Customer Reviews

ONCE UPON A MORE ENLIGHTENED TIME: More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Given the success of the first volume, 'Politically Correct Bedtime Stories', James Finn Garner took another journey into fairytale land to find a revisionist's dream of reframed stories, and assembled them into the volume 'Once Upon a More Enlightened Time'. Like the first volume, this one holds nothing sacred, highlighting both the excesses of prejudice in the past while exposing the excesses of the politically correct currents of today.

Once again, the tone is set from the start in the Introduction by Garner: 'At the outset, I would like to apologise sincerely for the success of my last book. The number of trees that voicelessly gave their lives so that my resource-greedy publisher and I could meet retail demand was truly appalling, and quite likely contributed to the global warming that gave those of us in the Northern Hemisphere such an unseasonably warm winter.'

Garner misses the opportunity here to remind us of the disparity of wealth between hemispheres, but beyond that, he doesn't miss much. The titles of the stories will give you insight:

- A Politically Correct Alphabet
- Hansel and Gretel
- The Ant and the Grasshopper
- The Princess and the Pea
- The Little Mer-persun (Mer-maid is a demeaning title)
- The Tortoise and the Hare
- Puss in Boots
- Sleeping Persun of Better-than-Average Attractiveness (to call her a beauty demeans all others)
- The City Mouse and the Suburban Mouse (the countryside having been ravaged and now no longer exists close to cities; the country mouse has become suburban)

The politically correct alphabet I will list below--this gives a flavour of the rest of the text.

A is an Activity itching to fight
B is a Beast with its animal rights
C was a Cripple (now differently abled)
D is a Drunk who is 'liquor-enabled'
and so forth...

Garner hastens to add that, of course, the traditional ordering of the letters does not in any way imply that 'A' is more better or deserving a letter than X, Y, or Z.

Garner's publicity blurb says that he is called 'a master of the tour de force' by The Washington Post and 'a smart-alec, mealy-mouthed creep' by The London Daily Telegraph, yet feels the truth lies somewhere in between.

These stories will be loved by anyone who doesn't take life too seriously. Nothing is sacred here--be prepared to find something in yourself in here.

This sequel to Politically Correct Bedtime Stories introduces the reader to more politically correct fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel and the Tortoise and the Hare are my favourites. This is on par with the first book but avoid the next book in the series Politically Correct Holiday Stories as it does not live up to the standards of these two. Also read Apocalypse Wow by the same author.

Other great versions of fairytales can be found in Once Upon a Crime and the book called Whatever happened to...? The Ultimate Sequels.

Given the popularity and originality of Garner's previous work, "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories," a sequel was all but inevitable. But the brilliance of that first effort was in its freshness and surprise. Now that the feline animal companion is out of the bag, another book on the same topic was bound to be disappointing.

Garner rewrites old fairy tales (Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid) and fables (The Ant and the Grasshopper, the Tortoise and the Hare) to echo the sensitivities of the far, far left. He tongue-in-cheekedly uses spellings that avoid the word "man" ("persun" for "person," "wommon" for "woman,") and has his heroes and heroines (excuse me, she-roes) adopt anti-capitalist, pro-environment and pro-animal rights stances. But (sigh) it has all been done before. What Garner needed to do was to take his lampoon to a new level. He accomplishes this one time, with "Puss in Boots," a satire on the American political system, in which artful consultants spin empty-headed candidates into electoral gold.

Garner is a clever man, a skilled writer and a gifted satirist. This work is OK, but I'm anxious to see him move in new directions.

My mouth just dropped open at the following passage from "Puss in Boots": (having just won the party's nomination by the cat's wiles without really campaigning) "'Wow! I can't believe it,' said the malleable candidate. 'I guess I'd better start figuring out my position on the issues.' 'You do and I'll break your neck,' hissed the cat. 'Let me worry about your positions, as well as your beliefs and off-the-cuff remarks and your spontaneity and everything else. You just remember: Don't say a thing unless I tell you to.'
"Now Puss in Boots began to work in earnest to get his meal ticket elected to the senate. He issued position papers that were totally pointless yet exquisitely quotable. He had the candidate photographed shaking hands with factory workers, retirees, and customers at luncheonettes. They challenged the incumbent to a debate and then backed out at the last minute, declaring that such and event would be just an exercise in 'politics as usual.' Their optimistically simple campaign slogan--'It's Time for a Change!'--seemed to strike a chord with the optimistically simple voters.
"Throughout the frenzy of the campaign, no one noticed or commented on Puss in Boot's lack of credentials. In fact, seduced by his easy and apparently candid manner, no one ever noticed that he was of feline descent at all. . . ."
This one prophetic story is worth buying the book!

The copy that I received was in perfect condition and the stories were absolutely hilarious. Totally worth it.

Once again Mr. Garner ventures into the world of horrible fairy tales that do nothing but insult the intelligent among us. His snappy humor leaves you wondering where his opinion truly does lie, which is kind of creepy, but it does not detract from how hilarous these stories are in their forms. When everything is sacred, nothing is sacred, and this book proves it.

This book is extremely funny. Garner takes the following classic fairy tales and turns them into extremely politically correct satires.

*) Hansel and Gretel
*) The Ant and the Grasshopper
*) The Little Mermaid
*) The Tortoise and the Hare
*) Puss In Boots
*) Sleeping Beauty
*) The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

The content can be summed up by the alternate title for Sleeping Beauty, " Sleeping Persun of Better-Than-Average Attractiveness." Everyone in the stories talks like the most totally committed politically correct person imaginable. It is satire that works and is an extension of what we see and read on a daily basis.

This is very funny stuff. I throughly enjoyed everybit. I also suggest you check out "Corporate Fairy Tales". It a similar idea but for the business world.

I love this book very much. Schools should teach kids these stories instead!!!!

I AM NOT SHELL SILVERSTEIN!!! I am a person who thought that that quote fit the book perfectly. Funny, well written, but not Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. 4 stars is an acurate statement.