Global Village Idiot [Paperback]

John O'Farrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

"This week the first pet passports came into effect. Around the country dogs have been hopping into photo booths and trying to look as relaxed as possible, which is not easy when you know you're not allowed on the chair". Gathered here are the best of John O'Farrell's newspaper columns for "The Guardian" and "The Independent", which saw him win the coveted Best Columnist of the Year Award at the prestigious British Liars Awards. Among many other things, he claims that the only conviction in the Tory Party was when Jeffrey Archer got sent to prison; that scientists have created a genetically superior monkey which will advertise lapsang souchong instead of PG Tips; and that with the election of George W. Bush, the global village has finally got its own global village idiot.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Satirist O'Farrell is the U.K.'s answer to Dave Barry (he was named Best Columnist of the Year at the British Liars' Awards and contributed to the screenplay of Chicken Run). He collected his caustic columns from the Guardian for U.K. publication in 2001 and now offers a "slightly different version" for American readers. The cover shows Bush wearing a dunce cap. ' 'I've had gym teachers smarter than George W. Bush.... When Dubya takes his seat in the Oval Office the global village will finally be complete," O'Farrell wrote three years ago. "At last it will have its own global village idiot." But Bush isn't O'Farrell's only target, and the satirist doesn't deal in idle whimsy. He unleashes devilish darts across the full sociopolitical landscape, covering such topics as fox hunting, in vitro fertilization ("Who was the first baby ever to be produced through IVF? Why, Jesus Christ himself of course"), the high-tech war on terrorism ("Soon NATO forces will be able to blow up the wrong building far more quickly than they have been able to do in the past"), McDonald's and boxing ("Mike Tyson remains a role model for thousands. Where I live in South London far more young working class men have named their pet Rottweillers 'Tyson' than say, 'Chomsky' "). Most readers left of center will appreciate O'Farrell's humor; for them, the hilarity is so thorough that even the closing "Note on the Type" brings chortles.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"* 'Very funny' The Times on Things Can Only Get Better. * 'Very funny' Griff Rhys Jones on Things Can Only Get Better. * 'Downright funny' Nick Hancock on Things Can Only Get Better. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Corgi (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552999644
• ISBN-13: 978-0552999649
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,111,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Bit Dated and You Do Really Need to Have Lived in Britain During the Late 90's, January 8, 2007

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Global Village Idiot (Paperback)

John O'Farrell is a humorous London newspaper column writer (similar to what Dave Barry and others in America do) and has put out quite a few books of collections of his columns. He has also written three (as of the date of this review) brilliant fiction masterpieces which you absolutely must check out.

The problem with Global Village Idiot is that a lot of the columns are about British political parties and what is happening at the time which dates this book very quickly and if you didn't live in Britain around then you really have no idea what these columns are on about. There are a few columns that those who don't fall under that category will understand and enjoy such as the introduction of pet passports on planes, Jeffery Archer, mad cow disease, George Bush winning presidency with less votes, computers, census and the topic of organ donation, but the majority of entries you really need to have been there and lived that. If you had done that I have no doubt you would rate this book four or five stars but if like me you haven't your enjoyment factor is not going to quite at the level.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed, January 2, 2004

By 

Anil K (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Global Village Idiot (Hardcover)

This is one amazing book. It is basically a collection of weekly pieces written by John O' Farrell for the Guradian.
John O has been a comic scriptwriter on the Spitting Image series and also has a turn with Chicken Run and his brilliant wit shines through. This book is chock-a-block with laugh out loud moments and you just keep going back to the passages to be tickled again. His writing is very low-key and the humour is subtle but it is so sharp the victims bleed!
Not knowing who John O was, I picked up the book during my adventorous phase in reading and was aware that I had stumbled on a treasure. He is a Labour (Current party headed by Tony Blair) supporter and indeed a small time politico himself. His sharpest barbs are reserved for the Tory's (the only opposition in Britain) and all their leaders past and present. And these are howlingly funny. Altough the politics of the British nation might be alien to most readers, this should prove no impediment to understanding, what at the core, is a savagely humorous book.
What also shines through is the innate humanism of the author especially in pieces like the one where he talks of the culture of charity in the country and his stand on racism. Also, his subtle character sketches of people like Jeffrey Archer are worth their weight is gold.
This is a must read for anyone attempting to understand the British political and cultural landscape and anyone who hasn't laughed out loud in a while. Go get it !!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars W-Bashing at its best!, December 16, 2009

By 

D. Regis (So. Cal.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Global Village Idiot: Dubya, Dunces, and One Last Word Before You Vote (Paperback)

Book in Mint cond. Thnx for sending so promptly. Lucky if I can find it now to wrap up for my hubby who will really love it. I'ts been well-hidden all these weeks since I rec'd it; I think it's under my lounge chair, hope so anyway. Maybe the elves read it after we go to bed. I think I heard some giggling coming from the living room. Thnx again, and Merry Merry! -dr