Pawnee

September 1, 2011

The mockumentary genre used so effectively in, e.g., Spinal Tap and The Office is showcased in this full-blown over-the-top guide to fictional Pawnee, IN, the setting of NBC's Parks and Recreation. It is written by deputy director of Pawnee's parks and recreation department Knope, the character played by esteemed Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler. With a Hoosier-sized cornucopia of photos, illustrations, sidebars, statistics, and footnotes (almost 200...yikes!), Knope leaves no Pawnee ear of corn unshucked in her detailed Parks and Recreation backstories. You might be especially interested in Knope's take on the Pawnee Public Library: "The main reading room is awash in sickening, blindingly light, and features a bunch of terrible human beings staring at you like you're a shoplifter while you try to peruse a book in their putrid repository. Suffer snotty looks and condescending gestures from idiotic women who really and truly believe they are smarter and better than you are but in reality have rat-level IQs. Just stay away. It's the worst place in the world." Ah, we love you, Amy Poehler! VERDICT It's Amy Poehler, and, like the show, it's freakin' hilarious. What more do you want?--Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.