Customer Reviews

BORAT: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Borat humor, like fermented horse urine, is definitely an acquired taste. There's plenty here to seriously offend almost everyone--those who are not offended by anything in this double-ended (one part USA, the other Kazakhstan) book have got to be rather strange to begin with. It's almost incessantly outrageous, but that's what makes it a lot of fun. Not everything works quite as well as it should: you may turn to a page and scowl or look revolted--but just turn to the next page and you're smiling again.

There are lots of nice color pictures--cheap shoddy color usually, but that's part of the idea. What do you want? Current technology? The text can be a bit slow-going at times ("I was also very happy face at time of my junior schoolings.."), but that's also part of the fun. Borat talks of the "Glorious Tinshein Swimmings Pool" and it's wonderful filtration system ("remove 80% of human solid waste"). It's a book that you can wander through and enjoy.

I think that the main delight with Borat so far is that it is very creative and original humor. The danger is that we may see it overdone. Men in Black was an original, creative film: MIB II was neither--it broke no new ground. Animal House was great--but the popularity led to each of the TV networks doing spinoffs which failed to capture and appreciate just why the original was so good. I would hate to see the same thing happen to Borat.

A strong word of caution: the book is definitely not for younger children. Some of the photographs are such that you would never see them reproduced on network TV. But the main danger for letting, say, an 8-year-old look at the book would be having to explain to the child why the humor is funny. A good semi-serious documentary could be made of a parent trying to explain the humor to a son or daughter--explaining about the birds and the bees would be trivially easy in comparison. So--not for everyone--but for the Borat fans, truly a gem.

All I can say is that I read the U S and A part in a bookstore, and I was constantly laughing loudly out loud. (A guy came over and said he was getting the book because of my laughing.) Ali G TV made me laugh so much my sides hurt, the Borat movie was hilarious, but I think the book might be even funnier. If you are an arrested development adult male without any sexual hangups, you will think this is one hysterical bit after another. I repeated some of the "observations" to my wife and my teenage son. My son laughed, my wife-not so much. But for the next few days, I would just think about how much I laughed, and that would make me laugh. You can't ask much more out of printed pages.

Following Kazakhstan's 2006 contribution to the laugh-out-loud movie category in the form of Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan, the television personality (and brother of "number four prostitute in all of Kazakhstan") the namesake TV mega star has returned this time with a book both chronicling his travels in the US and A while simultaneously returning the favour and introducing westerners to his homeland.

Yanking the Americans' chain (and leaving a trail of foolish fooled fools behind from New York City to Los Angeles) the steamed journalist shows off what US and A has to offer for the fellow travellers. The writing can run in slopes as Borat Sagdiyev marvels at the freedom of women and chocolate faces and the containment of Jews in New York City to a manageable ten. On the other side of the guide, Borat utilizes half the photographs and documents available in his Central Asian country - still way ahead of the degenerate Uzbeks of course - to show off the latest and greatest in his homeland (in maiming gypsies, Jews and anooses). A special mention goes to vagines and president Nursultan Nazarbaye who, as everyone knows, obtained his post by carrying a woman the longest distance of any contestant.

As far as travel guides go, Borat has just established two new benchmarks right here in one swoop. The Touristic Guidings might be a raunchy and acquired taste, yet there is no denying that I would be worried about my job security right about now if I worked for NFT, Frommer's or Rough Guides.

I bought this as a gift for a coworker who loves Borat. He couldn't put it down. Great gift for Borat fans.

I can recommend...............NOT ! ! this book high enough.
A house of power. A tour de farce.
I laugh. I cry . I loose 15 kilos!
I must buy!

PS. I get stange call from mans named Steven. He yells I must take words down. I tell Mr. Kolbert that in U. S.and A. I have speech freedoms. He says me his lawyer will call me soon. Probably loolee-loolee jew.

WARNING: You MUST have an unconditional sense of humor to appreciate this book. I couldn't stop laughing from the first to the last page... on both sides of the book! Brilliant comedy. Sacha Baron Cohen is a comedic genius, no doubt. It's a great read. No matter how your day has been, you will forget all your troubles once you pick up this book.

After seeing the movie several times I had to get the book. Read it at work and laughed my backside off. Good thing I put it in a different cover as my PC employer is not fond of humor, at least this type.

This book is perverse. Borat is a twisted traveler who has been arrested in more countries than there are in the game of Risk. I would highly reccommend the movie version of his adventures. A recent NPR interview with sacha baran cohen was incredibly revealing. Buy the book or video, but beware, as there is something in it to offend everyone. If I were from Kazakhstan, I would not approve of this.

Well, it is very simply. If you liked the movie, you're gonna like the book. It's funny.

Make buying NOW! I'm not an easy laugh, but this book gets audible gut busting laughter from me on almost every page. It's nothing short of brilliant. My only complaint is that it is not 10 times longer and that Borat has been retired as a character. I still want MORE.