Average customer rating:
- well organized
- Find a laugh at the place that you need it
- Ladies and Germs.....
- Direct from the *true* Kings of Comedy, the Joke Enclopedia!
- SUPER for speechmakers, comedians and BIIIIIIIG LAUGHS!
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The Friars Club Encyclopaedia of Jokes: 2,000 One-Liners, Straight Lines, Stories, Gags, Roasts, Ribs and Put-Downs
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
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Winning with One-Liners: 3,400 Hilarious Laugh Lines to Tickle Your Funny Bone and Spice Up Your Speeches
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The Greatest Joke Book Ever
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Roasts and Toasts Made Easy: A Practical Guide for the Creation of Roasts/Toasts for Business and Social Occasions
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The Friar's Club Bible of Roasts, Toasts, Pokes and Jokes
ASIN: 1884822630 |
Book Description
Introduction by Alan King. The most extensive collection of jokes ever compiled from Friars Club members and other comedians, this hilarious book covers every imaginable subject--from aging to dieting, fashion to fathers, birth control to male anatomy.
Customer Reviews:
well organized.......2007-01-26
a well organized collection of older and newer material. good as i reference or an tntro to jokesmithing.
Find a laugh at the place that you need it.......2006-01-24
Georgie Jessel would have loved this book. He was endlessly talking of the 'Friar's Club' in his old routines. But the truth is this book has quite a bit of material which comes from other sources. Never mind. There are jokes here for every situation and every occasion. The one- liners are conveniently indexed under subject making it easy to decide to be amused about something and finding a particular subject.
This is of course a book not to be ' read through' but rather dipped into here and there when one feels like a little chuckle or smile. There is however some bad taste dirty stuff which a number of readers have complained about, and which the editor might have done without. Of course in doing so he would have taken out one major element of 'Friar's Club ' humor.
Usually I find something disheartening about joke- books especially if they are too 'low in spirit'. I prefer a kind of mild humor as exemplified by this kind of joke.
"Behind every successful man , stands an amazed woman"
The work is not all jokes and has little stories and anecdotes also.
Enjoy.
Ladies and Germs............2003-08-19
If you have ever seen the Friar's Club in action, you already know that there is no safe haven from the one liners, roasts and put-downs. "The Friar's Club Encyclopedia of Jokes is no different. The book has over 2,000 jokes listed by subject from A-W, so unless you are a xenophobe, a yak, or a zebra, any person,idea, or subject is fair game.
This is not a book that you would read from cover to cover, Just leave it out on your coffee table, or pull it out from the bookshelves, open up to any page and start laughing. The only place I would not suggest to keep it,is on your night stand. You may wake the person next to you laughing out loud.
All the one liners and gags are grouped by subject. Actors, Baldness, Bankers, Divorce,Ethnic Jokes, Female Anatomy,Life, Politics,Television, Taxes, Weather, you name it, these big guns of comedy don't miss a trick.
This book may not be for everyone, as many of the jokes are crude,some may be considered R rated, and some being from a time when it was okay to laugh at yourself and life without being politically correct. Although none of the lines are intended to be mean spirited. I definately wouldn't keep it around children who can read!
You can almost hear, these legends spouting their stuff. Groucho Marx.."A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running"...Mae West.."I like two kinds of men: domestic and foreign"...Jackie Gleason.."When you leave New York, you're camping out." Joe E. Lewis.."A man is never drunk if he can lay on the floor without holding on" (Those are some of the more tasteful quotes I could give without being edited or offending.)
It is quite a thick book at 496 pages of these priceless quotes and dialouges. There is an index of Humorists, making it easy to find your favorites, and an introduction by Alan King, listing it's most renowned memebers.
Many of the contributors(who some may consider as national treasures) are no longer with us, and this book is a treasure chest of their words. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh and can appreciate it for what it is.
"For the first year of marriage I had a basically bad attitude. I tended to place my wife underneath a pedestal."...Woody Allen
Badaboom.....enjoy...Laurie
Direct from the *true* Kings of Comedy, the Joke Enclopedia!.......2002-01-29
I love this great big joke book! I got it for Christmas, and each night before turning out the light, I'd read sections of it, and really enjoy it. To tell the absolute truth, I was *very* suprised to find MANY of the jokes from my collection of "Gross" and "Truly Tasteless" books included here, albiet in slightly altered form. I suppose there's a place in the Friar's hearts for occasional filth and rauch. But you know what? I still love it! Hey, I said I was suprised, I didn't say I didn't approve. More power to 'em, so much the better, I say. Ranging in topics from Drugs, Sex, Work, Women, Doctors, Lawyers, (a rather BIG section there) and yes, even the ethnic jokes, I guarantee you'll find the catagory in here to suit your taste, and then you'll find the perfect joke to make you split your sides! Check this one out today!
SUPER for speechmakers, comedians and BIIIIIIIG LAUGHS!.......2001-09-11
Even with Milton Berle's amazing, thick-with-laughs two volume Private Joke Files this is one of the best joke books on the market. Why? It truly contains great one-liners, straight lines, gags, roasts, etc. from the Friars Club, many of them attributed to the world's greatest entertainers and comedians.
Don't give this to Little Johnny (although he may indeed like it) since some jokes in this superb book are adult oriented (with adult language, too) and - yes -- some are politically incorrect ("She's so fat she's my TWO best friends." -- unattributed). But you'll howl with laughter as you read many of these.
And you can truly use them for any occasion or aim one at someone if you know his/her/its background ("You have to have a physical before you get into the Army. A doctor looks in one ear, another doctor looks in the other, and if they can't see each other you're in. If they can see each other, you become an MP." -- Joe E Brown). Some jokes aren't attributed but you'll find many jokes directly credited to classic and modern comedians ... EVEN BETTER: It is well-organized into topics and indexed according to performer. I read a lot of joke books. Some I read, find mildly amusing and file in the basement. This one stays on my self for reference (I am a ventriloquist believe it or not) -- and if I just need a pick-me-up belly laugh. WELL worth the price!!
Book Description
In the 1970s and 1980s, before he earned national acclaim for his award-winning novels, Pete Dexter was a newspaper columnist. Every week, in a few hundred words, Dexter cut directly to the heart of the American character at a time of national turmoil and crucial change. With haunting urgency, his columns laid bare the violence, hypocrisy, and desperation he saw on the streets of Philadelphia and in the places he visited across the country. But he reveled, too, in the lighter side of his own life, sharing scenes with the indefatigable Mrs. Dexter, their young daughter, and a series of unforgettable creatures who strayed into their lives. No matter what caught Dexter's eye, it was illuminated by his dark, brilliant humor.
Collected here for the first time are eighty-two of the best of those spellbinding, finely wrought pieces—with a new introduction by the author—assembled by Rob Fleder, editor of the bestselling Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Book. Paper Trails is searing, heart-breaking, and irresistibly funny, sometimes all at once. As Pete Hamill says in his foreword, these essays "are as good as it ever gets."
Customer Reviews:
Pete Dexter can WRITE!.......2007-04-06
Boy is Pete Dexter a good writer. This collection of his columns from, among others, the Sacramento Bee and the Philadelphia Inquirer are occasionally a little dark, but never boring, and cover a wide array of subjects. If you've never read Pete Dexter, you should, and this is a good way to get your feet wet; that being said, his novels are not to be missed.
Biting.......2007-04-05
Dexter's stories about life in America may be the most inciteful observations being written today. Spellbinding prose.
Brilliant, fun, sad, poignant ..........2007-03-15
Dexter is truly one of America's greatest writers ... this collection is impossible to put down. If the first piece doesn't grab your heart, you don't have one. This is every bit as good as his novels ... and those are masterpieces.
PETE DEXTER'S UNIQUE STORIES OF LIFE.......2007-02-13
Four FASCINATING Stars! National Book Award-winning writer Pete Dexter wrote kaleidoscopic newspaper columns and magazine articles on his observations of life, love, marriage, death, and everything in between in preceding decades. These 82 vignettes are unique and engrossing, coming from multiple sources Iike Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Redbook, Inside Sports, Philadelphia Daily News, and the Sacramento Bee, focusing on many locations around the country. Although somewhat dated, this book proves the timeless phrase "The more things change, the more they remain the same": case in point, Dexter's 'O. J. Simpson vs the press' viewpoint is right on the money, as O. J. once again regretably rises to the attention of the world.
In the great tradition of writers like Jimmy Breslin, Mr Dexter writes with a keen eye, sardonic wit, and a gift for detail and opinion in rough-edged, highly-descriptive, and presumptive prose. The stories keep coming, letting the reader sometimes read between the lines and fill in missing details: here's how he describes how he rushed from Florida to Philadelphia in mid-winter to accept a much-needed new job: "I arrived three days later with one pair of boots, no coat, running as close to empty as I've ever been", a whale of a winter image in 21 words. You fill in the rest; unshaven, dirty laundry in the back seat? The book is loaded with these.
The specific stories are varied: a salute to a TV newsman murdered on his knees in a foreign country (no, not that newsman and not that country!), the escapades of two friends nicknamed Low Gear and Minus (no kidding!), a mother cat in a dangerous world, a beer throwing contest (seriously!), police stories, courtroom stories, stereotypical views on race but with an underlying fairness and fondness for all men, a paper bag that should have been left alone, murders that could and should have been avoided, an old boxer one should stay away from, and the Brian Spencer-involved murder case that he peels back like an onion. The stories run from the truly interesting to the mundane, but things are never boring based on the grittiness and uniqueness of Mr Dexter's vignettes of life. It may take a couple of stories to get your bearings, but by then he's pulled you into his world. Definitely Recommended!! Four INCISIVE Stars!
(Note: this review is based on an eBook digital download in secure eReader format.)
Average customer rating:
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The Big Little Book of Jewish Wit & Wisdom
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
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Jewish Wisdom
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Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods (P.S.)
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ASIN: 1579121462 |
Book Description
This small, chunky volume presents the witty, wonderful, deadpan and droll insight of the Jewish culture. Chapters on Wisdom, Mitzvahs, Dybbuks, Proverbs, Jokes, Curses, Conventions, Mores (ethics), Love & Marriage, Men & Women, Children & Family provide reflections gleaned from a wealth of ancient, traditional and modern sources. The range of wise observations on the ways of the world, snappy one-liners, stories and expressions captures the spirit of the Jews throughout the centuries. Illustrated with sixty watercolor paintings, The Big Little Book of Jewish Wit & Wisdom will delight and engage even the toughest Jewish mother.
Some examples:
When we hear a baby laugh, it is the loveliest thing that can happen to us.--Sigmund Freud
A child's wisdom is also wisdom.--Yiddish proverb
I don't believe in the afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.--Woody Allen
May you lose all your teeth but one, and may that one have a cavity.--Anonymous (Yiddish curse)
Book Description
ox-y-mor-on-i-ca (OK-se-mor-ON-uh-ca) noun, plural: Any variety of tantalizing, self-contradictory statements or observations that on the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper level are true, often profoundly true. See also oxymoron, paradox.
examples:
"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad."
Victor Hugo
"To lead the people, walk behind them."
Lao-tzu
"You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap."
Dolly Parton
You won't find the word "oxymoronica" in any dictionary (at least not yet) because Dr. Mardy Grothe introduces it to readers in this delightful collection of 1,400 of the most provocative quotations of all time. From ancient thinkers like Confucius, Aristotle, and Saint Augustine to great writers like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and G. B. Shaw to modern social observers like Woody Allen and Lily Tomlin, Oxymoronica celebrates the power and beauty of paradoxical thinking. All areas of human activity are explored, including love, sex and romance, politics, the arts, the literary life, and, of course, marriage and family life. The wise and witty observations in this book are as highly entertaining as they are intellectually nourishing and are sure to grab the attention of language lovers everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderfully enlightening.......2007-07-16
The quotes in this pithy little book are full of wit and wisdom. I have shared many of them with friends and family. It will be worthwhile reading for anyone who cares about words, history and real "rubber-meets-the-road" intelligence.
Conversation Starter.......2006-12-21
My mother bought this for me for Christmas one year...she calls me her little oxymoron. She just means that I love witty uses of language...and this book was perfect for me, because it's full of just that! It's split into 14 different chapters, each one showcasing a different type of oxymoron. This was very helpful, because it's easy to flip to whichever section you're in the mood for. This is a great book to set on your coffee table, because it will be a conversations starter at any gathering.
I love how there were oxymorons that make me giggle:
"Be spontaneous." (think about that one!!)
And ones that were just true and thoughtful:
"To lead the people, walk behind them." - Lao-tzu
A great gift for anyone who enjoys the fun of playing with the English language.
I doubt whether there can be a better concise collection of HQ oxymorons.......2006-08-09
I didnt expect that this handy little green book could contain so many oxymorons in 14 chapters (13 categories). Definitely a very useful and affordable tool in anyone's bookshelf for reference whenever necessary. Highly recommended!
Below please find some of my favorites for your consideration.
Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness. - Chuang Tzu pg 8
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's own ignorance. - Confucius pg 8
You cant say civilization isnt advancing, in every war they kill you in a new way. - Will Rogers pg 9
I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times. - Everett Dirksen pg 27
We learn from history that we do not learn from history. - Georg Hegel pg 34
In the act of loving, you arm another person against you. - anonymous pg 53
Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weaknesses. - Marie Du Deffand pg 62
Most women set out to try to change a man, and when they have changed him they do not like him. - Marlene Dietrich pg 62
Deep down, he's shallow. - anonymous pg 147
Common sense is not so common. - Voltaire pg 181
I dont think I am any good. If I thought I was any good, I wouldnt be. - John Betjeman pg 184
I must be cruel only to be kind. - Hamlet pg 198
I can give you a definite perhaps. - Samuel Goldwyn pg 214
A Tool For Wordsmiths: Mini-Review of "Oxymoronica" by Dr. Mardy Grothe.......2006-05-31
I have always found words to be marvelous tools, weapons or playthings - depending on who is wielding them and in what tone of voice. I marvelous at those who have the talent to express time-tested ideas in new and entertaining ways. So, I was delighted to find this little gem, written by Dr. Mardy Grothe: Oxymoronica - Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths." This HarperCollins book will be added to my bookshelf of hand reference works.
According to Dr. Grothe's own definition, "oxymoronica" are: "Any variety of tantalizing, self-contradictory statements or observations that on the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper level are true, often profoundly true."
The author has been collecting memorable quotations for many years, and out of the tens of thousands in his collection, he chose two hundred pages worth that best represent the art of verbal paradox.
I could share quotations from every page that are worth passing on, but to keep this mini-review from become too "maxi," I will share only a few quotations culled from my favorite authors.
From Dickens - the immortal opening passage to A Tale of Two Cities:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
It was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity,
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
It was the spring of hope, it was the spring of despair,
We had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
We were all going direct to Heaven,
We were all going direct the other way."
(Page 197)
From Dickens Bleak House:
"He is an honorable, obstinate, truthful, high-spirited, intensely prejudiced, perfectly reasonable man."
(Page 205)
From Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground:
"In despair there are the most intense enjoyments, especially when one is very acutely conscious of the hopelessness of one's position."
"Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering."
(Page 200)
From Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye:
"As in the case of many misanthropes, his disdain for people led him into a profession designed to serve them."
(Page 201)
From Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard:
"When a lot of remedies are suggested for a disease, that means it can't be cured."
(Page 204)
Joseph Heller, in Catch-22, is a veritable fount of oxymoronic wit and wisdom:
"Even amongst men lacking all distinction he inevitably stood out as a man lacking more distinction than all the rest, and people who met him where always impressed by how unimpressive he was."
"The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likeable. In three days, no one could stand him."
Heller - in Something Happened:
"When I grow up I want to be a little boy."
(Page 207)
From Aldous Huxley in Point Counter Point:
"Several excuses are always less convincing than one."
(Page 208)
Washington Irving in Bracebridge Hall:
"Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old."
(Page 208)
Edgar Allan Poe in The Purloined Letter:
"The best place to hide anything is in plain view."
(Page 211)
George Bernard Shaw in Man and Superman:
"The most unbearable pain is produced by prolonging the keenest pleasure."
Another Shavian gem, from Heartbreak House:
"The surest way to ruin a man who doesn't know how to handle money is to give him some."
(Page 212)
Finally, Alexander Solzhenitsyn in The First Circle:
"You only have power over people as long as you don't take everything away form them. But when you've robbed a man of everything he's no longer in your power - he's free again."
(Page 212)
This is a book you can read in one sitting, and then will return to again and again for inspiration and delight.
In keeping with the spirit of the book, let me conclude: "This little volume is a quick snack that will feed you for a lifetime!"
Enjoy!
Al
A little more literature.......2006-03-14
This book has a more unique viewpoint than most others of its type, which makes it a bit more interesting. It takes more thought to analyze the entries, so that it serves as a "wake up" medium for emphasis when it accompanies other thoughts that one wants to express.
Book Description
A brilliant collection, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006 highlights a bold mix of fiction, nonfiction, screenplays, television writing, and more alternative comics than ever. Compiled by Dave Eggers and students from his San Francisco writing center, contributors include Judy Budnitz, The Onion, The Daily Show, This American Life, and George Packer.
Customer Reviews:
Find new and interesting authors - expand your horizons.......2007-09-14
This is a great book for those who wish to be exposed to new contemporary authors. I especially enjoyed the story on Dubai by George Saunders, "The New Mecca". If you've never read about Dubai (or even if you have), it's a real treat to hear more about the Fantasyland of the Middle East...
Different brand of humor, but its the kind I like!.......2007-09-04
I first became a Dave Eggers fan after getting into McSweeney's thanks to an NPR review. I'm actually not retirement age, listening to NPR, but a 20 year old college student. This book is great because I can read it in short spurts, like before class starts, and not really lose the focus of an intense novel. Also, the stories in this edition are truly riveting- the tale of a "freedom fighter", a future "Body Works" corpse- and yet some just make your face light up- the best fake headlines, courtesy of The Onion, random first lines of books. Overall, this is random, but a great cross section of pop culture. Weird? yes. Nonrequired? It's so good, it should be required.
worst edition yet.......2007-08-24
I've been reading the Nonrequired Reading since its first volume, and it is usually one of my favorites of the series, but, much like this year's essay collection, this is the worst I've seen yet. I love Matt Groening, but his introduction just seemed pointless. Eggers has a new format, with his best new words, band names, fake headlines, etc. basically section one is a waste of trees. In fact, most in this volume is a waste of time and energy and ink. The only things worth reading are the Onion headlines, the excerpt from the military blog, Downey's Rolling Stone piece, "The Insurgent's Tale," which helps to humanize and somewhat better understand jihadist, Michael Lewis's "Wading Toward Home" a piece about New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, Murakami's short story, Jeff Parker's short story, Rakoff's story of becoming a citizen, Joe Sacco's comic, Saunders fluff piece on Dubai, Julia Sweeney's "Letting Go of God, and finally, the masterful Kurt Vonnegut. But over half the book isn't worth reading. I hope next year's edition is back up to the standard Eggers set early in the series.
Some of it is more nonrequired than you may think.......2007-08-05
This is a good enough read mostly for the fact that you can skip whatever you don't care enough about and read only what peaks your interest. It's even better if you did like me and got it from the library.
The first section is good with all the Onion articles and Daily Show transcript. Then I also enjoyed Julia Sweeney's essay about letting go of God like he was almost an imaginary friend. Also, The Innocents and one or two of the other comics were good. False Cognate as well, was superbly done. And Kurt Vonnegut, c'mon, the man could find something interesting to say about parting your hair, let alone creative writing, which he did know quite a bit about. The best was the diagram of Kafka.
Too many of the stories unfortunately deal with Iraq and the Middle East in general, however, and this is the part I meant when you are able to skip over uninteresting parts. This is no doubtdue to the selection committee is mostly high school area kids from the Bay Area. You take that impressionable age group and you throw in a democratic selection process so everyone gets a say, you're going to wind up with a message along the lines of "Uh, this is like real important to us, man. Cuz". Yeah, you kiddies mean well, but teenagers, if you're going to attempt vague hippie-esque techniques, don't forget the dope, guns, and f'ing in the streets.
Good stuff.......2007-08-03
The collection of stories was surprisingly good. I'm not much for compilations like this, but I found myself truly enjoying this one.
Average customer rating:
- I think this is funny
- Kind of Funny
- Mortified
- pathetic alright
- Mundane, Repetitive, No Variety
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Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic.
David Nadelberg
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
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ASIN: 1416928073 |
Book Description
Share the shame.
In the days before blogs, teenagers recorded their lives with a pen in top-secret notebooks, usually emblazoned with an earnest, underlined plea to parents to keep away. Since 2002, David Nadelberg has tapped that vast wellspring of adolescent anguish in the stage show Mortified, in which grown men and women confront their past with firsthand tales of their first kiss, first puff, worst prom, fights with mom, life at bible camp, worst hand job, best mall job, and reasons they deserved to marry Simon LeBon.
Following the same formula that has made the live show a beloved cult hit, Mortified the book takes real childhood journals and documents and edits the entries into captivating, comedic, and cathartic stories, introduced by their now older (and allegedly wiser) authors. From letters begging rescue from a hellish summer camp to catty locker notes about stuck-up classmates to obsessive love that borders on stalking, Mortified gives voice to the real -- and really pathetic -- hopes, fears, desires, and creative urgings that have united adolescents for generations.
Customer Reviews:
I think this is funny.......2007-09-04
I first must admit, that I have a piece in this book, and I've been in the show. So my opinion might be biased. But even though I cringe at my entry I find everyone else's funny. I love the idea, and bummed I didn't come up with it first. What is funny is that it's true. Every word written is taken from someone's actual diary/journal/letters/poems etc. It's not a piece of fiction, because sadly some of this stuff just can't be made up.
Kind of Funny.......2007-04-15
There are a few gems buried in here. But is it worth buying the whole book to get to them? I don't know. These diary/journal entries will take you back to the not so distant past and I could have written some of them myself!
Mortified.......2007-03-08
I enjoyed this book throughly. The only disappointment that I had was that I thought it was going to be funny throughout but yet there seemed to be some very sad parts. Even though I found myself unable to put the book down.
pathetic alright.......2007-03-08
Very few really enjoyable stories in here. Sadly, people are just so self absorbed as teenagers that it was hard to be sympathetic with them
Mundane, Repetitive, No Variety.......2007-02-23
I sat and read this book in an evening. Practically all of the entries were from people that were of a certain cultural background (Jewish) and from a certain area (Massachusetts). It would have been nice if there would have been more varied situations, i.e. students from large vs. small high schools, racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds. Great concept, but it falls short. Also, a lot of the entries were really similar... there's got to be more teenage craziness out there.
Average customer rating:
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Laughter, Jestbooks and Society in the Spanish Netherlands (Early Modern History)
Johan Verberckmoes
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312216092 |
Book Description
Prior to the modern age laughter raised passions and activated the body to sweat and shake. Derision was not distinguished from joy. Deceiving the senses by tricks or funny stories made people laugh loudly, high and low class alike. Johan Verberckmoes describes in this innovating book the hodgepodge of comic images and stories in "Flandes" under the rule of the Spanish Habsburgs, from 1500 to 1700. It challenges the Bakhtinian idea of a caesura in the history of laughter around 1600 and pleads to take the laughing body seriously as influencing culture and society in its own right.
Book Description
Take the Cannoli is a moving and wickedly funny collection of personal stories stretching across the immense landscape of the American scene. Hailed by Newsweek as a "cranky stylist with talent to burn," Vowell has an irresistible voice -- caustic and sympathetic, insightful and double-edged -- that has attracted a loyal following for her magazine writing and radio monologues on This American Life.
While tackling subjects such as identity, politics, religion, art, and history, these autobiographical tales are written with a biting humor, placing Vowell solidly in the tradition of Mark Twain and Dorothy Parker. Vowell searches the streets of Hoboken for traces of the town's favorite son, Frank Sinatra. She goes under cover of heavy makeup in an investigation of goth culture, blasts cannonballs into a hillside on a father-daughter outing, and maps her family's haunted history on a road trip down the Trail of Tears.
Take the Cannoli is an eclectic tour of the New World, a collection of alternately hilarious and heartbreaking essays and autobiographical yarns.
Customer Reviews:
Funny, well-written, but a bit short..........2007-08-24
I became a fan of Sarah Vowell after reading Assassination Vacation, and decided to go back and read her early works. Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World is very good although a bit short. It's also a bit dated, although that's entirely my fault for taking so long to discover Vowell.
Take the Cannoli is a compilation of short stories that mostly deal with the author's life. She writes of being born in Oklahoma and raised in Montana, her twin sister and her parents, her education and her background (she's part Cherokee), her political beliefs and her interest in history, and especially her travels. Many of them are downright funny, and Vowell has a wicked, self-deprecating wit. The chapter on her trying to alter her appearance to become a "Goth" was a scream! I also enjoyed her escapes as a band geek. In high school, Vowell wasn't exactly your average high school student. "I have intimate knowledge of what it was like to be young and uneasy and outraged under Reagan. My high school was 1980s in miniature--you either belonged or you didn't. And if you didn't, you learned to seek relief where you could find it--and for me, that relief was with other black-clad malcontents who could quote defense-spending statistics even though we were barely passing algebra."
Vowell is at her best when she chronicles her travels and two that I enjoyed were her trip to Disney World and her tracing the Cherokee Trail of Tears. While her reflections on her Disney trip were funny, her take on The Trail of Tears poignant, sad and reflective. But even The Trail of Tears is good for a few chuckles, at Vowell's expense. When traveling on a road near her hometown, she relates that "only I know its topography with the intimacy that comes from leaning over every inch of it, carsick. I can't help but wonder if the grass grows so close to the shoulder because of my personal fertilizer crusade: I was a little Lady Bird Johnson of puke."
I wish that Vowell wrote books a little quicker, but in the meantime, I'll have to content myself with reading her earlier works.
Decent collection of author's early work.......2007-07-24
Writer Sarah Vowell established a following on NPR's "This American Life" in explorations of the byroads of American culture as well as her own life. Many of those pieces appear in TAKE THE CANNOLI in essay form alongside articles that originally appeared in print and online. The collection reveals the growth of the writer, from insightful young talent to a person shedding the edges of youth for a mature perspective on herself and, especially, her relationship as an American with this world. While her most recent work, ASSASSINATION VACATION, has her at the top of her powers, this collection, interesting in itself, shows her getting there.
Vowell begins by peeling back her youth as the liberal daughter of a Second Amendment gunsmith in Oklahoma and Montana; her life in high school band; and finally, growing up under the threat of doom held over her head by her family's Pentacostal religion and the Reagan administration's imagery of the evil empire and nuclear war. She moves onto tours of Frank Sinatra's hometown, Hoboken, New Jersey; Disney World and Celebration, Florida; New York's infamous Chelsea Hotel; Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp; and Goth culture. There a hilarious episode in which the creator of "This American Life," Ira Glass, tries to teach Vowell to drive. The second strongest piece in the collection is the essay from which she takes her title, an account of watching "The Godfather" religiously in college, hanging onto its simple imperatives in defense against the uncertain waves of diverse philosophy that swirl in academe. The strongest piece is the trip she takes with her twin sister Amy tracing the Trail of Tears their Cherokee ancestors were forced to march when President Andrew Jackson banished them from their own property. In that, you see Vowell learning to wrangle the kind of ambiguities that usually stop others in their tracks. I love how she loves America, clear-eyed but without apology.
This collection of essays is often topical and thus some of them are a little dated, or at least ironic given more recent events. I'd really like to sit down with Vowell, to see what she thinks now.
Read it, just not first........2006-11-17
Having read The Partly Cloudy Patriot first, I loved this book because it invited me to learn more about the author and her life. And in that respect, the book is very good--well-written and full of Vowell's characteristic wit. I would not, however, recommend it as a first taste of Sarah Vowell; I think it's funnier and more interesting once you're familiar with her style.
Take the Cannoli.......2006-08-27
She's a staple of This American Life on Public Radio International, and she's also appeared in GQ, Salon and Request. Her humor and wit are sharp and perceptive. But, let me work from the back cover blurbs.
Essays on American history, pop culture and her own family. Yep. But it's not easy to get me interested in American history or pop culture. A madonna of Americana. Yep, but I'm bored again.
Her writing about her family, early on, was great. Then we got some history that bored me, but I kept going because she is talented. Surface, but talented. Then an essay about the Trail of Tears that really hit home for me, then some amusing stuff. It's not bad, but I don't see myself going back for seconds. I'll keep an eye on whatever else she does.
More Sarah Vowell, Please.......2006-06-03
Take the Cannoli was a wonderful mixture of essays that was throughly enjoyable. As I have become used to with Sarah Vowell, her family, her relationship with her twin sister, her friends, her thoughts on the world in which she lives, her love for history, and the challenges of her everyday life flow through many of these essays, interconnecting them in ways that you do not expect. The essays in Take the Cannoli are consistently good, often made me laugh out loud, and in some cases changed my perspective on a particular subject. Although I didn't always agree with her, I certainly appreciated her passion.
Book Description
A delightful look at Irish culture and experience and at the inimitable Irish way with words, this treasury includes triads dating from the ninth century, 28 riddles of traditional Irish life, 32 prayers and blessings for all occasions, 50 proverbs, the best of Ireland's toasts and 50 early "Brehon" laws. A full-color illustration adds enchantment to each spread.
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderful Little Book! Deserves all 5 stars!.......2000-09-17
This is an enchanting little book that encompasses a collection of Irish Blessings, Irish Toasts, Irish Proverbs, Irish Riddles, Irish Laws, and Irish Wisdom. They are inspiring, funny, uplifting. Each saying is accompanied by a beautiful illustration. I would recommend this book to anyone, you don't have to be Irish to enjoy it! This is a keeper on my shelf!
A thought for every mood!.......2000-05-04
Big Little Book of Irish Wit & Wisdom: Six Volumes In One adds an irish twist to make it rise above the average 'quick read.' It enlightens, amuses, entertains, and inspires you, no matter what mood you're in. These little books pack alot of power!
Book Description
Pulled once again from the hip to the mainstream, this collection of fiction, nonfiction, alternative comics, and "anything else that defies categorization" (USA Today) is as fresh and bold as ever. Compiled by Dave Eggers and students from his San Francisco writing center, it's a "bouillabaisse of nonrequired reading that should be required" (Publishers Weekly). Contributors include Jhumpa Lahiri, George Saunders, William Langewiesche, Stephen Elliott, and others.
Customer Reviews:
Best Non-required reading.......2006-11-03
The book arrived in a timely manner and was just as advertised. I also really enjoyed reading it.
A Delightful Series.......2006-01-05
I love most of the "Best American" series, but I eagerly look forward to the "Nonrequired Reading" title. This volume is one of the best, with wonderful, quirky, hard to find stories that range all over the place. Selected by high schoolers, it gives me hope for the future that this is what our youth find of interest.
the best.......2005-12-25
The fourth edition of David Eggers Best American Nonrequired Reading is an impressive collection of twenty four of the year's finest fiction, essays, and memoirs. Culled from a mountain of publications and assembled by a group of teenagers at Eggers' 826 Valencia; a non-profit writing lab, drop-in tutoring center and the Bay Area's only independent pirate supply shop, this collection is a refreshing approach to modern American literature.
Covering a huge spread of interests and emotions Best American has everything from William T. Vollmann's (The Came Out Like Ants!) search for subterranean Chinese casinos and opium dens hidden under the streets of Mexicali since the nineteenth century to the almost familiar lives of Douglas Trevor (Girls I Know) and Ryan Boudinot (Free Burgers For Life). Completely devoid of clichés and tired literary devices every page of the genre-less Best American will have you awaiting next year's collection.
Best Nonrequired Reading So Far.......2005-12-23
I'm a fan of short stories and essays in general because I tend to finish a good 60 to 70% of the ones I start. Contrast that to novels and non-fiction monographs, where, secondary to undertreated ADHD and a busy schedule, I probably complete less than 10% of books I start. That's okay, I like accumulating books with bookmarks a third of the way in. An unfinished book is like a totem, a sacred symbol of potential wisdom, something to anticipate. But still, there is something satisfying and confidence boosting about reading something completely in one sitting.
I like this series, the adolescents we are told do the selections must have a keen eye for talent. Unlike other reviewers, I was not bothered by some of the overlap, in particular multiple stories about sibling rivalry. It's a pretty big theme in the lives of most people with siblings, and its effects resonate in multiple realms of our relationships and interactions. Perhaps it's closer to the surface for the Bay area teenagers who made these selections. That's fine. Personally, I'm glad they didn't throw out any of these stories in the name of variety and balance. Oh, by the way, have you gotten into Sudoku yet? You really should.
I particularly enjoyed Molly McNett's work, I hope we'll hear more from her, as well as the contributions by Franken, Saunders, Vollmann, Dickinson, and Boudinot. Big fan, big fan. So far, 2005 is the best edition of this series.
Books:
- The Friday Night Knitting Club
- The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body
- The Great Divorce
- The Joy of Reflexology: Healing Techniques for the Hands and Feet to Reduce Stress and Reclaim Life
- The Magic Bottle: A BLAB! Storybook
- The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Know to Make Love Work
- The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
- The Nuts and Bolts of Organic Chemistry: A Student's Guide to Success
- The Paper Bag Princess (Classic Munsch)
- The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero
Books Index
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