Big Guns

by Steve Israel

From Steve Israel, the Congressman-turned-novelist who writes “in the full-tilt style of Carl Hiaasen” (The Washington Post), a comic tale of the mighty firearm industry, a small Long Island town, and Washington “Congress should pass a law making Big Guns mandatory reading for themselves” (Nelson DeMille).When Chicago’s Mayor Michael Rodriguez starts a national campaign to ban handguns from America’s cities, towns, and villages, Otis Cogsworth, the wealthy chairman and CEO of a huge arms company in Asabogue, Long Island, is worried. In response, he and lobbyist Sunny McCarthy convince an Arkansas congressman to introduce federal legislation mandating that every American must own a firearm. Events soon escalate. Asabogue’s Mayor Lois Leibowitz passes an ordinance to ban guns in the town—right in Otis Cogsworth’s backyard. Otis retaliates by orchestrating a recall election against Lois and Jack Steele, a rich town resident, runs against her. Even though the election is for the mayor of a small village on Long Island, Steele brings in the big guns of American politics to defeat Lois. Soon, thousands of pro-gun and anti-gun partisans descend on Asabogue, and the bucolic town becomes a tinderbox. Meanwhile, Washington politicians in both parties are caught between a mighty gun lobby and the absurdity of requiring that every American, with waivers for children under age four, carry a gun. What ensues is a discomfiting, hilarious indictment of the state of American politics. “New York congressman-turned-novelist Steve Israel delivers a second brilliant political satire” (Booklist, starred review). “An entertaining satire” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Big Guns is “a wonderfully irreverent satire about the fractured and fractious American political and lobbying system…a rollicking comedic trip” (Publishers Weekly).

Genres: Fiction, Politics, Humor, Satire, Comedy, Unfinished, Contemporary

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2018

Reviews

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Big Guns’ is a satire of serious politics.

National politicians, organizations and celebrities struggle over building support for a Congressional bill requiring every American to buy a gun in this fun book about political process. The bill is sponsored by a variety of politicians, wealthy businessmen and celebrities who do not exactly fully support each other. Wading into the scrum are various organizations, such as the NRA (National Rifle Association), and the usual paranoid gun owner groups and private citizens.

A liberal mayor, Lois Liebowitz, of the small village Asabogue on Long Island, finds herself in the middle of a hijacked local re-election campaign and a media circus after she naively announces her principled opposition to the proposed national law. One of the complications in her life is that her daughter, Sunny McCarthy, is a well-paid Washington, D. C., lobbyist working for Cogsworth International, a gun manufacturer. Another is Asabogue is a small town with a dwindling population of small-business owners and farmers surrounded by extremely wealthy and powerful owners of mansions.

Lois’ kitchen cabinet consists of two eighty-ish-year-old neighbors and campaign pot of cash of $356. The opposition candidate is a famous conservative movie star with the support of Super PACs, the gun lobby, the conservative media, and think-tank academics. Lois realizes she is completely overwhelmed by the conservative political professionals when her daughter Sunny finally arrives to see what is going on and explains the process of professional politics to her.

Who will win? Wrong question. I think the real question is who loses...it is the American citizens, in my humble opinion.

The novel is best when describing the process of American politics, which is not surprising since the author, Steve Israel, is a former U.S. Congressman. He served from 2001 to 2017 representing Long Island. The plot is silly, but unfortunately, plausible, gentle reader. Sigh.

[Ron Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steve Israel, a former U.S. Congressman from New York, takes aim at the NRA with a goofy satire called "Big Guns." This is Israel’s second novel, a follow-up to “The Global War on Morris,” his comedy about Washington’s bungling response to terrorism. Clearly, 16 years in the House provided him with a graduate education on the cozy relationship between America’s business leaders and our political representatives.

As “Big Guns” opens, the mayor of Chicago demands a national ban on handguns, which triggers a wave of calls for greater gun control around the country. In a panic, the chairman of Cogsworth International Arms launches a counter campaign to. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. This fictitious take on gun control could almost be read as non-fiction with humor as it mirrors a lot of current headlines we've experienced over the last few years. Characters range from city park employees & city council members all the way up the chain of importance to The POTUS. The Chicago mayor introduces his war on violent crime when he and other liberal minded Mayors throughout the US introduce legislation to ban all guns nationwide. Century old arms manufacturer knows this will absolutely destroy his business therefore his key staff member Sunny finds the perfect State Representative to introduce legislation to require all Americans to own a gun. Let the lobbying and hilarity begin. Like I mentioned this book goes hand and hand with what has been happening within politics this last year to include much more than gun control. The media hysteria is portrayed wonderfully throughout.

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Former Congressman Steve Israel takes on the gun issue in this satirical novel of American politics. Could he be any more prescient? Amusing laugh out loud moments are poignantly reflective of the current state of our country and our government. Should be required reading in all civics classes…except we really don’t have civics classes any more, do we?

[Michael Martz · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Big Guns' is yet another winning political satire from a guy who sounds way too smart to have spent 16 years in Congress, Steve Israel. This time the topic is gun control, or almost its exact opposite in that an idea hatched by a gun manufacturer to pass a law requiring universal gun ownership gets traction and suddenly becomes a cause celebre by the right. It's played out against a small town mayoral election in the Hamptons, which pits a female longtime lefty mayor against an aging movie star. I know, it sounds silly and it is, but Mr. Israel is a fine writer who drops insights into the inner workings of DC politics all over the place for our enjoyment.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steven Israel was a NY Congressman for 16 years. He’s now turned to writing political/social satire, and his 2018 novel Big Guns is a great experience—funny and a bit warped like Carl Hiassen, charming in its take on humanity, over-the-top in its assessment of both real and fake news.

Chicago has installed Shotwatch Technology, a system that tracks pockets of gunfire throughout the city. Suddenly, the screens light up as Chicagoans descend into mass violence. Chicago becomes the poster city for murder and outraged people across the nation take to the streets to demand a full ban on all guns. Equally outraged people march to keep their guns.

Otis Cogburn is the owner of Cogburn International, a major gun producer. Otis is fit to be tied. At age six his father had stood him up and announced, “Otis, someday you will run Cogburn. Don’t you dare fuck it up. Honestly, if your sisters weren’t girls I’d feel much better about them taking over.” Otis has been guided by that advice ever since, and he is not going down without a fight: after all, this is a matter of Constitutional Rights and National Pride, not to mention that profit gets thrown in there somewhere.

Otis calls Sunshine (“Sunny”) McCarthy, his spin-doctor-lobbyist, and the two get down to work. Otis and Sunny both hail from the Long Island village of Asabogue, where Otis has a sprawling mansion on Billionaire’s Bluff and Sunny’s mother, Lois Leibowitz. is the extremely liberal and wealth-hating mayor. Lois’s antipathy for the rich began when her husband left her to live with a rich actress on the Bluff. Lois has a hate-hate relationship with Otis and all of his la-di-dah companions. Of course, Lois is not happy about Sunny’s job at Cogburne International, and Otis is not happy about Lois’s job as mayor. But Asabogue tensions are small village tensions—stop sign placement, mowing of lawns, building permit debates, muffins at Joan's Bakery.

Sunny and Otis cook up a gutsy scheme: get Congress to pass a law requiring every citizen to own a gun. Even if that doesn’t pass, it will be so divisive that Congress might be stalemated on a gun ban. Their foil is a first-term Arkansas congressman named Roy Dirkey, a self-proclaimed hero in the Afghanistan war who brought home a Purple Heart. For his colleagues’ entertainment and appreciation Dirkey submits the American Freedom from Fear Act (AFFFA), an Act mandating universal gun ownership.

The fun begins when Asabogue’s Mayor Leibowitz responds by pushing the Town Fathers to ban all guns in the Village. Anti-Gun groups, Pro-Gun groups, and the Nation’s Press Corps flood into the Village as it becomes the hot center of a flaming debate. Among the Anti-Gun groups are Nuns with Guns, the Committee for the Second Amendment But Not The Sixth, and the We The People Army. On the other side are a second We The People Army, the League of Arctic Voters, and Uterus United; the last will support AFFFA only if it also requires that all parties intending to have sex sign a pre-coital agreement excluding abortion in the event of pregnancy.

The Uterus United Amendment brings out political shenanigans. Here is an exchange between the House Speaker and Congressman Dirkey.
Dirkey,

Dirkey: What about the Uterus United Amendment?
Speaker: It’s in.
Dirkey: But won’t the moderates vote against us?
Speaker: We took it out.
Dirkey: So it’s not in the bill? Or it is?
Speaker: Correct.
Dirkey: It’s not?
Speaker: Not of you ask the Main Streeters.
Dirkey: And if you ask the Lifers?
Speaker, with chuckle: It’s right there. In Black and White.
Dirkey: So there’ll be a vote on Uterus United?
Speaker: And there won’t. Got it?
Dirkey: No.

To add to Asabogue’s unrest, its resident aging movie star, a right-wing Bluffer named Jack Steele, decides to take the town back for God and Country—Jack will run against Lois in the upcoming mayoral election. Lois has 72-years under her belt, a reputation for a thick skin, and detests everything the folks on Billionare Bluff want. Jack is filled with verve and with long remembered movie dialogue, and he has boatloads of money for his campaign to keep Asabogue a gun-toting center of patriotism. Jack also has very white teeth.

Sunny is torn between her career with Cogsworth International and her concern for her gun-hating mother, with whom she has had a lifelong tense relationship. But blood is thicker than water, so she reluctantly resigns from Cogburn and signs on as Lois’s political web-weaver.

And so the human comedy flows. This short book is a treasure on its own, but perfect for those lulls between readings of the Oxford English Dictionary, when you just have to relax and enjoy life.

Five Stars.

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required Reading! Talk about a timely book! One city bans guns, and in reaction, a congressman introduces a bill to require all citizens to own a gun.  Israel covers the absolute insanity of both sides of the gun control debate, the incredible dysfunction of our government, and the people caught in the middle.  All while delivering a highly readable and enjoyable story.  The novel moves along rapidly, sucking you in the whole way. I can't wait for the next installment, but I understand that the issue is still developing, and no one can yet know what strange twists and turns will be taken. This book should be required reading for all American citizens, both pro gun, anti gun, and those who have no opinion.  It probably won't change anyone's core beliefs, but it would sure be helpful to be able to at least realize that there is more than one side to the story.  Highly recommend!

[Alex Yard · Rating 2 out of 5]

My full formal review appears on runspotrun.com; I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book isn't altogether necessary and isn't all that funny or insightful. The narrator talks way too much and provides a disproportionate amount of the attempts at zingers. The subject matter is something Stephen Colbert has already done five times better.

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever satire of Congress and the gun lobby. Very funny but also food for thought.

[Steve DuBois · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steve Israel is an excellent writer. I don't mean he's an excellent writer for a celebrity-turned-novelist, I mean he's excellent by professional standards. He's smooth, smart, clever, and occasionally profound. He also leverages the knowledge gained through his background in Congress in effective ways--the single most interesting aspect of this book is the terrifyingly plausible way he shows a piece of legislation that virtually every policymaker despises nonetheless advancing through both chambers of Congress, to the President, and onward.

I believe Mr. Israel is capable of writing excellent satire about Washington, and about the gun lobby. I'm afraid that I don't think this book qualifies, for several reasons. As this book is directly comparable to Christopher Buckley's oeuvre, and has been blurbed rather lavishly by Buckley, I'll use his work as a contrast.

1. HEAVY-HANDEDNESS. Really great satire is close enough in tone to what it's spoofing that it's almost, but not quite plausible. "This Is Spinal Tap" is an example--the songs are clearly not _quite_ real 80s hair-metal, but they're at most about 5% over the top, and one could enjoy them un-ironically if one chose. Buckley's "The White House Mess", by the same token, portrays a Reagan-era presidency that fails disastrously, but not in a totally unrealistic way. By contrast, "Big Guns" goes wildly over the top at every turn, whether portraying the ideology and lifestyle of gun owners or even the process of gentrification. I can get this sort of sledgehammer-comedy from Seth MacFarlane; I don't need it from political novels.

2. PARTISANSHIP. There's a lot to spoof in DC, and every faction has its foibles. Also, every faction is composed of human beings, most of whom are doing the best they can most of the time. Buckley gets this, and his satire clearly comes from a place of love. Nick Naylor and his lobbyist cohorts are clever and pleasant company even if their job tends to send them down the rabbit hole morally speaking. Buckley is no progressive, but the denizens of the Tucker White House clearly are and he portrays them with both depth and fondness. Israel, on the other hand, clearly believes that those who disagree with his worldview exist on a continuum somewhere between hobgoblins and ogres, without a shred of humanity worth mentioning. His protagonist's redemption arc doesn't ameliorate this, as she's clearly portrayed from the outset as a ruthless pragmatist with no ideology to speak of. The book turns rapidly from a satire to a polemic. When he chooses that route, he chooses to occupy an enormously crowded part of the ideological market, full of people who are better and cleverer at the task.

3. THE MALE GAZE. This is not normally something I complain about, but Israel has a real problem in the way he portrays women, especially powerful women. When he introduces female characters--major or minor, media members or private citizens or lobbyists or legislative staff or members of congress--Israel has a tendency to drop several sentences of physical description, generally ranging from the admiring to the creepy to the borderline pornographic. Frequently this is the only thing, or the only significant thing, we learn about the character. Men, by contrast, are described principally in terms of their ideology, their agenda, or their habits of interaction. As best I can tell, Israel's Washington (and to a considerable extent his Long Island) is composed of Power Players and Bimbos, and there is precious little crossover between the categories. Again, I am not a reader who tends to obsess about this issue; it says something about the frequency with which it happens at this book that I wind up compelled to mention it here. I really, really hope that Israel, as a Congressman, didn't evaluate women the way his omniscient narrator does in this novel. And I have no specific reason to suspect he did. But this is a problem for me as a reader.

Anyway, Steve Israel is a good writer, occasionally a great one, who will probably write excellent Washington satire when he develops a lighter touch and develops some depth in his portrayal of his ideological nemeses. He's not there yet, but we all learn and grow.

[Ava Farquhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one made me laugh. Definitely off the wall, I loved the way it was written and I thought it was poignant and a very topical political satire that unfortunately will continue to be relevant

[Stuart Haining · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/10 5%. With a super front cover I was looking forward to “the only funny thing out of Washington in a long time” but specially as it is “hits the bulls eye, hilarious” and is from “perhaps the finest funniest political satirist writer today”. They must have reviewed a different book - aside from an occasional titter at presumably made up acronyms for special interest groups and provide a slight inkling into American books, RHD wasn’t great. A wasted plot, minimal humour, I was just glad I made it over the finish line. If this kind of thing is your bag, better to try House of Cards or Yes Minster. Won’t read again.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly amusing satire of the gun lobby, D.C., & local politics. Oddly frequent boner jokes.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

BIG GUNS: An Amazingly Salient Subject Explored by an Insider
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...

Gun violence is not fictional but a former congressman explores it in a novel.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.


MY TAKE

The “Congressman-Turned-Author” label was both intriguing and off-putting. Israel was the congressional representative for New York’s third district, covering Brooklyn and Long Island, for 16 years. I usually reject this type of author; it is so often a celebrity looking to parlay their fame or access in one field into an other. But, who else could write a piece of fiction on a subject so important with the understanding required to present it realistically and with all the absurdity fights over the Bill of Rights often become.

There’s so much here to talk about that it is hard for me to organize y thoughts. I didn’t expect much but it was better than I imagined it would be.

There are many sides to the issue of gun violence, gun ownership and gun control:

Gun manufacturers and their lobbyists,

People who think of guns and the outcome of gunfights only in the glorious imagery of movies and TV programs where war and crime fighting are presented as romantic,

The liberals for whom the second amendment is the devil,

The rigid constitutionalists who believe they understand what the founders meant by the wording of the second amendment.

The people whose position rides on public perception: politicians and the media.

The “disaffected,” disadvantaged, and sometimes loose cannons, or people who are easily lead for whom gun control has become their raison d’etre.

The actual people, the citizens, haven’t got much to do with the development of the policies and messages we get. These various groups all have a stake in the issue. There are not many authors who can accurately portray even several sides of the political issue of gun control.

There are a lot of political issues, money issues and other issues involved. I don’t know that Israel was able to represent them with accuracy, or without the addition of romantic gloss to satisfy readers. But there are many sides and many twists in events, positions, and understanding of the issue. There are so many sides that it is all a bit glib; the author has not really taken the side of the super liberals, and certainly not those on the far right so all the sides are shallowly explored.

Some of the characters seem based on actual characters, celebrities with political ambition, living on the other coast. The writing is also a little shallow, with so many characters and so much plot to cover the writer spread himself a little thinly. It’s written in a humorous style as befits the absurd. It’s a little lighter than the gritty humor of Hiassen or Randy Wayne White. It is also an absurd tragicomedy. If shallow, it is also written without guile. It might not have been published without the “celebrity” offered by his position in Congress, but I think it is good that it was published. If nothing else, through it’s craziness, it shows what a high stakes — and highly muddled — issue this is.

We start of with Chicago under siege from violence and its mayor comes up with a coalition of cities disallowing the possession of guns. He also sees it as a stepping stone to the presidency. But, in truth, this storyline is important as the impetus for the entire book, but is not developed. And yet, at the end, the mayor shows up again. This story line is an empty chamber in the pistol of this plot.

And, yet while the characters are shallow, their lack of depth is almost vital. For in representing an ideological battle, everyone must be accounted for. The shallow characterization gives everyone a place in the plot.

Jonathan Davis does a great job with the many characters, both male and female, and from many areas of the country. His women sound fairly natural, except maybe for Asabogue’s Mayor Lois Leibowitz, who sounds a little too Brooklyn.

It’s not great literature, it may make a great movie, and it is a start to a discussion we need to have with civility.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

A surprisingly lightweight satire of how the sausage is made in politics by an author who was once an assistant butcher.
Israel is one of those guys who really thinks that he is smarter than the reader, and so this lazy effort is mostly his fooling around with stereotypes and cliches. Having apparently read some Carl Hiaasen, Israel mechanically populates his Washington DC and Long Island world with dim bulb crazies, raving egomaniacs, and world weary and cynical bimbos. In that same tradition, every interpersonal interaction includes smoking to excess, drinking to excess, and lechery to excess. Especially tragic, and possibly explaining why the sequel promised on the last page never arrived, is that the horse-trading politics that is what I believe to be Israels' main satiric target here, well that no longer survives in the Capitol, or in national politics generally. The one edge that Israel had over other political satirists is that he knew the system from the inside. His personal tragedy is that this 'politics as usual' satire came out just as the 2018 midterms overthrew the system Israel knew entirely, the NRA began its collapse under the weight of financial scandals and lawsuits, and the Trumpian revolution finally gained traction after two years of trying to act presidential.

There isn't much to like here. Israel tries to triangulate into a position of morally superior neutrality so that he can pour fire on both sides. Politicians are self-serving egomaniacs with a god complex and tobacco addictions. The pro-gun advocates are either posturing for political effect or are rabid true believers. Their opponents are granola crunching hippies solely motivated by their love of 'lost causes'. In a key scene, a sudden concentration of pro-gun militias floods into a small town to influence an election outcome. Does this sudden occupation by an army of heavily armed men create any kind of reaction in town? Anything except a shortage of baked goods? No. Does the destruction of the local bakery and the killing of sixteen people in a massive shootout over muffins (all caught on video) create any kind of reaction in town? No. I kind of get that Israel is trying to suggest that we are all so inured to gun violence that this kind of thing wouldn't move the needle, but Israel is tone deaf enough to try a joke about low-blood sugar as a contributing cause of death to the man who started the fight , never mind the throw-away line about 'Formica and Somalia'.
It makes me sad that Israel probably really thinks of this novel as witty and biting satire instead of sneering and dull. A novel lacking a heart and a satire lacking warmth.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Guns takes a look at the gun lobby in America, through a satirical lens, blending comedy with pathos, big business interests with local politics.
The author Steve Israel served in the US House of Representatives from 2001 to 2017, so the political knowledge of the novel is based on fact, adding much to both the immediacy and believability of the narrative.
When sudden gun violence escalates in Chicago, the gun lobbies call for everyone to have a handgun, but American Majors all call for a ban on handguns, and Otis Cogsworth, the Chief Executive Officer of Cogsworth International Arms, naturally worries about the effect that this will have on his business. He soon convinces the implementation of an ‘American Freedom From Fear Act’ that says every American must own a gun.
Across the country, Major Lois Leibowitz stands in opposition, a fact bought to the attention of Cogsworth, as one of his holiday mansions is in the small town where Leibowitz is the major.
As Cogsworth puts in another candidate, failing Action Star Jack Steele to run against her, the laws of money, lawyers and good sense all come into the light.
The novel is over 300 pages long, but much happens in the story, the characters are all well-drawn and believable. We see the destructive power that money and the fear of losing it has on Cogsworth, and we also see the resilience of small towns and small politicians standing up against power, and the destructive consequences of mandatory gun ownership will have on a country already so divided over the issue.
The novel takes a human look at a complicated issue, with money on one side of the equation, and the sanctity of safety for citizens on the other. It has moments of humour and looks at the small-minded views of people on either side of the argument. It is a timely reminder of how much power politics, and decisions made hundreds of miles away can have on the lives of people all over a country. The novel has something of Frank Capra about it, the small town against the big businesses, and it packs a thoughtful, believable story into a tautly written, and compelling narrative.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Israel spent 16 years in the US House of Representatives, plus being the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. To say that he is acquainted with the political process would be a gross understatement. To say that he unfamiliar with the lures of the lobby process would be equally ridiculous. To say that he has created a story promulgating the best defense is a strong, obscure offense would be to simplify the storyline of his new book, Big Guns, A Novel. Israel has chosen the very timely topic of gun violence and translated it into a civics lesson on how not to accomplish anything in all branches of our government.

A long time ago there was a subject taught in American Schools called Social Studies. That subject has been largely lost basically guaranteeing that young American students never have to take a course in the basics of their government. In place of Social Studies this books should be required reading for graduation from High School. It might just begin to explain the incredibly ridiculous and corrupt workings of our government, how things are done, how deals are made and the resultant insanity. Oh, you want to remind me that this book is a work of fiction, maybe, but probably it is closer to truth.

Funny in places, outrageous in others, Israel has political satire as a weapon in his back pocket and from the ending it appears that he will be reprising this theme.

Thank You NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC

[Steve A · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I need to state that Steve Israel is the former congressman who represented my district. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of meeting with him a few times, including over a group lunch or two. I was always impressed with his forthright statements and could hear the frustration regarding members of Congress who no longer could effective work across the aisle. So, when he decided to leave politics (for now) to continue to write, it wasn’t too surprising.

I enjoyed Big Guns. Living on Long Island, it was easy to see where Mr. Israel was drawing from real people, places and local culture. Clearly Big Guns is steeped in satire, Mr. Israel offers an insider’s view of how Washington works (or doesn’t) with some tongue-in-cheek allusions. Some of the characters are well disguised, some not so much (really - Megan Slatterly). After watching cable news for a year, I could smile when Mr. Israel makes certain political references (ex. SOS Network). Won’t comment further in an effort not to reveal any spoilers.

Since lately I’ve been taking quite a bit of time to work through some books, Big Guns flowed pretty quickly and I assume it was because the topic was relevant and the style was engaging. I could put it down, but I always enjoyed picking it up and devouring a couple of chapters at a time.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Guns is a political satire recounting the events and resulting political activity that follow up a massive wave of gun violence in Chicago. All the players in our American political establishment are large and in charge, playing their roles to perfection. The author spent 16 years as a member of congress representing New York, and uses his vast insider experience and knowledge to paint a picture of how things really work in American politics. This story is a satire, and if i had read it 2-3 years ago, i would have added the modifier outrageous to the description. And indeed, this story is as outrageous as any i've read. But sadly, it is barely more outrageous that the reality-TV politics we see played out over the last 2 years of the disastrous Trump administration (and it ain't over yet). And because of the political situation in this nation, this satire delivers an equal balance of fun and fear. While the reader laughs at the crazy over-the-top antics of the characters in this story, at the same time, the reader is scared shitless as he or she turns on the TV/radio/social media/etc and finds the same Idiocracy playing out in the U.S. on a daily basis. A worthwhile and fun read, although the tight parallel with our reality is too close for comfort.

[H R Koelling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny book! Well written and thoroughly enjoyable. If you're not inclined to acknowledging the absurdity of modern American politics this novel may not tickle your funny bone as much as it tickled mine.

A few typos and grammatical errors escaped the Simon & Schuster proofreaders. But sometimes the author wrote some real headscratchers that I just couldn't make sense of. Here's one that kind of missed the mark, although the intention was eventually understood:

"It would be chewed on, digested, and then regurgitated into the mouths of other pundits, like birds feeding an incessantly chirping flock."

I've never encountered, nor heard of, any bird that feeds entire flocks. Perhaps he meant, "... like birds feeding an incessantly chirping nest of fledglings."? Much more factually correct, and more on point to his intention, but doesn't quite roll off the tongue like the original.

But what do I know? I'm neither a former congressman, nor a published author with Ken Burns' praise on my bookjacket. It's a great book, even if there are a few hardly noticeable mistakes and odd turns of phrase.

[RMazin · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the satirical novel, Big Guns, former Congressman Steve Israel attempts to enter Christopher Buckley territory. When the Chicago Mayor wants to ban all guns, a sympathetic mayor of Asabogue, a Long Island summer town, chooses to join him. Unfortunately this little town is also the residence of a major gun manufacturer who is one of the NRA’s biggest proponents. Further complicating the story is a publicist with unique ties to the mayor and the gun maker. No one is going to take up a non-gun policy, without a fight. This includes local anarchists, malcontents, faded movie stars and ambitious legislators. Then there are a slew of acronym organizations on both sides championing their causes. Logic is cast aside in favor of winning….which varies according to who has the ear of a rabid media. Israel’s observations are witty, amusing and with grains of truth. But given the current situation, it is hard to satirize the satiric dramas that already surround any progress towards gun policies. Often readers will find the humor here cringe-worthy even as they laugh aloud.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Guns by Steve Israel is big fun. Mr. Israel writes what he knows. Politics, money, deals, back-room brawls and promises, most of which are bought and paid for with taxpayer money.
Here we find a novice southern congressman in search of popularity and political currency. What better way than to legislate your way to fame by requiring that all Americans be armed? As you wend your way through this extremely funny and topical satire you cry as much as you laugh. Because Big Guns is dead on perfect. The characters are comical and believable, and the pot they stir is reflective of today’s Washington. Along the way, we meet the star of the show, a vivacious and pretty D.C. lobbyist, whose only desire is to increase her income and her reputation, by any means necessary. Throw in a leftist mayor from the Gold Coast of New York and her agenda and you end up with a tremendously funny, cogent, and marvelous read. You win my vote, Mr. Israel.

[Christa Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago is becoming such a shooting gallery, Mayor Michael Rodriguez starts a coalition of mayors to ban guns. In retaliation, Otis Cogsworth, the CEO of the larges gun manufacturer in the US, decides to try to find a legislator who will sponsor a bill requiring ALL Americans to own a gun. Likening it to Obamacare where all Americans were told to have health insurance, this is safety insurance. Now how do we get this on the field in Washington? Get your best lobbyist to carry the water. Sunny McCarthy starts the process while avoiding visiting her home town where her mother is the mayor and a fuzzy headed liberal to boot. Things get more interesting as the gun measure takes off and nobody knows how to stop it. This is a hilarious piece of political satire that had me going from the start. Steve Israel's sophomore effort is even better than his last book

[Heather Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this book! A satire of politics and so incredibly relevant. Pro-gun vs anti-gun, abortion vs pro-life, money vs ideals, the top 1% vs normal Americans.....all churning in our broken world of political lobbying. And did I mention-this book is funny too? All I can really say is.....go out and get this book and read it! It perfectly “explains” our country and its system of “government” today. Wherever you stand on the various issues, this book will definitely open your eyes to our politicians and how they are run and how they run us. Great book! Funny and eye-opening and thought-provoking all at once. I recommend this book for everyone!! I think all of us need to read this one especially in today’s political environment, maybe to chill us all out and make us think real hard about our country.

[Garrett Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t normally a theme that would draw me in, but I decided to give it a shot. While I was hoping it would offer some insight or introspection on America’s gun situation, it only touches on the issue without delving deeply into the complexities of either side’s argument.

Given the author’s experience in politics, I imagine the depictions are somewhat accurate, but the simplified, almost comedic approach to the climax makes for an easy resolution that leaves more to be desired. The character of Sunny is well-developed, with clear motivations and depth, but many of the other characters on both sides of the gun debate feel like overly simplistic representations of the real complexities involved in this debate.

While I’d hoped to walk away with new/better understanding of the gun debate in America, I did like the fun read and outcome.

[Samara Karow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, but it was a little bit confusing because of the amount of characters in it. My favorite character is Sunny, and I appreciated her character development throughout the story.

It is an interesting stylistic choice for Israel, a Democrat, to make most of his characters Republicans. I guess that’s part of the humor of the book, although I personally didn’t get any of the humor, despite finding the book enjoyable.

The length of the chapters was superb, grabbing my attention for just enough time.

I noticed a disparity between Israel’s descriptions of male characters and female characters. Female characters’ descriptions had an emphasis on their sexuality, whereas male characters had non-sexual descriptions of their appearance ranging from benign to repulsive.

[Hayes Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steve Israel is an excellent writer which makes this novel an enjoyable read. Unfortunately the satire in this book is too over the top at certain points and almost reads like an episode of “Parks and Recreation”. It’s clever at times but it is very obvious which side of the aisle Israel falls on. However, it was a fun read that I don’t regret, but much to Israel’s chagrin this novel lacks depth or original insight and reflection on our current political moment. What I enjoyed the most was the relationship between Sunny Montgomery and her mother. Sunny and her Mother are the two main characters in the book and due to this Israel lends a lot of time to developing their backstory and relationship which he does very well.

[Mary Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, former Member of Congress Steve Israel writes a satirical political novel that pits pro-gun and anti-gun forces in a way that is both hilarious and terrifying. He also manages to interweave lessons in "how a bill (really) becomes a law" in a way that totally shatters everything you were taught in high school civics (assuming such a course still exists somewhere in America). I'm torn between urging everyone to read it and urging everyone not to read it. It certainly conveys, through extreme exaggeration, the multiple points of view that exist in society on an important issue, but the jury is out on whether it will inspire constructive action or simply deepen our cynicism.

[Charles Temm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clumsy and as witty as the (former) congressman himself...thank God I got my copy free so I didn't feel guilty tossing it into the trash when finished.

Simply boring. The same tired arguments dressed up somewhat to make them seem fresh. Of course one side is chiefly made up of stereotypical folks and the other side (the good ones) who really care and know so much better than anyone else what needs doing to save us from ourselves.

Ironically we do have cities and areas actually doing all but formally outlawing firearms especially handguns. Those same places have the worst gun violence for some reason, guess banning them didn't work any better than banning drugs did.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics are divisive and "tribal" right now - to use a buzz word. It is hard to get away from partisan rhetoric. This book is not concerned with sides - it focuses more on lobby industry and the grease it adds to the machinery of Washington DC, and on an outlandish story about a bill to make law that each American must own a gun.

In short - I enjoyed this book. I felt it could have been more biting, but I take it that was not the author's goal. And I am jaded regarding national politics, so there's that.