke involving premature babies making campaign contributions, this is a perfect example of how distorted humor can become when taken completely out of context. The section was based on an ACTUAL frequently-asked questions memo sent to fundraisers for the Bush-Cheney `O4 reelection committee that covered every minute detail of campaign laws in order to stretch them as far as possible to allow the most unethical but borderline legal cash-collecting possible. The joke was a hilarious hyperbolic satire and far from being tasteless was a brilliant way to point out the ridiculous lengths the Bush-Cheney campaign has gone to beef up its war chest. In short, read the book and decide for yourself if it is recycled Bush-bashing and tasteless joke-making or refreshing and educational analysis, with a healthy and strong dose of poignant and hilarious satire that most others are too afraid to write.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Analysis, Poignant Satire, A Great Read
Review: To clarify a few assertions from the Publishers Weekly Review, and other readers' reviews that "Fanatics and Fools" only rehashes other so called "anti-Bush" books, this is true in the sense that there is so much material and research to comb through, analyze, and write about so people understand the unprecedented breadth, severity and sheer quantity of the destructive policies of this administration. Inasmuch as there is an enormous amount for various authors to cover, then yes, it does resemble other anti-bush books in that it, too, dissects the misguided behavior of Bush and Co. Her book differs from others, though, in the clever and laugh-out-loud funny way that this is executed, and also in Huffington's well thought out prescription for Kerry to redefine the debate in this country and offer something better and bigger than the failed democratic campaigns of recent years. In short, if Kerry campaigns on the terms that Rove is trying to lay out and plays defense, he will inspire no one, and will suffer defeat in November. If he offers voters a completely alternative form of leadership, redefined priorities, and a new vision for the country, then he can win by inspiring the 50% of voters who have given up on voting in this country, as opposed to the "tried-and-untrue" failed swing voter strategy that has plagued the democrats and kept them playing Republican-lite for years. (This leads to the central thesis of the "Fools" portion of her work).
And to clarify the so-called "tastelessness" of the joke involving premature babies making campaign contributions, this is a perfect example of how distorted humor can become when taken completely out of context. The section was based on an ACTUAL frequently-asked questions memo sent to fundraisers for the Bush-Cheney 'O4 reelection committee that covered every minute detail of campaign laws in order to stretch them as far as possible to allow the most unethical but borderline legal cash-collecting possible. The joke was a hilarious hyperbolic satire and far from being tasteless was a brilliant way to point out the ridiculous lengths the Bush-Cheney campaign has gone to beef up its war chest. In short, read the book and decide for yourself if it is recycled Bush-bashing and tasteless joke-making or refreshing and educational analysis, with a healthy and strong dose of poignant and hilarious satire that most others are too afraid to write.
Rating: 
Summary: Swinging in All Directions
Review: Yes, this is another book of political complaints and recommendations that has been written specifically for the election year market. As usual, most reviews will be based on each reader's personal agreement with Arianna Huffington's personal politics. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, and I'm probably about to do the same thing myself. So does this politicized tirade have any advantages over the avalanche of others that are currently available, from pundits of all political stripes and intelligence levels? Yes, some very specific advantages. Most importantly, Huffington positions herself as a "Progressive," leading to useful insights from outside the present two-party system. What's unique about this book is that Huffington usually (though not always) succeeds in saving us from yet another partisan whinefest, and she has plenty of vitriol for everyone. Here we have not the usual left vs. right arguments, but down-to-Earth insights for the mass public vs. the privileged few. The "Fanatics" of the book's title are the elite establishment Republicans that Huffington used to party with, especially the current administration, who by relentlessly controlling social thought, have miraculously convinced the public that they actually represent regular people rather than just the mega-rich and corporate campaign contributors. Meanwhile the "Fools" of the title are the Democrats that Huffington now supports in principle, but are too wishy-washy to be anything other than watered-down Republicans. Great column-sized vignettes outlining the sheer ridiculousness of the Bush Administration's policies make up about three quarters of the book, with Huffington's outstanding insights into the severe hypocrisy and lying involved, plus the real-world consequences. However, the tail end of the book is problematic as Huffington outlines what the Democrats can do to fix the situation. Her recommendations are correct and aligned with the great strengths of both the Democrats and the American people. However, her writing on this subject disregards short-term political realities and tends toward the idealism of a wishful, though certainly good, speechwriter - which appears to be Huffington's next career goal. [~doomsdayer520~]
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