From Publishers Weekly
The Onion, a satirical newspaper known for wrapping its cultural commentary and loony anecdotes in the language of a suburban daily, offers a fourth compilation (after last year's Dispatches from the Tenth Circle) comprising all its stories from October 2000 to October 2001. Something like a USA Today written by stoned, TV-addled teenagers (albeit very smart ones), each issue features a set of short news stories, an informational graphic or two and an op-ed, among other things. The headlines are often so funny in and of themselves that they get traded at cocktail parties in lieu of actual conversation: "First Grade Teacher Apprehends Urinator"; "Asian Man Has Thing For Asian Women"; "Nepotism Passed Off As Synergy." The Onion might be formulaic but the formula works. There are more hard laughs to be found in a weekly edition than in an average sit-com, a standard late night monologue and a typical Adam Sandler vehicle combined. b&w illustrations.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-This is part of a projected annual series. Published weekly in print and on the Web, The Onion is a sort of collegiate Mad Magazine that is by turns brilliant, dumb, profound, gross, hilarious, and thought-provoking. Its writers, willing to offend anyone, often demonstrate a remarkable lack of respect for accepted societal norms as well as for any variety of political correctness. Even slow news weeks yield journalistic gems, but The Onion really peaks when covering major events. Ad Nauseam offers outstanding and extensive satirical commentary on stories such as Election 2000 and 9/11 from October, 2000-October, 2001, covered in The Onion's 13th year. Mimicking the clich‚s of the news business in both a literary and a visual sense, The Onion exploits and exposes habitual cultural mind-sets. The parodies of opinion pieces, "man in the street" interviews, and other such journalistic traditions can show students how to spot the tricks of the trade and to be more discriminating in judging the quality of news. Obviously, while the outrageous nature of some of this material is guaranteed to appeal to many teens, the often-graphic language and pictures render it more appropriate for a sophisticated audience.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
