My Shorts R Bunching. Thoughts?: The Tweets of Roland Hedley [Paperback]

G. B. Trudeau (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 20, 2009

"Hilarious!" -- Jake Tapper, ABC News

"Hilarious!" -- Karen Tumulty, TIME

"Hilarious!" -- Erin Moriarity, CBS News 

In March of 2009, Doonesbury's intrepid journalist Roland Burton Hedley, III, opened a Twitter account and began to tweet. A lot. Four weeks later, a sampling of his 140-character missives was published in The New Yorker to great acclaim, and his posts were featured in a one-on-one "tweet-off" in the Columbia Journalism Review. Rushed into print, this groundbreaking volume is the first book-length Twitter collection by a single author. With dozens of Doonesbury strips and over 500 tweets, it presents the best of Hedley's work -- frontline micro-blogging from the self-anointed dean of Washington journotwits.

Eight months into this project, author G.B. Trudeau can confirm that Twitter is a colossal sinkhole of time, but is gratified that he has found a way to monetize Roland's inane postings. (Follow Roland_Hedley.) When not writing comedy haiku on Twitter, Trudeau writes and draws the Pulitzer-prize-winning comic strip Doonesbury for 1100 newspapers worldwide, and lovingly curates his web presence at Doonesbury.com. He also hosts a milblog called The Sandbox.

From the book:

"Just spotted colleague Terry Moran in hall. Could wave, but easier to tweet. Hey, dude." 10:49 AM Mar 18th from Tweetdeck

"Bumped into an old stalker of mine at Borders. She'd lost some weight and looked terrific, but I tweeted 911 anyway. Cops arrived from 3 states." 1:43 PM Mar7th from Blackberry

"I refuse to apologize for making time for my kid's ball games, so I usually end up not going." 9:13 AM May 4th from web

"Had close call watching MJ memorial service. They ended 'We are the World' before I could jimmy open my gun closet and blow my brains out." 12:33 PM Jul 7th from web

"While speaking last night, someone threw panties on stage. Or boxers. Whatever. Times like that, always ask myself: What would The Boss do?" 5:13 PM Mar 12th from web

"Kabul. Awakened by huge blast in hotel lobby. Suicide bomber blew up complimentary breakfast buffet. Off to find bagel." 3:14 PM Apr 8th from Tweetdeck

"Accompanying HMMV patrol, used on-board computer to order Ab Rocket. And because I acted when I did, receiving second one absolutely free." 8:01 PM Apr 13th from Blackberry

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

G. B. Trudeau has been drawing his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip for more than forty years. In addition to cartooning, Trudeau has worked in theater, film, and television. He also has been a contributing columnist for the New York Times op-ed page and later an essayist for Time magazine. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jane Pauley. They have three grown children.

Trudeau maintains a vivid online presence at www.doonesbury.com and offers deployed troops a forum via his milblog The Sandbox.

Online:

www.doonesbury.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 90 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740791095
• ISBN-13: 978-0740791093
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.3 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

G. B. Trudeau's Doonesbury has tracked and explored 40 years of American culture through six wars and eight presidential administrations.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real-Life Info From a Fictional Character March 1, 2010

By tvtv3 TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

MY SHORTS R BUNCHING, THOUGHTS? is a collection of tweets from newsreporter Roland Hedley in Gary Trudeau's comic strip, "Doonesbury." For those unfamiliar, tweets are the messages people send via Twitter. If you are unfamiliar with Doonesbury and have no idea what a tweet is, you won't like MY SHORTS R BUNCHING, THOUGHTS? All of these tweets were actual tweets published on Roland Hedley's Twitter account. Most of these tweets are hilarious, some are absurd, and more than a few are actually thought-provoking. Scattered throughout the book are Doonesbury strips, most of which feature some tweets or are about Hedley and his tweeting. If nothing else, the book is notable because it is the first book-length Twitter collection by a single author published by a major book publisher. Sadly, Trudeau closed Hedley's Twitter account and these are some of the only Hedley tweets that have been saved for prosperity. "The time you spend reading this tweet is gone, lost forever, carrying you closer to death. Am trying not to abuse the privilege." Great book for fans of Doonesbury.

5.0 out of 5 stars Extra fix for those who don't get enough every morning January 30, 2010

By Louis Derrico

Format:Paperback

Very funny cynical satire from our favorite realpolitik newsman. I read it straight through without putting it down. Bring it on a two hour flight and annoy your fellow passangers as you bellow out laughs as you gain insight into the mind of Roldand Hedly. The only tweets you can really claim to enjoy without feeling guily of Hysteria.

I would have liked to have been able to read many more responses to his tweets from his fans; just how they did respond to his shorts R. bunching? We many never know, as their messages to him are ignored by the scope of this book and just infrequently alluded to. Hopefully an expanded deluxe IPAD version is not in the works now.