Customer Reviews

The Simpsons and Society: An Analysis of Our Favorite Family and Its Influence in Contemporary Society

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

As a devoted Simpsons fanatic, I jump at the chance to read anything and everything related to the show. So, I found myself ordering this from Amazon not too long ago and sitting down to read it the DAY it arrived. I had high hopes: not only am I a Simpsons nut, but I'm also a professor of history and social sciences at a small community college in Michigan. I'd actually hoped that I might in some small way be able to squeeze Keslowitz's book into my classes starting this fall. After all, my students already have to watch at least one Simpsons episode per semester on one topic or another.

It didn't take too long for my hopes to be dashed, however. This book is a thinly veiled attempt to cash in on the Simpsons craze by a college student who, major fan of the show though he may be, is a poor writer whose ideas are painfully obvious and superficial. Early chapters are devoted to shallow "analyses" of the major characters, with little or no insight that would connect them to larger social issues. By the end of the book, on the other hand, the reader is treated to thin and often unsupported diatribes on issues such as American exceptionalism with almost no link offered to the Simpsons. (aside from a token quote here and there - and the quotations are often erroneous)

As a Simpsons fan, I was brutally disappointed. As a teacher, I was stunned that such an amateurish piece of writing could be published. SAVE YOUR MONEY - spend it on the Season 4 DVD when it comes out!

The only reason that I gave this book any stars at all is because I love "The Simpsons" and enjoy remembering scenes as I read about them. The concept of the book is also a worthy puruit-generally speaking. Otherwise, I think this book should never have been published. As an aspiring writer myself-as well as a writing tutor-I am VERY distracted by the constant grammatical errors throughout the book. It is VERY repetitive, badly organized (disorganized), oversimplified, and that's only to name a few issues. The potential inherent in this subject is infinite; reading this book makes me want to tackle something similar, but to do so with greater attention to detail, stronger evidence to support my theories, and the time to delve deeper into the concepts involved. To me, this book reads like a first draft of a thesis, one that needs major revision, a lot more evidence, less varying theories, more depth in those that do have the most merit, and months-maybe years-to make it better and suitable for publishing.

"The Wurst Simpsen's Book Eeverr!"

This is a SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK. In other words, the author paid to have the book published by a company that would publish a how-to on FREEZE DRYING CRICKETS if you gave them $800. This most likely accounts for the terrible content.

Seriously, It's hard to explain just how terribly reasearched, written, and slapped together this text really is. Don't let the 5 * reviews fool you (the author is a college kid with friends who obviously have a lot of free time on their hands).

Speaking of comic books, this text is about as heavy as one. It contains a mere 140 pages of, what looks to be, 26 point font.

SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!

The book starts off as a poor effort to explain how various Simpsons characters fit in as, or have affected typical members of American society. With incorrect plot and quote references aplenty, the book quickly disintegrates into a hodge podge of poorly written chapters that wouldn't have made the grade in a freshman high school english class. Farther into the book the author loses sight of what the book is supposed to be about and switches to explaining other authors views of American politics, work attitudes and home life with miserably thin attempts to relate the views to the Simpsons. With minimal time the mistakes were easily researchable and correctable. I don't think much could have been done with the writing style. I had a very hard time stomaching and finishing this book. So far this is the worst book on the subject of the Simpsons. It does not even earn one star but that is the lowest rating available. Don't waste time or money on this book. I'm sorry I did!

Terrible. Mediocre writing, mediocre analysis, and a resulting title that is very misleading. Reads like a cut & paste collection from books like `The Simpsons and Philosophy' (a very worthwhile book) and `The Simpsons Complete Guides.' The font is enormous in size yet the author only manages 140 pages and two pages of non-specific bibliography and absolutely no notes. There is an enormous amount of 'filler' content, such as various list and quotes that are irrelevant to the argument. Speaking of the argument, the book has no clear thesis or coherent organization and is, therefore, completely useless in an academic setting. This is a 'must skip' book. Wait on your local library to get it and pick it up for a glance. Don't waste your money even if you are a huge Simpsons fan. The content is in no way unique, you will find it in other books and essays that are more worthwhile.

I totally agree with all the One Star reviews listed here: this book blows chunks, to put it nicely. I've read books I disagree with, books where I felt the writer was dumb, books that are just plain boring, etc., but this truly is the first book I've read that shouldn't have been published. You see, key to understanding this book is this: *it's not a book*. It's a collection of things Keslowitz thinks are mild amusing.

So, a book on South Park by the same writer might sound something like this: "In many episodes, Kenny is killed. [insert twenty quotes of characters saying "You killed Kenny"] This makes us wonder about death. But it's funny. Funniness is good, and people like it. So Kenny dying is good, perhaps. [insert another eight quotes from characters about things that are good]"

In short, it's about as smart as Ralph Wiggum. However, while Ralphie is amusing, this book isn't. PLEASE save your money and don't buy it. Ask an eight year old about why they like the show, and you'll get about the same level of analysis and thought (not to mention writing ability).

This book is terrible, and by far the worst Simpsons related piece of writing on the market. The content is worthless: pedestrian insight based on mangled Simpsons quotes. The writing style is equally irritating. Normally I'm not one to complain (caveat emptor and all that), but I cannot abide the obvious planting of fake ratings by the author at this site and at other online bookstores. Potential buyers rely on the veracity of those ratings when making their purchasing decisions. By planting fake comments the author is essentially using fraud to increase the sales of his work. Shameful.

How this author ever managed to get a publishing deal is FAR beyond me. This book is absolutely packed with misinformation, poor analysis, grammatical mistakes and ignorant, surfacy statements. If you are going to write a book on such a profound and enigmatic television show, please be one of the viewers who actually GETS it. I think any of the previous or current writers of the Simpsons would either laugh, laugh til' they cried, or just cried if they were forced to sit down and read this book.

If there is one thing I learned from this book it is that The Simpsons is funny while this author is not. Perhaps the first few pages can be entertaining when you stop and think somebody out there in this world was stupid enough to waste their time coming to simple-minded conclusions about a show with ground-breaking depth. Praise God if you do laugh and manage to allow that momentum to carry you through the rest of the book.

A complete catastrophe. Avoid at all costs.

Make sure you read all the reviews about this: horrible writing and insight that 8th graders laugh at is a winning combination. The guy at Tufts 'teaching' the book? Not a real class -- the instructor is also an undergrad, like the author. The only reason I own this book is because I was suckered into buying it by the earlier "reviews". Simpsons fans, please learn from my error. Stay away!

This book and his attendant efforts to sell it are hopefully the worst thing the author will ever do. "Fraud" is a big word -- Mr. Keslowitz would be wise to have someone explain it to him before he sees it in a complaint. Or an arrest warrant.

Steve (since you are obviously reading and posting here): I bought your utterly worthless pos after reading the "reviews", which I've since come to realize were written by you or your friends. Bravo.

I love a good scam, and you have one, no doubt. You saw that Simpsons fans are rabid for anything related to OFF and will buy anything, and you took advantage. Again, bravo sir. I salute you.