Customer Reviews

George W. Bush Coloring Book

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This coloring book exceeds C. W. McKee's Clinton coloring Book that came out in 1999. I'm adding this one to my collection. Though I may not share the same politics as Wood or Ocker, I certainly can't debate the facts and quotes that it's based on. I'm a republican and still capable of finding the humor in Bush's constant verbal blunders and wish that his mis-speaks were the worst of it. I'd rather laugh than cringe. Ocker's drawings have me laughing out loud. I reccomend this book to anyone, regardless of party affiliation, with half a sense of humor. The quotes are carefully selected and the drawings are skillfully composed. They are hilarious. I'm banking on this becoming a collector's item.

When I saw the book mentioned on CNN I thought it might be another amusing gag book and I bought it for a friend, but this is HILARIOUS. Better than I expected. A great way to package political history, and it will play it's own small part to insure that public amnesia does not set in about another president a few decades from now. I wish the book was longer but it's well worth the price. I'm buying one for myself now.

It's a great gift, chock-full-o some of my favorite Bushism's, delivered in a uniquely creative way. It's packaged with Source Notes that are interesting and informative and help to put the quotes into context for readers. The book ends with a factual, information-packed essay about our grave political reality by Wood, which only enhances this book's credibility.

What an ingenious way to deliver Dubya's mis-speaks! With so much Bush-babble at their disposal (and more mounting by the day), I'm wondering how they narrowed it down to pack such a punch. When I got to the last page I was hungry for more of Ocker's skillful, deadpan illustrations. They had my friends and I laughing out loud and pulling out the crayons. Even my republican friends are asking where they can get a copy.

I can't recommend this book enough!

You don't have to hate Bush to have a sense of humor. I strongly reccomend this book to anyone who isn't threatened by the truth or afraid to laugh.

This little book would make you laugh a lot more if it were not so sad but true. Illustrated by Karen A. Ocker with a densely written "historical" footnote by Joley Wood, THE GEORGE W. BUSH COLORING BOOK consists of 17 fine line drawings inspired by actual quotations made by Mr. Bush. The drawings are difficult to describe and must be seen to be appreciated fully. There is a sketch of Bush in a Yale cheerleading uniform, along with a report card where he received an "F" in geography to illustrate the quotation: "We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, and we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." One other from the group: Bush is making a campaign speech in November, 2000 and opines that "They [Democrats] want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program. . ."

Dates and sources for all the quotations are included in the back of the book; and Mr. Wood, in his footnote, reminds us of what some of us try to forget and others never believed: that Mr. Bush was not elected but appointed by the Supreme Court and that Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush, with the help of Database Technologies International, "wrongfully" purged over 90,000 voters from the Florida voter lists, primarily from Black counties. When this book was published in 2004, only 500 U. S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq, the Valerie Plame affair was still new, and Ken Lay was not a convicted felon. Mr. Wood obviously has his work cut out for him when he does a revision for a second printing.

Surely somebody gave this little grenade to Molly Ivins for a Christmas gift!

As much as I hate to admit it, I married a woman who voted for George W. Though I found the book humorous, her side splitting laughter made the book that much more enjoyable (it does restore some faith in her judgement).

The Bushisms are classic (quite true to life) - though we hear them often on the news, and they do appear to be getting better, presented in this format intensifies is hilarious. Subtle artistry and innuendos hidden in the background of the cartoons adds to the impact.

Even my (rabid republican) in-laws picked it up from the coffee table and had a good chuckle. I love the art work and the captions are great. Anyone who enjoys political cartoons will enjoy this book. The children's coloring book approach provides makes a great format for the material.

Of course the Republicans are going to hate this, but for all the rest of us who "get" what a dangerous idiot Bush is, this is great. What I like about it is the subtlety of the drawings. Ocker really doesn't set out to hit you over the head with a message, but rather tries earnestly to capture the surreal nature of whatever reality Bush lives in inside his head. To me, that's why her drawings really work. They illustrate, while also just really letting the quote speak for itself.

I mean, really, we're not talking about high art here, but for a coloring book and as political commentary, I think this is great.

I loved this book and immediately bought it off the shelf. I'm buying more as gifts today. The drawings are much more sophisticated and complex than the average kids coloring book. These clever illustrations are filled with unexpected details and capture the frightening and fantastical world of Dubya. My kids love the book as much as I do! I would recommend it along with "Three Little Pigs Buy the White House" as required summer reading for ALL kids.

I don't know what suglia was reading --Wood answers suglia's question right in the paragraph where The Prisoner is mentioned --says the American people are just like Number Six, not sure if they're in control or being controlled and trying to figure that out. How is that a false analogy --did suglia even read the footnote? And what's the evidence for the feebleness of Wood's grasp? I found the essay pretty compelling, and it proves to be more correct every day --the enthymematic argument thing is pretty useful information, and Dick Cheney's been doing it again in just the last two weeks saying Iraq was in cahootz with Al Qaeda, even after the 9/11 commission said they weren't. (And it's a footnote, not a preface; it says so, right there on the cover, "With a historical footnote by Joley Wood." A footnote goes at the end of the book, which is where the note is, but I guess that's a concept one would have to grasp first --like irony, because there's a lot of it in the book.) The captions were taken directly from Bush's own speeches, so it's not like anything was doctored up, as they can all be found in the public record. What they show is Bush's own lack of interest in what he's saying as he's saying it --kinda like a ventriloquist's dummy, no thought about what's being said. Since this came out, Bush still hasn't figured out how to say Abu Ghraib, and doesn't seem to care. I would think that says something about his own moral character, when he doesn't bother to learn the name of his own troops' torture chamber. Or does Bush even bother to learn who in his administration blew the cover of a CIA agent --which is a federal offense. Bush's disinterest is kinda like Wolfowitz's, who didn't know how many troops had died in Iraq when asked by congress (he said a couple hundred --he was off by 600 at that point). What's that say about their moral character? Such examples should make people just a bit worried --we have leaders sending people off to war and not even paying attention to how many are dying. I think the humor in the book, brought out through the irony of abstracting already abstract statements into images, provides a little breathing room and allows for those who might be alarmed by what he says and does to get some perspective and not sit apoplectic with disbelief. If you'd vote for an orangutan before a Democrat, there's probably no use in reading it (or reviewing it without having read it). If you're an independent looking for a laugh, or someone who just likes creative political humor, this is a good bet.

Karen Ocker is a BRILLIANT artist and her political sense is right on. I recommend this book to all who believe anyone but Bush.