Customer Reviews

Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have been following the commentary of Molly Ivins for several years now, and must say that this book is a must-read for anyone who follows American politics, Texas politics, and the changing social policy environment. Molly doesn't only write thoroughly enjoyable and readable essays, but she also does a consistently thorough job of collecting up data to back her views. This book, and many other writings by Ms. Ivins would also serve political science professors well in bringing a voice and views to discussion that is not only unaffected by the pulls of the corporate press, but unabashedly vocal about corruption and the controls of Big Money on our lives.

Molly Ivins has the unusual talent of being informative and hilarious at the same time. She loves to make laughingstocks of politicians who are stupid and/or crooked, and she does a beautiful job of it. This is a book like the TV show *MASH*: it ages well. You can read Molly's columns again every year or two, and enjoy them anew. I especially love the fib Ann Richards told to the judge from East Texas. That was absolutely beautiful. If you don't remember it, read the book again; you will crack up. Molly Ivins is, indeed, a national treasure.

watziznaym@gmail.com

Molly's book is a breath of fresh air in an often stifling political world. A sentence like
To call Bush shallow is like calling a dwarf short
belongs among the most memorable statements of
recent times. What if she does repeat it a couple of times? A really good idea is worth reiterating.
The only limitation of this book is that it focuses on Texas so much and does not fully represent Molly's trenchant view of the politics of the country as a whole. Her recent columns, printed even in some narrowly conservative local newspapers, remedy that lack.
If we didn't have Molly Ivins, we might be reduced to reading William F. Buckley.

I subscribe to The Progressive, so I read Ivins' current work monthly in that publication, as well as any time she appears in the paper. And actually, I have not been a huge fan. I have felt that she mainly repeats the center-left mantras of the day, and works somewhat over-hard to craft and maintain the image of folksy, curmudgeonly, old-guard Southern progressivism. But I found this collection of older columns for $1 in the clearance section of a used book store, and found it to exceed my expectations. These columns, mainly from the 70s and 80s, are rich in the kind of political commentary that is genuinely edifying. For me, they provide a window on a time that I am too young to remember well (or at all), and teach me about the continuity between the political climate of that time and today.

But more than that, Ivins knows Texas politics as intimately as anyone. If you are not from Texas, as I am not, you might think that you are not especially interested in the culture and history of the Texas legislature. Or you might think that one state legislature is pretty much the same as any other. But I think you'll be surprised at the degree to which Ivins' "Texas Leg" columns are both entertaining and insightful. She may beat some jokes into the ground sometimes, but this book belongs in the library of any connoisseur of political commentary.

I've only recently begun to pay an active attention to politics. I may have paid attention to topics in the past, at least more than the majority of Americans since I did vote, but I didn't really search out information. These days, however, I tune to NPR for the coverage of certain issues, and will catch a newspaper or magazine article if the topic really intrigues me. It doesn't necessarily help me make political decisions any better than before, but I am better able to communicate my opinions.

I'm sure no one ever told Molly Ivins that she had trouble communicating her opinions, though. Communicate them she does, with a drawl and a wry grin. I'm sad that I've only recently started to search out information, because I would have loved to have read this essays by Ivins when they were topical. After the fact, they're enjoyable, especially since I lived in Texas during the time the majority of these essays were written. Some of the topics I recall vaguely, like the Gib-erish of Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis ("I cannot tell you how grateful I am--I am filled with humidity." "I want to thank each and every one of you for having extinguished yourselves this session."). Other topics I knew intimately, like the furor over Governor Mark White's "No Pass, No Play" rule.

It was fun to revisit those days and to catch up on those things I had missed because I was too busy playing around at school. Ivins' style is so full of Texas itself that it was scary--I felt like I was back amongst those dumb Aggies (a quick wave to my bubba!) and crazy rednecks. I even felt homesick for a moment--then I remembered: Texas, it's a good place to visit, but I've already lived there.

How does a liberal political commentator stay alive, much less flourish, in the state of Texas? First, she is a native Texan. Second, she has a rapier wit that slices with such accuracy that her targets are stunned. Third, even if she is talking about you, you are falling down with side-splitting laughter, so it's hard to strike back at Molly Ivins. She is a wonder and a treasure.

This is Molly Ivins' earliest book, a collection of many of her earliest columns, originally printed in such places as "Ms. Magazine", "The Progressive", and "McCalls". Those of you who have only seen her more recent work may not have realized that she used to be funny; this collection should remedy that situation. It's been years since I've seen a column by Ms. Ivins (who is syndicated weekly in my local newspaper) that earned even a chuckle from me; she's still frequently very insightful, even if I do disagree with her periodically, but she seems to have lost her sense of humor somewhere along the line. This book was my first exposure to her, and is the reason that I continue to at least skim her columns every time: I know what she's capable of. I just wish she'd go back to the style that she used in the columns collected here, rather than the perfectly standard, polite, "civilized" style that she seems to practice these days.

You don't have to be an obssessive observer of politics to enjoy this book, but if you are, the book rings too true.
If you are but an droll watcher of human foibles, Molly Ivins's humorous take on humanity -- pants up and pants down -- will tickle your fancy and make you jealous that you didn't say that first.
Molly Ivins is someone whom you'd like to invite over on a Saturday morning to share a pot of coffee, a dozen doughnuts, and a wheel-barrow-full of mordent chuckles about the human condition.
She doesn't degrade humanity: she only wishes that we would take some time out to fulfill our potential. And you have to admit: the only people who receive the full sting of her barbs are the one's who've asked for it.

There is no one quite like Molly Ivins. As a political and social commentator, she combines insight, analysis and wicked humour with irresistible charm and gusto. Her affection for the good ol' boys of Texas only makes her critiques of them all the more powerful and pointed. No wonder they wanted her sacked. America is fortunate to have such a wonderful writer at work. She entertains, informs and, basically, just makes the idiocy and awfulness of politics just that bit more bearable.

This, Ivins' first book, is a collection of her columns. She is one of the better-known writers on Texas politics and has a national following.

Strongest point about the book? As the title implies, she says things that many in her home state of Texas find outrageous. (To the credit of Texans, they seem not to hold it against her too much; in fact, there is something characteristically and enjoyably Texan about her 'let it all hang out' style.) She is dearly fond of her homeland and in fact of most people, which is how she can be critical without carping.

Recommended either as a book on humour, a book on Texas attitudes, or a book on near-current affairs--take your pick. Denied five stars only due to the fact that all the material has appeared elsewhere before and is not original content, but if that's not a negative for you, feel free to see it as five stars.