Customer Reviews

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I had the pleasure of reading this one when it was first published in 1994 (now keep in mind, that was not that long ago...this is important). At the time I found the book to be hilarious. The author has taken a collection of some of our favorite bedtime stories, fairy tales, if you will, and rewritten them to make them "politically correct." Some of the stories the author has modified are Little Red Riding Hood, Chicken Little, Rumpelstiltskin, The Billy Goat Gruffs, Cinderella, The Frog Prince and Jack and the Beanstalk. There are more, but this gives you some idea of the content.

I recently reread this work. My, what a difference. While I still enjoyed the stories, I found them to be not quite as funny as I did during my first reading. I also read quite a number of the reviews that are posted here addressing this work, many of which are quite good, several drew different conclusions, and some were written by the clueless. I thought and thought on this matter, wondering why I did not snicker the same as before, then I realized....I, and apparently many others, have become completely or partially desensitized! It is not the author's fault, it is our fault and the fault (if fault it indeed is) of our society! What was simply funny in 1994, the satire used at that time, simply does not work as well today as it did then because so much of what was satirized at that time, has now become reality. We are use to the words "logically challenged" rather than simply "stupid." We actually have become the thing that the author was satirizing! This, for me, makes this book extremely interesting!

The author has done a very nice job of lampooning our politically correct society. As pointed out by several reviewers, yes, the author is indeed trite at times. The thing is, that when this work was first published, what is considered trite now, was not at that time. If you doubt this, then listen closely to the evening news for a few nights running. Now I do agree with a number of reviewers in that these stories should not be read all in one setting. Spread them out. Reading them back to back can be a bit of a chore and they do loose their effect.

Be-that-as-it-may, the book is well written, fun to read, and I think, even more to day than it was when it was first written, a reflection on us as a society. Poking fun at ourselves is healthy, poking fun at the way we act as a society is healthy. On the other hand, taking this work, and most others of this genre too seriously is not really all that good. Recommend this one highly. It is well written, well done and well worth the read.

Don Blankenship

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

This book is great! Two thumbs up and a pat on the back to James Finn Garner. He adapted the original bedtime story classics to become "politically correct" and created a one of a kind read. Garner is straining to be non-insulting to any group imaginable. Snow White becomes "melanin challenged", Chicken Little becomes "cranially under enhanced" and (my personal favorite), The Three Bears Family becomes an "anthropomorphic nuclear family".
It was a good read for me because it was funny (in a highly satirical way) and in a way is mocking some of the worlds political leaders. Sometimes they themselves struggle to be politically correct and not insulting to all groups of people, they end up sounding ridiculous! For example; the government Ireland banned the word "brainstorm" due to the fact it might offend people with cranial disabilities. People that might like this book are people who enjoy political satire, or just need a break from other genres. I found that reading humor often clears your mind.

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories is a hilarious romp through some of your favorite fairytales as you've never seen them before. In a world where it's becoming increasingly important to maintain a high level of political correctness, sometimes it's fun to sit back and laugh at the whole thing. Let's face it...who's never heard a phrase so politically correct that you had no idea what the person was talking about? Garner manages to maximize his PC'ness to an outlandish degree and still maintain the level of understanding and hilarity. After reading this book you will never think of Cinderella, The Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel, and a host of others quite the same way again. I'm off to order the other two books in the series, because this one is such a delightful little gem.

What would happen if Little Red Riding Hood became angry with the woodsman (oops! woodsperson) for trying to save her from the Big Bad Wolf? Can you imagine a scenario where Cinderella actually ended up getting along with her sisters-of-step? How would The Three Bears handle Goldilocks being a rogue environmental scientist? In Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times, you can find the answer to these questions and more. This book takes these and other classic fairy tales from our childhood, strips them of offensive (to some people) language, replaces said language with more neutral word choices, for a brand new take on classic stories. Sounds boring? Hardly. You will laugh hysterically and these stories just might make you think of life in a different way.

I had been given this book as a Christmas gift when it first came out but somehow I had lost it, after a time. In rereading it, I laughed as much as I had before. Even though I still love the original fairy tales, it is amazing how sexist some of them actually are, when you think about it. Along with the humor, there are also strong themes of self-reliance, self-esteem, and empowerment in many of these stories.

This book is satire at its best. Garner takes thirteen classic tales for children and rewrites them using the most politically correct language possible. Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk sells his cow for beans, falling for the sales pitch: " By selling the cow, you perpetuate the cultural mythos of beef, ignoring the negative impact on our ecology and the health and social problems that arise from meat consumption." This trade finally convinces his mother that he is differently abled rather than a conceptual thinker and she goes off to join a support group.
Dialog like this had me laughing throughout the book. The pied piper now clears a trailer park by playing country music so that new development can take place. Cinderella is now admonished by her fairy godperson to avoid wearing garments that bind her into the male concept of beauty and the three billy goats are now codependent.
If you are like me and find politically correct language annoying, then read this and for a short time laugh about how it sounds when it is used to build stories.

I reallllly enjoyed reading Garner's book "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" because he takes stories that we have all grown up with and revamps them to appeal to the modern reader. I think its fascinating how he can take something from the past and recreate it to critique modern society. The book is veryyyy enjoyable, and I doubt there is anyone who won't find him/herself laughing out loud at AT LEAST one moment in the book! For all of those who think that fairy tales are very basic and only appeal to the younger generation, think again! Garner is very witty and, if you enjoy his politically correct versions, read Bettelheim's interpretations as well..you'll find yourself even more shocked and surprised. :)

I have been avoiding this title for years under the mistaken assumption, and fear of sorts, that this would be yet another PC rehash of the traditional fairy tales that I loved so much as a kid, and today find interesting for the light they throw on folklore and pre-modern society. Imagine my delight when I eventually did get round to reading it! Make no mistake, this book is a satire on excessive PC, which has sunk its teeth into every aspect of our lives, even into classics and fairy tales. Judging and rewriting the past by today's standards is stupid and futile, and this book shows that clearly. I'm giving this one star less simply because there could have been more, and if you're on a tight budget, it may pinch a little.

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories went beyond satirizing many aspects of today's society using classical bedtime stories to show how irreverent some pursuits of political correctness are. The humor found in the book made it non-offensive and allowed the reader to enjoy this new take on classical "tiny people with wings" tales.

In this short book James Garner has retold a baker's dozen (13) bedtime stories in what he calls a "politically correct" way. Included among the stories are Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Pied Piper, and nine others. At first the retelling of these stories might bring a smile or two to the face of the reader. In Little Red Riding Hood, when Little Red is about to be saved from the wolf by the woodchopper, Little Red turns on the woodchopper demanding to know why the woodchopper thinks that womyn/women and wolves need a man's help to solve their problems.

The question in my mind is whether Garner has written a book of politically corrected bedtime stories or whether he has lampooned political correctness. Which side of the line is Garner on? In the story of the Three Little Pigs, Garner has the wolf huffing and puffing until the wolf has a massive heart attack "brought on by eating too many fatty foods." At this, as one might expect, the three little pigs rejoice.

What happens next is that the three little pigs resolve to regain their "homeland." They gather together other pigs and become a band of "porcinistas" (like Sandanistas) who attack a resort complex with machine guns and rocket launchers.The "cruel wolf oppressors" are slaughtered. Then the pigs set up a "model socialist democracy." The reader need not be offended by the mention of a slaughter. Garner concludes by writing that the wolf in this story was a metaphorical construct and no wolves were harmed in the writing.

My own take on this is that Garner has gone beyond merely rewriting politically correct bedtime stories. However this is a judgment call and I leave it to other readers to read these stories and discern for themselves. Regardless of which way the reader decides, happy reading.

This book is a riot. It is all the classic bedtime stories you knew as a kid (Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Snow White) but 're-written' in a hilarious manner meant not to 'offend'. These are how the stories would have been written back then if being PC back then was in. There are no such things as the seven dwarfs; there are only seven vertically challenged men. There is no old grandma for Red Riding Hood, only a mature lady.
Trust me. If you need a laugh, try and get a copy of this (I'm not selling mine), because you will laugh until you cry. It's funny funny stuff.