Andy Borowitz knows his audience and subject. Despite the fact I read his frequent posts on social media avidly, I was a bit wary of this book, fearing it might be one long, comedic take on current politics. I couldn't have been more wrong. That doesn't mean there isn't humor. Just when you think Borowitz has gone serious on you, he's likely to slip in an often subtle zinger. Nor is the criticism bashing. It's largely simply a recitation of facts/events as they happened.
And, let's face it. Given some of the events of the past political season.....wait, does that season ever end anymore?.... just a mere recitation of the events and mangling of of the English language is either humorous to you or just makes you shake your head in disbelief. I fell somewhere in-between. My only complaint is that, unlike social media, Borowitz and the publisher can't update this book every day as historic events occur almost daily. Oh, well, can't have everything.
I liked the simple ordering, ie the three stages of ignorance. First stage, ridicule. Second, acceptance. Third, celebration (of ignorance). Borowitz does an admirable job detailing events, both distant past and recent although, as noted, the final curtain on this story hasn't come down. Since I was largely only familiar with Borowitz' zippy humor, his quick quips or short takes on events, I was impressed at the depth of this "call to action", all done with a quick twist of humor and viewpoint. Borowitz seems to recognize that not only are we humans frequently our own worst enemies but our means of salvation. Ignorance isn't a virtue seems to be the unifying theme of it all.
I highly recommend this book and hope there will be an updated version available when current events (the Jan. 6 hearings and aftermath) are history. Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvidReaderPress - #SimonAndSchuster for making this work available. It should be a "must have" for anyone who cares about not just our country/government but history.
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