America Again

Starred review from February 25, 2013
The packaging of this audio edition of Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert’s latest title features an icon promoting the recording’s “3-D High-Def Surroundiness.” While this claim clearly follows Colbert’s pattern of tongue-in-cheek buzzwords and taglines, the production quality does contribute to a satisfying listening experience, as voices and sounds—including a stoner commentator’s bubbling bong water—are distinctly rendered in the fashion of live theater. Colbert’s narrative—steeped in his characteristic irony—weaves expository chapters on various hot-button issues with monologues from individual citizens. With the possible exception of the aforementioned stoner, the most memorable of these characters is a silver-tongued energy industry spokeswoman who embodies the very essence of spin in the current media culture. Colbert’s brand of entertainment occupies a unique niche in the marketplace, and regardless of whether the punch lines click for individual listeners, the comedian’s latest offering remains unmistakably faithful to that brand. A Grand Central hardcover.

Colbert returns to narrate another amusing and satirical trip down the road of extreme radical conservatism. Chapter by chapter, he tackles the big issues--from American exceptionalism to immigrants to universal healthcare to unions--with a straight face and a brutal wit. Though enjoyable, it doesn't pack nearly as much punch as a week's worth of his show. His delivery has all the right timing and emphasis, but the caliber of jokes doesn't always meet the anticipation and buildup. The low points are his character voices for the end pieces of each chapter in which he presents a caricature of the Òreal American.Ó They often feel like a joke that has died but keeps going, never reviving even for an awkward laugh. L.E. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2012
Smart, funny and slickly designed, Colbert's sequel to I Am America (2007) does better than similar efforts at capturing a TV comedian's sensibility on the printed page. It has become a cottage industry for those who have achieved mass popularity on TV to parlay that success into book-publishing endeavors. The Jon Stewart axis has done this better than most, and in the follow-up to his best-selling debut, Colbert raises the bar, with glossy pages, 3-D glasses, inventive graphics and a text filled with the blowhard, nonsense pomposity that the author both embodies and skewers. "The Real Question is: Are America's best days behind us?" he asks. "Of course they are, and always have been. We have the greatest history in the history of History. But never forget, our best days are also ahead of us, and always will be. Because America also has the Greatest Future in the history of the Future. It's our present that is the problem....and always is [sic] be." On ethnic cuisine: "Honestly, I can't tell you which Chinese dish I dislike the most: the #41 or the #16. To me, it all tastes like a steaming pile of #2. General Tso should be tried for War Crimes against my colon." And so on. Areas covered within this manifesto of American Exceptionalism include position papers on jobs, health care, Wall Street and Easy Solutions (the main ones including "Tax cuts," "Cutting taxes," and "the encuttifying of our taxular system"). As for those who question America's primacy in all areas, "Critics love to point out that the American life expectancy of 78 ranks 42nd in the world. But that's ignoring the current Life Exchange Rate: 1 year in America is worth 10 in some foreign hellhole." For better and worse, the book should make American readers feel proud to be Americans. Much more than the usual bits and one-liners in book form.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 15, 2012

America is No. 1, except that it's not, really, proclaims political satirist Colbert. We don't make anything anymore, and our future is in the hands of the Chinese. Does Colbert have recommendations? "Feel free to deep-fry this book--it's a rich source of fiber." Maybe laughing will help.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.