I, like many people out there, didn't know who Jon Stewart was until he replaced the the tepid Craig Kilborn on the now critically and nationally lauded, "The Daily Show". It took him a little while to find his footing in the area of "fake news", but eventually he quipped, poked, and prodded his way into the Comedy Central viewers respects and even was able to take the show to new heights as one of the top places that young people in this nation get their news (a bit of a scary thought, but a terrific acheivement for an outstanding show nonetheless).
But enough of the stuff we already know. You're probably asking, "How does this early stuff stand up to the what he's doing today(this book having been originally published in 1998)?" Well, I can honestly say that, though this outing is not without flaw, it is still a very amusing satire that anyone with any interest in politics, entertainment, or pop-culture in general should at least read through once. It does have it's dry spells and some of the humor is a bit dated now, but it is still an interesting work worthy of your time.
Some people may see the cover and think that this is some kind of cheesy autobiography, but in actuallity it is something very unique. What this book is is a collection of "fake essays" that cover a widely various amount of topics. For example, there is a chapter on how to adequately furnish one's vagina as told by Martha Stewart. In another, there is a take on a new way to "liven up" to Judiastic faith by taking such strides as renaming God "'Ol Uncle Pete" and "...[giving] all Chosen Ones... a free value pack worth hundreds of dollars in discounts at participating vendors (for example, 10 percenr off any dinner at Friendly's, with purchase of a Fishamajig sandwhich!)"
Absurd, lurid, and always over-the-top, this book has some geniune funny moments that will have you laughing out loud. Higlights include -but are not necessarily limited to- the previously mentioned "The New Judaism" essay, the tragically hilarious "A Very Hanson Christmas", the absolutely gut-busting "Pen Pals transcript" between Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, and the strangely ironic to today's socitey "Lack of Power: The Ford Tapes" (In his essay portraying a blitheringly incompetent Gerald Ford, you could easily insert a certain current president- who wiil go nameless :-P- and never be able to tell the difference.)
Unfortunately, the book does have a few duds. "Five Under Five" is only mildly chuckleworthy, "Da Vinci: The Lost Notebook" has some candidly funny- although almost completely predictable- premises (Although in all fairness, the "Ass-Comb" bit was hysterical), and the essays entitled "The Recipe" and "Microsoft Word '98 Suggested Spelling and Usage" feel like brain-dead filler and are completely skipable.
Despite it's flaws, this book is still a gut-busting read. It really serves as a foreshadow to the kind of stuff that Jon is doing today. Witty, outrageous, and even at times snotty, this book would be the perfect "after-dinner mint" to reading "America: The Book" (Notice that I didn't say "dessert" since the book is so short. At only 162 pages, even the most lethargic reader could finish it in a few days.) I really enjoyed this book and I think it'll probably hold a place in my collection for a long time to come. If you buy this book, you won't regret it. It's everything we've come to expect from Stewart and it works magnificently.
Hey, when you're first book has a picutre of a naked Abraham Lincoln holding his package in check on the back cover, God knows your gonna make some kind of impression :-P. Nooch.