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Of Thee I Zing: America's Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots
While Laura Ingraham was walking through a Northern Virginia shopping mall one Saturday afternoon, it all became clear to her. Everywhere she turned, she saw signs of the impending disaster: zombie teens texting each other across a café table; a man having his eyebrows threaded at a kiosk; a fiftyish woman shoe-horned into a tube top and skinny jeans; and a storefront ad featuring a Victoria’s Secret model spilling out of her push-up bra and into the faces of young passersby. Ingraham wondered to herself, “Is this it? Is this what our forefathers fought for? What my parents struggled for? I wonder if Victoria’s Secret is still having that two-for-one sale?”
A menacing force surrounds us. We see it, we feel it, we know it. The country we love is in grave peril. While politicians and “experts” prattle on about the debt crisis at home, and terrorism abroad, a more insidious homegrown threat is emerging. It endangers our future and undermines our present. The uncomfortable truth is: We have become our own worst enemy. The culture we have created is now turning on us. We’re on the verge of drowning in our ignorance, arrogance, gluttony . . . can you believe there are only three shots of vanilla in a Caramel Macchiato?!?
Now in an act of patriotic intervention the most-listened-to woman in talk radio casts her satirical eye upon all that ails American society. In this sharp-witted, comic romp, Laura Ingraham takes you on a guided tour through ten levels of our cultural hell.
You know we’re in trouble when . . .
• Airplane seats shrink—just as the passengers expand.
• Celebrity baby names go from the peculiar (Apple, Stetson, and Daisy Boo) to the pathetic (Bamboo, Blanket, and Bronx).
• People meticulously tend their virtual crops on Farmville, while their children eat takeout.
• “Breaking News” usually means it happened yesterday.
• The weddings last longer than the marriages.
• Facebook has become a verb and reading has become an ancient art form.
Of Thee I Zing is cultural commentary too funny to ignore, igniting a national conversation long past due. America, your cultural recovery begins here.
A menacing force surrounds us. We see it, we feel it, we know it. The country we love is in grave peril. While politicians and “experts” prattle on about the debt crisis at home, and terrorism abroad, a more insidious homegrown threat is emerging. It endangers our future and undermines our present. The uncomfortable truth is: We have become our own worst enemy. The culture we have created is now turning on us. We’re on the verge of drowning in our ignorance, arrogance, gluttony . . . can you believe there are only three shots of vanilla in a Caramel Macchiato?!?
Now in an act of patriotic intervention the most-listened-to woman in talk radio casts her satirical eye upon all that ails American society. In this sharp-witted, comic romp, Laura Ingraham takes you on a guided tour through ten levels of our cultural hell.
You know we’re in trouble when . . .
• Airplane seats shrink—just as the passengers expand.
• Celebrity baby names go from the peculiar (Apple, Stetson, and Daisy Boo) to the pathetic (Bamboo, Blanket, and Bronx).
• People meticulously tend their virtual crops on Farmville, while their children eat takeout.
• “Breaking News” usually means it happened yesterday.
• The weddings last longer than the marriages.
• Facebook has become a verb and reading has become an ancient art form.
Of Thee I Zing is cultural commentary too funny to ignore, igniting a national conversation long past due. America, your cultural recovery begins here.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2011
25 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
Laura Ingraham
12 books86 followersLaura Ingraham is the most-listened-to woman in America on political talk radio. The Laura Ingraham Show is ranked in radio's Top 10. Laura is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of the website LifeZette.com, a cultural and political web destination for conservatives and independents. She is a regular Contributor on the Fox News Channel, a former white-collar defense attorney, and a Supreme Court law clerk, Laura is a cancer survivor and advocates for increased domestic and international adoption. She resides in Washington, DC with her three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
November 22, 2011
Ok, friends, don't hate me for the fact that I somehow ended up taking this book home from the library, this book which, I discovered only after having gotten it home,is authored by a "frequent guest of the O'Reilly Factor." What the hell was I thinking? Shouldn't I have been able to tell from the cover that the person doing the zing-ing is a conservative? (I'm drunk on the awesome library system where I now live, and on the fact that I can take. books. home. for. free. You can't blame me, really.)
But then, I thought to myself, "maybe it will be good for you to read something from the opposite point of view." Isn't that good for our brains and our human development, to try to at least *listen* to opposing viewpoints from our own, from time to time? (Chris and I often do this in the car when the radio inevitably lands on some ranter, but we usually end up cracking up and doing imitations of the offending hosts.)
So, trying to be open-minded, I gave it a chance. And at first, I chuckled at bit. The author's observations about excessive parents who compete over who can host the most elaborate birthday parties seemed pretty spot on.
But then I kept going, and I realized that, rather than these being essays poking fun at contemporary culture, the entries were actually just section after section of stuff to bitch about, or "wonder aloud" about, in a very old-guy-in-the-coffee-group kind of way. ("Now, about tattoos..what's wrong with these kids today?")
After all the mini-sections on things like, yes, tattoos, text-ing teenagers, obese people at the mall, people who write their own wedding vows, people who carry their babies in cloth carries, and on and on and on, I couldn't help but return to one of my favorite TV bits of all time: Cliff Claven trying his hand at stand-up comedy on "Cheers." (Enter subject matter here, then follow with, "What's up with that?")
So, regardless of her political affiliation, I thought she came off like a fuddy-duddy, a judge-y tsk-tsk-er, and a crank.
But then, I thought to myself, "maybe it will be good for you to read something from the opposite point of view." Isn't that good for our brains and our human development, to try to at least *listen* to opposing viewpoints from our own, from time to time? (Chris and I often do this in the car when the radio inevitably lands on some ranter, but we usually end up cracking up and doing imitations of the offending hosts.)
So, trying to be open-minded, I gave it a chance. And at first, I chuckled at bit. The author's observations about excessive parents who compete over who can host the most elaborate birthday parties seemed pretty spot on.
But then I kept going, and I realized that, rather than these being essays poking fun at contemporary culture, the entries were actually just section after section of stuff to bitch about, or "wonder aloud" about, in a very old-guy-in-the-coffee-group kind of way. ("Now, about tattoos..what's wrong with these kids today?")
After all the mini-sections on things like, yes, tattoos, text-ing teenagers, obese people at the mall, people who write their own wedding vows, people who carry their babies in cloth carries, and on and on and on, I couldn't help but return to one of my favorite TV bits of all time: Cliff Claven trying his hand at stand-up comedy on "Cheers." (Enter subject matter here, then follow with, "What's up with that?")
So, regardless of her political affiliation, I thought she came off like a fuddy-duddy, a judge-y tsk-tsk-er, and a crank.
September 6, 2011
What a narcissist who clearly doesn't understand Christianity! This author is nothing but a ranting whiner! The entire book is nothing more than a list of complaints and unfortunate situations that Ms. Ingraham has come across in her life. Claiming to be Christian and whining about others beliefs and practices does not demonstrate Christianity. True Christians don't judge. While some of her complaints I may sympathize with, I had no idea a publisher would allow someone to simply list them out and make a book of these. Ms. Ingraham seems to be so self-absorbed that her opinion so low of everyone else and their opinions that clearly no one is as perfect as she must be since no one else has anything worthy of a compliment or a positive word. Her opinions seem rather sheltered in many areas such as child-rearing where she states that many have spent $1000+ to learn how to raise their children. While that may be true in select areas of NYC or zip codes like 90210, I would say that is not the norm. I was clearly disappointed in this book, but I kept reading until the very end with hopes that it had to get better. Unfortunately, it did not. I would not recommend this book unless you are looking to wonder if Ms. Ingraham is indeed living on planet earth. I would love to invite her to dinner to show her that life is more than she has experienced, but she would obviously find all the fault in everything. The idea and concept that I walked away with after reading this book is that Ms. Ingraham is a lonely, sad woman who does not enjoy being around others, especially children. Tragic!
July 7, 2017
I was expecting so much more from this book. I usually like Laura Ingraham. I was tempted to throw her an extra star here, but I just can't do it. This book was really, REALLY bad. And did you notice the cover: BY LAURA INGRAHAM (with Raymond Arroyo). You mean you couldn't come up with your muffin top one-liners by youself Laura? And are you serioulsy going to start ranting on baby names (yes I agree, they are awful) with a son named Dmitri? Unless he's named after your Russian grandfather, what's up with that? My son's name is Mxwell. No actually I have nothing against vowels and his name is Maxwell. I'm sure you can find something wrong with that too, Laura, as you seem to want to smash every tiny little thing in sight. God forbid you make a playdate, ladies, or grab a pair of jeans that are fitting a bit snuggly that day, b/c Laura is watching and recording it all (with the help of Raymond Arroyo).
October 13, 2011
FUNNIEST, BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!! Everybody in America needs to read this book!! (I'm listening to it on audio with Laura narrating - I definitely recommend 'reading' it this way.)
I love Laura Ingraham--she is so intelligent, brutally honest, and has good old fashioned common sense (something SERIOUSLY missing nowadays). She points out and makes fun of so many irritations going on in our society today. Some points she makes are so brutally honest that I have found myself laughing out loud, screaming, "YES!" and wishing more people could listen to her. Other points she makes, I kind of feel like she's being a little too critical - but I think that's wherein her sense of humor lies - she knows it's harsh but she's going to have fun with it and say it anyway.
I am LOVING listening to this while I go about the day doing my chores - it's lightened up the load and I get to laugh while I work.
I love Laura Ingraham--she is so intelligent, brutally honest, and has good old fashioned common sense (something SERIOUSLY missing nowadays). She points out and makes fun of so many irritations going on in our society today. Some points she makes are so brutally honest that I have found myself laughing out loud, screaming, "YES!" and wishing more people could listen to her. Other points she makes, I kind of feel like she's being a little too critical - but I think that's wherein her sense of humor lies - she knows it's harsh but she's going to have fun with it and say it anyway.
I am LOVING listening to this while I go about the day doing my chores - it's lightened up the load and I get to laugh while I work.
March 20, 2012
I've seen Laura Ingraham on TV and thought she often raised well-thought out opinions. Maybe it was because I saw her in limited doses that I kind of liked her; however, this book is a large dose of her. While I chuckled once in a while (e.g., "People meticulously tend their virtual crops on Farmville, while their children eat takeout." I mean come on, that's funny), this book was nothing more than a long rant about how awful she thinks everything is. Nothing is off limits here: Facebook (of course), how people dress, parenting, cupcakes, restaurants, travelers, baby names, holidays, manners, strollers, cell phones, and everything else in between. At one point she was railing on about a pyramid shaped party invitation sent to her that spilled out sparkles and mummies. Her dog ate the mummies and had to see the vet. She declined the invitation and sent the people the vet bill - The audacity of some people trying to make a fun invitation to a themed party! I found this to be less satire and more her whining about what a trial her life is having to endure society. She doesn't have a kind word for anyone, and is often extremely harsh and judgmental. While I did agree with some points she was trying to make, I can't recommend this book.
July 26, 2011
I bought this book while I was waiting for my husband to land at Dulles Airport. I'd attended a week-long conference and had begun to run low on reading material. The Barnes and Noble was on the secure part of the terminal; in the non-secure part, there were only newsstands. This book was one of the offerings.
At first, I found this book hilarious. I laughed, smiled, and nodded in agreement. But then I think I read too long. The anger, bitterness, and negativity wore on me. I began to recognize myself as an ugly-American-to-Americans. The book wore on me. After setting the book aside for several hours, I was able to find the humor again but it was not a nice kind of humor; the humor had a malicious tinge.
I don't think this book is appropriate for teens, not even mature teenagers. However, I'm going to take a few of the essays and present them to my students as examples of good editorial writing. Ms. Ingraham is a good writer and makes several salient points. I just don't think she ought to be read in large serving sizes. Each essay is brief; the book ought to be read by-the-essay.
At first, I found this book hilarious. I laughed, smiled, and nodded in agreement. But then I think I read too long. The anger, bitterness, and negativity wore on me. I began to recognize myself as an ugly-American-to-Americans. The book wore on me. After setting the book aside for several hours, I was able to find the humor again but it was not a nice kind of humor; the humor had a malicious tinge.
I don't think this book is appropriate for teens, not even mature teenagers. However, I'm going to take a few of the essays and present them to my students as examples of good editorial writing. Ms. Ingraham is a good writer and makes several salient points. I just don't think she ought to be read in large serving sizes. Each essay is brief; the book ought to be read by-the-essay.
September 15, 2012
I love Laura Ingraham. I think she is intelligent, provocative, charismatic and admirable in the way that she has dealt with cancer and other personal hardships. My wife and I spent our 10th wedding anniversary at a Laura meet-and-greet for her earlier book "Power to the People" and she was gracious and friendly in person.
The problem is that she is just not that funny.
This is supposed to be a humorous book in which Laura ridicules pop culture and points out our cultural decline with wicked little barbs and clever observations and "zingers". I just didn't find anything funny in here. In much of the book, Laura comes across as the annoyed, annoying person that isn't happy unless she is complaining about something - the operative word being "complaining". Who wants to read 300 pages of whining, snarky, moaning and grumbling from the mean crank in the corner?
The thing is - I agree with almost every position that Laura has. Her distaste for tattoos, piercings and muffin tops, her irritation at permissive parents and runaway, out-of-control kids, her impatience with bad service and the general absence of good manners and couth in our culture are all subjects that a talented writer can exploit for hilarious ridicule. This is easy stuff to lampoon. I just didn't find a single belly laugh or chuckle in the book. It's not clever, not funny and not something I would recommend, even to fellow Laura fans.
The problem is that she is just not that funny.
This is supposed to be a humorous book in which Laura ridicules pop culture and points out our cultural decline with wicked little barbs and clever observations and "zingers". I just didn't find anything funny in here. In much of the book, Laura comes across as the annoyed, annoying person that isn't happy unless she is complaining about something - the operative word being "complaining". Who wants to read 300 pages of whining, snarky, moaning and grumbling from the mean crank in the corner?
The thing is - I agree with almost every position that Laura has. Her distaste for tattoos, piercings and muffin tops, her irritation at permissive parents and runaway, out-of-control kids, her impatience with bad service and the general absence of good manners and couth in our culture are all subjects that a talented writer can exploit for hilarious ridicule. This is easy stuff to lampoon. I just didn't find a single belly laugh or chuckle in the book. It's not clever, not funny and not something I would recommend, even to fellow Laura fans.
September 13, 2011
I agree with almost everything in this book! The last chapter on religion is my favorite. I also really liked the sections on "Redshirting Kindergartners" (one of my pet peeves - I don't get it...who wants to be almost 19 when they graduate high school?!); "Yearbooks" (talks about elementary school yearbooks in which the only children featured are the PTA leaders' children); "Gym Clothes" - "I hate to break it to you, ladies, but a job-bra isn't a shirt."; "Spiritual but Not Religious"; and "Orthodox Atheists" - "When did atheists become so evangelical? I mean, if you don't believe something to be true, wouldn't you just ignore it? That's certainly what I do. Whether it's leprechauns or a congressional debt reduction plan....". I think the reason I didn't give it more stars is because I listen to Laura's podcast every day and have heard most of it before so it felt a little redundant...still true, though!
May 10, 2012
At first this book started as promising. I thought it was going to be focused on shallow, consumerist, north american culture and the problems that causes. But no, it just became a rant on things that the author doesn't like. It was seinfeld-esque but the lines were not merely so memorable.
Alrhough there were some great points about permissive parents and the creation of ridiculous and uselss products there was also alot of subjective opinion and political bashing. And yes, she has the right to be biased in a book, sure. But I think where I got completely turned off was where she told a story in which she completely embarassed someone in public while he was getting his hair dyed. That's cruel and how was it any of her business? Funny how she was also railing on about how people should "Manner-up". I guess that doesn't apply to her.
Alrhough there were some great points about permissive parents and the creation of ridiculous and uselss products there was also alot of subjective opinion and political bashing. And yes, she has the right to be biased in a book, sure. But I think where I got completely turned off was where she told a story in which she completely embarassed someone in public while he was getting his hair dyed. That's cruel and how was it any of her business? Funny how she was also railing on about how people should "Manner-up". I guess that doesn't apply to her.
November 8, 2013
Didn't finish. Parts were funny, others offensive. Overall it was like reading some crotchety old person scold people. I particularly despised a paragraph where she bemoaned that a homeless person who held up a sign saying will work for food freaked out at her when she offered him food. Where she saw someone lazy and not willing to work, I saw someone with a mental health problem. Sensitivity is apparently a quality she only requires from others.
June 30, 2012
1 1/2 stars.
I had no idea what to expect from this book going into things. I thought perhaps it would be funny commentary on things in the USA today that also bother me. Nope. If I had seen that the back says this book is classified as Poli Sci and that Ingraham associates herself with Bill O'Reilly, then I would have run for the hills. Alas, I had already decided to read this book with my mom for our book club. Below are all the notes I took on the book, because there is no way I am writing up a separate review apart from these notes. There are some things I agree with, but they are very few and far between.
Chapter 1
Prositots: Why does America try and make the young act older and the old look younger? Is there no perfect age?
Celebrity Baby names: ... Well, I've already known how utterly stupid Bronx Mowgli is. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns into a serial killer when he grows up just based on that name alone. What exactly was Pete Wentz smoking that night, and why on earth did Ashlee SImpson allow it?
Chapter 2
She thinks men shouldn't have piercings - my dad has his ear pierced, is it really that bad?
Spitters... I do this on occasion, but I have post nasal drip and neverending allergies.
Ear Divers... Also, my ears have always bothered me. Sometimes there is stuff that needs to come out, else it will keep on hurting.
Ice chewers... Really? Doesn't Ingraham have any bad habits herself?!
Flaggers... Yes, god forbid we try and cheer up our house a bit.
Men's skinny jeans - Women have style inspired by men - why does men's clothing have to be hyper masculine all the time?
Tattoos - Not at ALL low class. Tramp stamps, yes, but all other tattoos can be beautiful.
Chapter 3
How could anyone hate the Kids Choice Awards?
Does she have an all or nothing policy to non celebrity couples? Every single person cannot up and move to China. It is better to be for one cause than no cause at all.
How does she know so much about pop culture if she hates it? Better to ignore it then. I highly doubt she's read these celeb memoirs or listened to all of Femme Fatale.
Geez, Mariah Carey can truly sing. So can Justin Timberlake.
Chapter 4
Boomerang kids... does my mom think this about me?
Men walking women to the door: I don' t think that's very necessary - not a deal breaker.
Why wouldn't you write your own vows?
Chapter 5
No school "theme" days? Really? She'd make a horrible principal. That's when I really enjoyed school.
Yearbook hate... Some people enjoy memories!
Poor grammar - I do completely agree with this one.
Re: rebellion and riots protesting bans on self-expression and choice.
Chapter 6
My dad is a "cocooner."
Chapter 7
Restaurants: The first part is true: hard to get service in Mellow Mushroom the other day.
I liked the section on "patronizing patrons" ... people can be cruel and awful.
Depressing to read bout - her frustration over recreational activities.
Bike lanes in NYC - not such a bad idea. But driving a car in NYC - Dumb! Why would you?
Costumes at the movie theater - they are called midnight showings, and don't happen very often. If you don't like it, go to the movies on a different day.
What the hell?! She visits Disney during Christmas and expects it not to be crowded? And she had a phobia of crowds and went to Disney. Wtf?
Chapter 8
Anyone ungrateful for the opportunity to travel rubs me the wrong way.
Accidents happen, like the Titanic. All safety briefing is necessary.
Seems to only include her worst travel stories - like she doesn't enjoy and traveling at all...
Chapter 9
Groundhog Day is cute!
How is Earth Day pagan?
National Nurses Day - Poor mom. She's a nurse. I object, this is an important holiday!!
Christmas in October. This much is very, very true!!!!
Chapter 10
Annuals - This is why I don't go to church only on holidays. It's disrespectful to those who go every week.
No worship band? Ingraham is crazy, strict Catholic. No singing? No dancing?
I had no idea what to expect from this book going into things. I thought perhaps it would be funny commentary on things in the USA today that also bother me. Nope. If I had seen that the back says this book is classified as Poli Sci and that Ingraham associates herself with Bill O'Reilly, then I would have run for the hills. Alas, I had already decided to read this book with my mom for our book club. Below are all the notes I took on the book, because there is no way I am writing up a separate review apart from these notes. There are some things I agree with, but they are very few and far between.
Chapter 1
Prositots: Why does America try and make the young act older and the old look younger? Is there no perfect age?
Celebrity Baby names: ... Well, I've already known how utterly stupid Bronx Mowgli is. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns into a serial killer when he grows up just based on that name alone. What exactly was Pete Wentz smoking that night, and why on earth did Ashlee SImpson allow it?
Chapter 2
She thinks men shouldn't have piercings - my dad has his ear pierced, is it really that bad?
Spitters... I do this on occasion, but I have post nasal drip and neverending allergies.
Ear Divers... Also, my ears have always bothered me. Sometimes there is stuff that needs to come out, else it will keep on hurting.
Ice chewers... Really? Doesn't Ingraham have any bad habits herself?!
Flaggers... Yes, god forbid we try and cheer up our house a bit.
Men's skinny jeans - Women have style inspired by men - why does men's clothing have to be hyper masculine all the time?
Tattoos - Not at ALL low class. Tramp stamps, yes, but all other tattoos can be beautiful.
Chapter 3
How could anyone hate the Kids Choice Awards?
Does she have an all or nothing policy to non celebrity couples? Every single person cannot up and move to China. It is better to be for one cause than no cause at all.
How does she know so much about pop culture if she hates it? Better to ignore it then. I highly doubt she's read these celeb memoirs or listened to all of Femme Fatale.
Geez, Mariah Carey can truly sing. So can Justin Timberlake.
Chapter 4
Boomerang kids... does my mom think this about me?
Men walking women to the door: I don' t think that's very necessary - not a deal breaker.
Why wouldn't you write your own vows?
Chapter 5
No school "theme" days? Really? She'd make a horrible principal. That's when I really enjoyed school.
Yearbook hate... Some people enjoy memories!
Poor grammar - I do completely agree with this one.
Re: rebellion and riots protesting bans on self-expression and choice.
Chapter 6
My dad is a "cocooner."
Chapter 7
Restaurants: The first part is true: hard to get service in Mellow Mushroom the other day.
I liked the section on "patronizing patrons" ... people can be cruel and awful.
Depressing to read bout - her frustration over recreational activities.
Bike lanes in NYC - not such a bad idea. But driving a car in NYC - Dumb! Why would you?
Costumes at the movie theater - they are called midnight showings, and don't happen very often. If you don't like it, go to the movies on a different day.
What the hell?! She visits Disney during Christmas and expects it not to be crowded? And she had a phobia of crowds and went to Disney. Wtf?
Chapter 8
Anyone ungrateful for the opportunity to travel rubs me the wrong way.
Accidents happen, like the Titanic. All safety briefing is necessary.
Seems to only include her worst travel stories - like she doesn't enjoy and traveling at all...
Chapter 9
Groundhog Day is cute!
How is Earth Day pagan?
National Nurses Day - Poor mom. She's a nurse. I object, this is an important holiday!!
Christmas in October. This much is very, very true!!!!
Chapter 10
Annuals - This is why I don't go to church only on holidays. It's disrespectful to those who go every week.
No worship band? Ingraham is crazy, strict Catholic. No singing? No dancing?
January 3, 2014
I did not finish reading this book. When I encountered the third racist comment in 10 pages, I decided I was done.
I really only read this book because I misread the subtitle. "America's Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots" is not the same thing as Boy Shorts. This is not a book about fashion (which I thought would be fun given working retail and the wicked case of body dysmorphia it's given me). Instead, it's an extended right-wing rant by some Fox news commentator of whom I have never heard. I don't mind knowing what people who disagree with me think, but I mind subjecting myself to this garbage.
Topics covered in this book are ones that I find interesting. These include the decline of manners and morals in America, the state of public education, interpersonal relationships, and social networking. Her approach, however, is unfunny and loaded with bias.
I could handle the fact that she has clearly never actually interacted with educators: there are more than just "The Old-Timers," "The Newbies," and "The 'Transition' Teacher" (149-150). I could handle the #firstworldproblems. "For some reason, I always end up with the trainee [at Starbucks] who has never steamed milk before. Inevitably, it takes her fifteen minutes to get the froth in my cup just right" (107)(italics mine). I could handle the 1% problems: "Some of us chose certain schools [for our children] based on their policy of student uniforms" (152).
(An aside: my favorite of her rants about schools? That her children are never in the yearbook. "The only kids who look great and are regularly featured throughout the yearbook are the children ... who chronically volunteer for every school activity" [153]. Really? Kids and their parents who are active in the life of the school are in more photos? Shocking. Also, I'm doing all this formatting by hand.)
What I could not handle is the racism in the book. I wonder if they were 2/3 of the way through on the assumption that anyone who was just reading it to disagree with her would have given up already? When discussing some of the newer Smithsonian buildings such as the National Museum of the American Indian, she says, "most Americans could do without the others--particularly the string of affirmative-action museums" (226). Apparently there is in the works a National Museum of the American Latino. A fiscal conservative, she understandably objects to the cost but expresses herself reprehensively: "that's a lot of dinero for a Tex-Mex food court and a Gloria Estefan exhibit" (226-7). Disney crowds are described as "as thick as Rice Distribution Day in Calcutta" (229). There may actually be a Rice Distribution Day but if it is and I (a fairly well-informed individual) do not know about it, it is not common knowledge and therefore sounds racist. (But I really don't think there is.)
The piece de resistance (can't figure out how to HTML that) may not actually be racist, but I'm applying SCOTUS's porn definition and saying it certainly comes across that way. "I know the Obama folks did away with the color-coded (italics mine) terror alert system, but maybe they should reconsider" (234). In a larger discussion about homeland security in general it may be a valid comment. However, coming on the heels of the Calcutta comment, embedded in a rant about the TSA, and followed with "This woman [TSA Agent] who can barely bend at the waist proceeds to run her discolored rubber glove" (235) sounds to me as though Ingraham is making a racially informed statement.
I will not willingly subject myself to racism especially when coming from a supposedly educated (Ingraham holds a law degree) individual when it is not part of my job description. I was willing to become more informed about her political leanings, willing to wade through personal opinions unencumbered by facts, but when she repeatedly displaces racist sentiments I refuse to be party to it any longer. I see absolutely no reason to read the remaining 71 pages.
Edit: Please note that I disagree with Ms. Ingraham's political stance.q
I really only read this book because I misread the subtitle. "America's Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots" is not the same thing as Boy Shorts. This is not a book about fashion (which I thought would be fun given working retail and the wicked case of body dysmorphia it's given me). Instead, it's an extended right-wing rant by some Fox news commentator of whom I have never heard. I don't mind knowing what people who disagree with me think, but I mind subjecting myself to this garbage.
Topics covered in this book are ones that I find interesting. These include the decline of manners and morals in America, the state of public education, interpersonal relationships, and social networking. Her approach, however, is unfunny and loaded with bias.
I could handle the fact that she has clearly never actually interacted with educators: there are more than just "The Old-Timers," "The Newbies," and "The 'Transition' Teacher" (149-150). I could handle the #firstworldproblems. "For some reason, I always end up with the trainee [at Starbucks] who has never steamed milk before. Inevitably, it takes her fifteen minutes to get the froth in my cup just right" (107)(italics mine). I could handle the 1% problems: "Some of us chose certain schools [for our children] based on their policy of student uniforms" (152).
(An aside: my favorite of her rants about schools? That her children are never in the yearbook. "The only kids who look great and are regularly featured throughout the yearbook are the children ... who chronically volunteer for every school activity" [153]. Really? Kids and their parents who are active in the life of the school are in more photos? Shocking. Also, I'm doing all this formatting by hand.)
What I could not handle is the racism in the book. I wonder if they were 2/3 of the way through on the assumption that anyone who was just reading it to disagree with her would have given up already? When discussing some of the newer Smithsonian buildings such as the National Museum of the American Indian, she says, "most Americans could do without the others--particularly the string of affirmative-action museums" (226). Apparently there is in the works a National Museum of the American Latino. A fiscal conservative, she understandably objects to the cost but expresses herself reprehensively: "that's a lot of dinero for a Tex-Mex food court and a Gloria Estefan exhibit" (226-7). Disney crowds are described as "as thick as Rice Distribution Day in Calcutta" (229). There may actually be a Rice Distribution Day but if it is and I (a fairly well-informed individual) do not know about it, it is not common knowledge and therefore sounds racist. (But I really don't think there is.)
The piece de resistance (can't figure out how to HTML that) may not actually be racist, but I'm applying SCOTUS's porn definition and saying it certainly comes across that way. "I know the Obama folks did away with the color-coded (italics mine) terror alert system, but maybe they should reconsider" (234). In a larger discussion about homeland security in general it may be a valid comment. However, coming on the heels of the Calcutta comment, embedded in a rant about the TSA, and followed with "This woman [TSA Agent] who can barely bend at the waist proceeds to run her discolored rubber glove" (235) sounds to me as though Ingraham is making a racially informed statement.
I will not willingly subject myself to racism especially when coming from a supposedly educated (Ingraham holds a law degree) individual when it is not part of my job description. I was willing to become more informed about her political leanings, willing to wade through personal opinions unencumbered by facts, but when she repeatedly displaces racist sentiments I refuse to be party to it any longer. I see absolutely no reason to read the remaining 71 pages.
Edit: Please note that I disagree with Ms. Ingraham's political stance.q
April 16, 2016
If you're not a thin-conservative-weekly going-christian-who only likes fox news-,then you're going to be insulted and offended in some way by this book. There are things that I thought were funny throughout the book including disrespectful neighbors and the invasive TSA wand. I agreed with her views on a lot of things and thought it was interesting and sometimes funny when she categorizes herself among those she's complaining about. But there were sections of the book that I found ridiculous and downright mean. Her section on religion is basically summed up as: If you don't go to church every week, stand up and sit down when you're supposed to, sing like Aretha Franklin and worship the Christian god....you're doing it wrong. She went from criticizing the way people sing in church "A congregation raising its voice to God is fine, but outside of a few black churches and the rare traditional choirs, no other singing should be allowed in the sanctuary" to calling Mosques "the world's most effective means of spreading athlete's foot." After that passage, I'm glad I only had 4 more pages left of this book.
Another ridiculous criticism she talks about is the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. She criticizes celebrities for constantly subjecting themselves to this show of "crudeness and stupidity" because they continue to allow themselves to be slimed. She states, "I would prefer my kids did not think it a good idea to hurl green slime at people for laughs." I don't know about you, but the Kids' Choice Awards were a highlight of my childhood (I was lucky enough to be slimed during a Ghostbusters show in Orlando, and my parents were thrilled lol). Seeing my favorite celebrities be good sports and get slimed, even participating in a burping contest or two is something that brightens a child's day, makes them laugh and know that celebrities aren't too high up to throw out a loud belch on camera. Only for children, would these celebrities agree to continually allow themselves to get drenched in whatever that secret slime is made of. I really didn't understand why she had such a grudge about The Kids' Choice Awards, it's the only night of the year where children can vote, have a voice and support their favorite stars.
I could go on about how much this book made me cringe but all in all, I don't recommend this book. It does have some funny points but the overall tone is that everything she does is right, whether you like it or not. I gave it two stars because 1) she did make me laugh out loud a few times and I enjoyed that and 2) she did mention in the beginning that she was biased so I'll let her slide on the snide liberal-democrat comments throughout the book.
Another ridiculous criticism she talks about is the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. She criticizes celebrities for constantly subjecting themselves to this show of "crudeness and stupidity" because they continue to allow themselves to be slimed. She states, "I would prefer my kids did not think it a good idea to hurl green slime at people for laughs." I don't know about you, but the Kids' Choice Awards were a highlight of my childhood (I was lucky enough to be slimed during a Ghostbusters show in Orlando, and my parents were thrilled lol). Seeing my favorite celebrities be good sports and get slimed, even participating in a burping contest or two is something that brightens a child's day, makes them laugh and know that celebrities aren't too high up to throw out a loud belch on camera. Only for children, would these celebrities agree to continually allow themselves to get drenched in whatever that secret slime is made of. I really didn't understand why she had such a grudge about The Kids' Choice Awards, it's the only night of the year where children can vote, have a voice and support their favorite stars.
I could go on about how much this book made me cringe but all in all, I don't recommend this book. It does have some funny points but the overall tone is that everything she does is right, whether you like it or not. I gave it two stars because 1) she did make me laugh out loud a few times and I enjoyed that and 2) she did mention in the beginning that she was biased so I'll let her slide on the snide liberal-democrat comments throughout the book.
September 10, 2012
Honestly, I would have normally given this book 3 stars. For the most part, her observations are hilarious and spot-on. It's true, American culture has morphed (at least in some aspects) into something that is sad and embarrassing.
However, I can't ignore the fact that so many of the things that are "wrong" in our culture, she tries to pass off as the "liberals" fault. Seriously? Do you really think that conservative parents don't do the same idiotic things you point out? Newsflash: they do. I come from a predominantly conservative state, and from an extremely conservative rural county, and I have watched so-called "conservative" parents and their children exhibiting the same behaviors she tries to push off on liberals. I think the parenting issues are a spectrum-wide problem, not just on the liberal end. Then again, what should I expect from someone who works for Fox News (oops, did I just say that?)
Also, the section on education. Her supposed three types of teachers? Not even close. Don't pigeonhole a whole profession into three different types. I'm a young teacher, but her description of the "newbie" definitely comes nowhere near describing me or many of my colleagues. Yes, there are many who may fit in to her stereotyped definitions, but there are just as many of us who are not even close to those descriptions. There were some great points: parents doing their child's work, the "everybody wins" ridiculousness. So much of it seemed out of touch, although that could be me coming from a rural, public education background rather than East Coast, city-slicker, private education.
The religion section? I won't even go there, because I have no desire to be ranted at by people who feel differently than I do.
She could have made many of her points without even broaching the subject of liberal/conservative, but of course, why would she bother to do that? Why not try alienate a section of her potential audience? Whatever floats your boat.
However, I can't ignore the fact that so many of the things that are "wrong" in our culture, she tries to pass off as the "liberals" fault. Seriously? Do you really think that conservative parents don't do the same idiotic things you point out? Newsflash: they do. I come from a predominantly conservative state, and from an extremely conservative rural county, and I have watched so-called "conservative" parents and their children exhibiting the same behaviors she tries to push off on liberals. I think the parenting issues are a spectrum-wide problem, not just on the liberal end. Then again, what should I expect from someone who works for Fox News (oops, did I just say that?)
Also, the section on education. Her supposed three types of teachers? Not even close. Don't pigeonhole a whole profession into three different types. I'm a young teacher, but her description of the "newbie" definitely comes nowhere near describing me or many of my colleagues. Yes, there are many who may fit in to her stereotyped definitions, but there are just as many of us who are not even close to those descriptions. There were some great points: parents doing their child's work, the "everybody wins" ridiculousness. So much of it seemed out of touch, although that could be me coming from a rural, public education background rather than East Coast, city-slicker, private education.
The religion section? I won't even go there, because I have no desire to be ranted at by people who feel differently than I do.
She could have made many of her points without even broaching the subject of liberal/conservative, but of course, why would she bother to do that? Why not try alienate a section of her potential audience? Whatever floats your boat.
August 5, 2011
This was a hard book to rate. I really like Laura Ingraham's radio show. I liked the book when I started out. She had a lot of valid points, especially when it came to morals (lyrics and some shows on TV, for example). However, the more I read, the more self-righteous she seemed. She griped about everything. And if you didn't agree with her, something was wrong with you. I mean, it's OK to not like cruises. They're not for all people. But that doesn't mean that those who do like them have something wrong with them. And her section on religion was hypocritical. Purposely trying to confuse people because you're upset they only come to church on Easter and Christmas? Maybe they're looking for a new church and you've just turned them off so they'll never come back. One good thing about it was it was the type of book you could easily put down and pick up later. It didn't take a lot of brain power. Good for reading when you're on vacation.
September 28, 2011
I'm not a conservative or a liberal, so to speak (which I'm certain would horribly offend this woman). When I started Of Thee I Zing, I couldn't believe it's 3-star reviews--it's hilarious and so true. Funny because some of the things Ingraham addresses are right in front of our noses and we don't even notice. Funny, also, because most of what she had to say rang so true--or else was something you knew to be true about yourself, so there's a good laugh in there at your own expense. But the last third of the book really dragged, the editing went down-hill, and she got just plain nit-picky. Still, well worth the read even for those of us who don't have much of a political platform and are just irritated with the state of our society. Just realize when you pick it up that it's going to hit its climax less than halfway through.
August 3, 2017
Ingraham is an excellent radio talk show host, but I have no idea what convinced her to branch out into comedy writing. Even great comedians like Stephen Colbert, Chelsea Handler and Ellen Degeneres generally have difficulty making their jokes work in print, but Ingraham so completely misses the mark here that it's downright embarrassing (and THE OBAMA DIARIES isn't any better). Ingraham's style of comedy is basically like listening to your grandmother complain about "kids these days," only better informed. Denis Leary wrote a similar kind of book, titled WHY WE SUCK, that's ten times funnier than this.
October 11, 2011
Picked up at the library for something light and different ... I was delighted to discover that Ingraham is a conservative Catholic and Fox News contributor. (Devout, smart & educated!) And, the book was co-authored by Raymond Arroyo from EWTN - who I LOVE!
It was so refreshing to read a light-hearted book from my point of view. Liberals got their fair dose of snarky comments and religion & patriotism were revered, instead of reviled. I read effortlessly in a day. I really enjoyed Ingraham's observations on modern life. I laughed out loud several times. A nice surprise.
It was so refreshing to read a light-hearted book from my point of view. Liberals got their fair dose of snarky comments and religion & patriotism were revered, instead of reviled. I read effortlessly in a day. I really enjoyed Ingraham's observations on modern life. I laughed out loud several times. A nice surprise.
December 23, 2011
I agree with Laura Ingraham on many things she denigrates in her book, but her overall tone is so heavily sarcastic and outright obnoxious that she comes off not so much as someone with something important to say as much as your slacker co-worker who's planning for retirement (even though she's in her 40s) and won't shut up.
There is literally nothing wrong with some of the things she whines about in this book, but her attitude is "my way or else." Coming from a three-year-old, this would be mildly tolerable; coming from an adult, it's annoying and silly.
There is literally nothing wrong with some of the things she whines about in this book, but her attitude is "my way or else." Coming from a three-year-old, this would be mildly tolerable; coming from an adult, it's annoying and silly.
April 23, 2012
I must admit that I'm more than a little surprised-- I never would have thought I'd enjoy a book by anyone even loosely affiliated with FOX nearly as much as I enjoyed this book. Ingraham is incredibly witty and acerbic and I found myself agreeing with her more often than not, when it comes to the rude and crude people who surround us in an ever increasing number. Of course, I did not always agree with her and felt my feathers ruffled at a few things, but even then, I couldn't help but love her clever and extremely sarcastic way of putting things, and appreciate her honesty.
January 8, 2012
I was given this as a gift over the holidays and read it when nothing else was available. Instead of reading this book, I highly recommend going down to the old folks home, surrounding yourself with very grumpy old men who like to hit young whippersnappers with canes, and listening to their conversation about the decline of America and young people in general. That would be significantly more entertaining than reading this book.
December 8, 2013
Don't read this during the Christmas holidays. It is snarky and depressing. While I do AGREE with Laura on most of her observations and viewpoints in this book, I just found a total book of nasty observations, complaining, and being just plain ugly about everything to depress and irritate me. Perhaps if she had incorporated MORE humor and less of her snarky attitude it would have been a much better book. For goodness sakes, let's try to see the good in some people!
August 20, 2011
I had to stretch to give this two stars. Ms. Ingraham's rants have been done before, and much more wittily, by the likes of Andy Rooney, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jeff Foxworthy ("you may be a liberal, if...").
Her partner-in-writing is one Raymond Arroyo, who ought to be ashamed.
Her partner-in-writing is one Raymond Arroyo, who ought to be ashamed.
July 5, 2019
This is Laura Ingraham's collection of observations on various aspects of our contemporary culture (as of 2011) which is funny and idiosyncratic. One gets the impression that she has lived through a lot of the situations she describes, or her collaborator, Raymond Arroyo, has. This is a book easily and probably best read in small doses at a time. Each chapter consists of short essays loosely falling under the chapter heading.
January 25, 2013
This book was a mixed bag. On the one hand, conservatives are frequently seen as humorless and mean spirited. I have many conservative friends, so I know this is not the case, but many of the people who are the public face of conservatism seem to validate the stereotype. Not Laura Ingraham. She seems to have a fairly developed sense of humor, though she is not as funny as her counterparts on the left like Paul Begala or Bill Maher. Yeah, I continually found myself comparing this book to Bill Maher's New Rules books, where similarly, he delights in commenting on the quirks and peculiarites, and even the flat out ass-backwardness of our culture, politics and religion. But Maher is a seasoned comedian, and so his material is much more polished and edgier than Ingraham's. She's a little funny, but not that funny. Not funny enough to carry you through her whole book without eventually finding her shtick tiresome and lame. And as far as mean spirited? Yes, she does rub that way at times, but who among us doesn't.
I listened to this book on audio. My kids listened to it with me at times, and they liked it. They usually roll their eyes when I subject them to some boring nerdy tome, but they would ask to hear this one by name. So good job Laura, you have two young fans in waiting. For myself, I found many of her points to be valid, but hey, what can you do? This is a free country, and people are feel to live like slobs and act like jerks. It's the dual nature of freedom. It doesn't turn everyone into well-educated, well-behaved, thoughtful considerate people. It just doesn't. Laura zings liberals, which I can handle, and occasionally displays racial insensitivity, and age and gender insensitivity as well. But in this type of book you are bound to offend SOMEONE, so you may as well offend EVERYONE.
The book suffers from being too long, and losing steam with too far to go before the end. There was no conclusion or recap, which I found odd, and so after a long period of wondering "When will this book be done!!???", I was quickly jolted to a "That's how you are gonna end it??!!"
It's funny that the previous book I finished, Ross Douthat's Bad Religion, touched on some of the same themes as this book did. They both dinged (or zinged) Elizabeth Gilbert Eat Pray Love for its self centered "spiritual but not religious bent". They both expressed disapproval for the Money Preachers, both citing Creflo Dollar, my old pastor, about the shamelessness in contemporary evangelical Christianity. Both Douthat and Ingraham are Catholic, and they bring a welcome outsider's take on what seems to now be considered "mainline Christianity". One section that I found very disturbing was her opposition to women in ministerial capacities. She tries to make a fundamentalist case by going back to the 12 disciples. She reasons that because they were all male, that Jesus did not feel like women belonged in leadership roles in the church, and was thus setting a precedent. By following this logic, one could argue that the disciples were all Jews, therefore there is precedent for no goyim to be pope or priest. This is ludicrous, of course. Her own church doesn't even follow the Bible's teachings this literally. After all, they forbid their priests to marry and claim the first pope was Saint Peter, but the Bible clearly states that Peter was married! "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever." -Matthew 8:14. I am disappointed that a major conservative figure relies on such tenuous arguments to support her points.
In conclusion, I guess I could recommend this book to my conservative friends, but truth be told, it's not a great book. It's alright. I like the author, generally speaking, but the book was mediocre.
I listened to this book on audio. My kids listened to it with me at times, and they liked it. They usually roll their eyes when I subject them to some boring nerdy tome, but they would ask to hear this one by name. So good job Laura, you have two young fans in waiting. For myself, I found many of her points to be valid, but hey, what can you do? This is a free country, and people are feel to live like slobs and act like jerks. It's the dual nature of freedom. It doesn't turn everyone into well-educated, well-behaved, thoughtful considerate people. It just doesn't. Laura zings liberals, which I can handle, and occasionally displays racial insensitivity, and age and gender insensitivity as well. But in this type of book you are bound to offend SOMEONE, so you may as well offend EVERYONE.
The book suffers from being too long, and losing steam with too far to go before the end. There was no conclusion or recap, which I found odd, and so after a long period of wondering "When will this book be done!!???", I was quickly jolted to a "That's how you are gonna end it??!!"
It's funny that the previous book I finished, Ross Douthat's Bad Religion, touched on some of the same themes as this book did. They both dinged (or zinged) Elizabeth Gilbert Eat Pray Love for its self centered "spiritual but not religious bent". They both expressed disapproval for the Money Preachers, both citing Creflo Dollar, my old pastor, about the shamelessness in contemporary evangelical Christianity. Both Douthat and Ingraham are Catholic, and they bring a welcome outsider's take on what seems to now be considered "mainline Christianity". One section that I found very disturbing was her opposition to women in ministerial capacities. She tries to make a fundamentalist case by going back to the 12 disciples. She reasons that because they were all male, that Jesus did not feel like women belonged in leadership roles in the church, and was thus setting a precedent. By following this logic, one could argue that the disciples were all Jews, therefore there is precedent for no goyim to be pope or priest. This is ludicrous, of course. Her own church doesn't even follow the Bible's teachings this literally. After all, they forbid their priests to marry and claim the first pope was Saint Peter, but the Bible clearly states that Peter was married! "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever." -Matthew 8:14. I am disappointed that a major conservative figure relies on such tenuous arguments to support her points.
In conclusion, I guess I could recommend this book to my conservative friends, but truth be told, it's not a great book. It's alright. I like the author, generally speaking, but the book was mediocre.
August 23, 2011
Mixed feelings about this one. The book is separated into independent chapters, each of which contains about 50 bits dealing with the inanity of contemporary American culture and mores. These bits don't really follow a narrative arc. So, chapters end abruptly. I did enjoy much of the book. Other chapters I skipped completely.
Author Laura Ingraham acts almost as an anthropologist of the current American scene. The author is quite funny at times, discussing subjects like "spirituality", where an acronym has come about: SBNR, which stands for "spiritual, but not religious". Author Laura says SBNR actually should stand for "spiritual, but not really". This is fairly typical of her wit. Other topics include dining out, air travel (now that's very low hanging fruit, no?), and the hypnotizing lure of internet technology (she describes Facebook as a "colossal time-suck", to which I say, "Amen".)
Mostly, she's "doing comedy" and when she makes me laugh, I liked it. Other times, reading it was a chore. And, she throws in references to her undying allegiance to the conservative movement; it was hard to tell whether she meant it half-heartedly like Colonel Klink saying, "Heil Hitler", or whether she was more of a true believer, actually feeling that liberalism caused all these ills. But, this reader felt like the politics didn't really belong in this book at all. I mean, what's liberal or conservative about the stupidity of paying $5 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks?
Author Laura Ingraham acts almost as an anthropologist of the current American scene. The author is quite funny at times, discussing subjects like "spirituality", where an acronym has come about: SBNR, which stands for "spiritual, but not religious". Author Laura says SBNR actually should stand for "spiritual, but not really". This is fairly typical of her wit. Other topics include dining out, air travel (now that's very low hanging fruit, no?), and the hypnotizing lure of internet technology (she describes Facebook as a "colossal time-suck", to which I say, "Amen".)
Mostly, she's "doing comedy" and when she makes me laugh, I liked it. Other times, reading it was a chore. And, she throws in references to her undying allegiance to the conservative movement; it was hard to tell whether she meant it half-heartedly like Colonel Klink saying, "Heil Hitler", or whether she was more of a true believer, actually feeling that liberalism caused all these ills. But, this reader felt like the politics didn't really belong in this book at all. I mean, what's liberal or conservative about the stupidity of paying $5 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks?
November 9, 2014
This is a very rare departure in writing for Laura Ingraham. She herself admits that Of Thee I Zing is a “comedic turn away from politics and toward the culture.” Boy, is it ever!
Ingraham and Arroyo leave no stone un-turned or un-thrown in this critique of twenty first century America. In ten short chapters, you get their take on modern day parenting methods, public or social manners or lack thereof, trends in food and entertainment, relationships, education, social media, recreation, travel, pseudo holidays or corrupted holidays and religion.
If you’ve ever watched the late Andy Rooney confess to his Sixty Minutes viewers on CBS, (“Do you know what really bothers me?”), you’ll instantly recognize what’s going on here in Ingraham and Arroyo’s printed rant. You may not agree with all of their snarky-ness or all of their anal-ness on some issues. You will agree that this is very funny stuff. In the tradition of Carson, Letterman and Leno, a listing of some of Ingraham’s pet peeves makes for the best, three-hour opening monologue you will ever read. Ingraham should give very serious consideration to taking this show on the road. Or, at least to Vegas. She could have a whole new career here.
Ingraham and Arroyo leave no stone un-turned or un-thrown in this critique of twenty first century America. In ten short chapters, you get their take on modern day parenting methods, public or social manners or lack thereof, trends in food and entertainment, relationships, education, social media, recreation, travel, pseudo holidays or corrupted holidays and religion.
If you’ve ever watched the late Andy Rooney confess to his Sixty Minutes viewers on CBS, (“Do you know what really bothers me?”), you’ll instantly recognize what’s going on here in Ingraham and Arroyo’s printed rant. You may not agree with all of their snarky-ness or all of their anal-ness on some issues. You will agree that this is very funny stuff. In the tradition of Carson, Letterman and Leno, a listing of some of Ingraham’s pet peeves makes for the best, three-hour opening monologue you will ever read. Ingraham should give very serious consideration to taking this show on the road. Or, at least to Vegas. She could have a whole new career here.
June 10, 2012
Okay, so I gave this book a 3-star rating. It's more of a 2 1/2 stars, but there are parts that were REALLY funny, hence the 3. If you're a liberal, don't read it. It'll be just one more thing to gripe about. If you're an extreme conservative, you shouldn't read it either. You'll find there aren't enough slanders toward liberals! Yes, there's the occasional crack about Obama, but it's very light stuff.
If you can appreciate poking fun at the lack of manners in society, read it. If you view pajamas as sleepwear, and not something to be worn in public, read it. If you have mixed feelings about the way federal holidays are observed, as well as the craziness of the "Hallmark Holidays", read it.
While everything written in the book must be written through a judgmental eye, there was a ton of truly funny stuff that is worth reading. The fashionable $5.00 cupcake, the unique ports on cell phone chargers, "Girls Gone Wild", and sweat-removal etiquette at the gym are just a few topics in this book that I found amusing.
It's a great book to read as a short escape from deeper, more cerebral material that you may be reading.
If you can appreciate poking fun at the lack of manners in society, read it. If you view pajamas as sleepwear, and not something to be worn in public, read it. If you have mixed feelings about the way federal holidays are observed, as well as the craziness of the "Hallmark Holidays", read it.
While everything written in the book must be written through a judgmental eye, there was a ton of truly funny stuff that is worth reading. The fashionable $5.00 cupcake, the unique ports on cell phone chargers, "Girls Gone Wild", and sweat-removal etiquette at the gym are just a few topics in this book that I found amusing.
It's a great book to read as a short escape from deeper, more cerebral material that you may be reading.
March 19, 2014
My eye was caught by the cover of this book. I must say, the first half was phenomenal. I agree with her position toward parenting, lack of respect in our generation, celebrities, and the education system. However, half way through the book I felt as if Laura Ingraham was just finding random situations prevalent in our society and picking on them. For an example, I completely agree that if an individual has their desktop hooked up in Starbucks, it is uncalled for. On the other hand, I do not think it is ill-mannered in the least bit to use a laptop quietly. After all, it is a coffee-shop, and if I'm paying $6 (also agree) for a cup of coffee, I damn sure better be allowed to use my laptop. But on a serious note, the more technological advances the U.S. has, the more technology you will see. Duh. The last half of the book lost my interest and made me a bit antsy, as I say again I feel like she ran out of thing to ridicule and say was a part of the cultural decline. Overall, great satirical read, just one-sided and uncomfortable in some parts. Especially for those who support President Obama. Man, were there a lot of negative things attached to him.
October 28, 2011
Cute book, Laura is always if nothing else cynical and a good satirist so it is a fun read with lots of witty tongue in cheek. The online reviews of it by Goodread readers are largely not great but I suspect you have to realize that this is who Laura Ingraham is, she is a whining complaining satirist, similar to Ann Coulter though perhaps a little on the harsher side. As one reviewer said "if you worship the ground Nancy Pelosi walks on" you probably won't like this, and either way you aren't going to agree with everything Laura says, but it really does take a look at the idiocy of many things in our culture and makes you laugh at them. It's meant to be lighthearted..I dont' think it's intended to be deep commentary. I'm only partway into it so I won't rate it yet but I'm trying to read it with an open mind.
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