'Twas the Night Before Christmas 21st Century Edition [Paperback]

Bruce Kluger (Author), David Slavin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 19, 2010

Satirists Bruce Kluger and David Slavin take an outrageous swing at the Christmas season, updating Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem with all the shock, awe, and corporate hijinks from today’s headlines.

In Kluger and Slavin's rendition, Christmas is no longer a time of sparkling snow globes and neighborly good will, but rather a celebration of profits, bonuses, and cutthroat competition--complete with disgruntled elves, outsourced Santas, union conflicts, Twittered conspiracies, randy reindeer, media hysteria, factory relocations, toxic merchandise, and a giant leveraged buyout that rocks the world from pole to pole. 

Packing their verse with hilariously spun rhymes ("The workers grew grim, as they churlishly chored / while Santa grew haplessly, craplessly bored") and even funnier illustrations (picture Santa jumping on Oprah's couch and Mrs. Claus in a racy Maxim cover photo), Kluger and Slavin spike the holiday eggnog with smart and saucy sass--not to mention loads of laughs. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas 21st Century Edition, makes the perfect stocking stuffer or lighthearted gift.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce Kluger and David Slavin began writing and producing satire for National Public Radio's All Things Considered in 2002. Their cultural and political commentary has appeared in countless publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and dozens of other newspapers. Their work has also been featured prominently on the Huffington Post and Salon.com, which ran their acclaimed "Memo to George" series during the Bush II administration. Their satirical children's biography, Young Dick Cheney: Great American (AlterNet Books), was published in 2008. In 2009, Bruce coauthored Dear President Obama: Letters of Hope from Children Across America (Beckham Publications) and David contributed to the special 35th anniversary rerelease of Marlo Thomas's landmark children's book, Free to Be . . . You and Me (Running Press Kids). Bruce and David live one block from each other in New York City.

Bruce Kluger and David Slavin began writing and producing satire for National Public Radio's All Things Considered in 2002. Their cultural and political commentary has appeared in countless publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and dozens of other newspapers. Their work has also been featured prominently on the Huffington Post and Salon.com, which ran their acclaimed "Memo to George" series during the Bush II administration. Their satirical children's biography, Young Dick Cheney: Great American (AlterNet Books), was published in 2008. In 2009, Bruce coauthored Dear President Obama: Letters of Hope from Children Across America (Beckham Publications) and David contributed to the special 35th anniversary rerelease of Marlo Thomas's landmark children's book, Free to Be . . . You and Me (Running Press Kids). Bruce and David live one block from each other in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (October 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740797964
• ISBN-13: 978-0740797965
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,943,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BRUCE KLUGER is a writer, columnist and commentator whose work appears regularly in newspapers and magazines across the country, as well as on the Internet. A member of the Board of Contributors of USA Today, Bruce also frequently writes about fatherhood for Parenting magazine, and is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered, The Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Time Out New York and the Huffington Post.

Formerly an editor of Playboy magazine and a DVD reviewer for Us Weekly, Bruce has written about current events, family and the popular culture for, among others, The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Time.com, HuffingtonPost.com, Salon.com, Alternet.org, ForbesTraveler.com, Arrive (the Amtrak magazine), Time Out New York, Time Out New York Kids, NickJr.com and the Sesame Street Workshop. He is the co-author, with David Tabatsky, of "Dear President Obama: Letters of Hope from Children Across America" (Beckham Publications Group, Inc., 2009). Additionally, Bruce co-edited and/or contributed to the books "The Right Words at the Right Time" and "The Right Words at the Right Time, Vol. 2: Your Turn!" (Atria Books, 2002 and 2006) and "Thanks & Giving: All Year Long" (Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, 2004), all by Marlo Thomas. (The CD version of the latter book, for which Bruce served as Associate Producer, won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.)

Since 2001, Bruce has also been writing satire with David Slavin. Their work is regularly featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and in The Los Angeles Times; in dozens of syndicated newspapers around the country; and on countless sites on the Internet, notably The Huffington Post. Their books include "Young Dick Cheney: Great American" (AlterNet Books, 2008) and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas: 21st Century Edition" (Andrews McMeel, 2010).

Formerly an actor, Bruce appeared in the films "The Burning," "The Chosen," "Diner and "Playing For Keeps," and on the TV show "Diff'rent Strokes." Television enthusiasts might also remember Bruce from his three-year assignment as an on- air correspondent for the E! Channel's "The Gossip Show."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat get the humor... November 13, 2011

By Grammyj

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I somewhat get the humor but there is a lot missing in the Kindle version. Many of the pages are VERY hard to read. Dissapointed in the Kindle version.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cure for the Ills of the 21st Century Man--Razor-sharp Satire November 12, 2010

By A Skeptic

Format:Paperback

I think serendipity is that thing where you're looking for one thing and you stumble on another. I was looking for a gag gift/stocking stuffer for a friend for the holidays, and I came across this gem. If only the truth is funny and laughter is the best medicine, "Twas the Night Before Christmas, 21st Century Edition" is a whoop-ass dose of truth serum. Being a huge devotee of that near-extinct form of comedy that is satire, I wasn't prepared to find something that not only made me laugh out loud, but I could tell is going to spawn laughs after numerous readings. The text of this send-up is layered with references that actually do more than just play on the surface of the joke they're making--in other words, it's got dimension. It braids images that traffic in homespun holiday cheer while cracking your funny bone with captions written to inflict whiplash they are so sharply drawn. It swings effortlessly between lofty high-brow references (William Safire) that get their requisite share of chuckles, to low-brow humor so pungent you'll remember why you don't like your frat-boy cousin Dirk, and everything in-between. And there is a faux Maxim magazine cover that elevates the form to dizzying heights of comedic lunacy, something this book does effortlessly. And if that isn't enough, it actually has an ending that buttons the proceedings perfectly. So, I'll buy two copies. One for my friend. And the other for me.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughter is the Best Investment November 12, 2010

By Paul Gilbert

Format:Paperback

If there's one thing you can't put a price on in these uncertain economic times, it's laughter. How many things have retained their value, no less gone up, besides gold? I look at this way; if I pay $10 to go to the movies to see a comedy and get 5-10 good laughs, that's an average of $1.50 per laugh, which I consider an excellent deal.

So looking for some reasonably-priced levity heading into the holiday season, I bought `Twas the Night Before. I'd heard Bruce Kluger and David Slavin on NPR, so I knew they were a reliable source of comic relief. Fast forward to my wife and I snuggled on the couch reading together and soon we were grinning, chuckling and yes, actually laughing, as we turned the pages. Doing a quick cost benefit analysis, I realized we had hit the holiday humor mother lode.

My wife wanted to read the poem all the way through and then, go back to look over all the clever details planted throughout the book. I, on the other hand, wanted to stop and pore over all the little puns, digs and spoofs, especially the ones that parody social media. And the $9.99 price made it easy to justify buying some extra copies for friends, not to mention a few more for those Secret Santa parties, where I always pride myself on bringing a clever, fun gift and too often go home with the equivalent of a stale fruitcake.

I ended up feeling a little better about the world when I finished reading. I say screw Morgan Merrill Goldman Barney! (page 7) and fortunately, just like in the movies, good can win out against evil. Even as a recovering optimist, I'm still a sucker for a happy ending.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Satire for All Seasons November 8, 2010

By Donald Liebenson

Format:Paperback

A worthy companion to Stan Freberg's "Green Christmas." It's just as timely, and most important, just as funny. This pitch-perfect satire for all seasons indelibly captures the tenor of our times with deft verse and daft illustrations. And did I mention it's funny?