Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God! [Paperback]

Jen Sorensen (Author), Ruben Bolling (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

"Sly, quick and smart, Jen Sorensen's comic strip is nothing like its name. So don't be deceived--Slowpoke is going places."—Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury

“Jen Sorensen is a maniacal genius, gleefully exposing the mendacity which lurks behind conventional wisdom, glib newscasters, celebrity culture, Republican doublespeak, and other ills of our age. I can’t recommend her work highly enough.”—Tom Tomorrow 

“In a world that seems to get murkier by the minute, Slowpoke is a freakin’ beacon of lucidity.”—Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home

Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God! is the latest collection from award-winning cartoonist Jen Sorensen, and features her best recent work, along with her sharply insightful commentary. Deploying Sorensen’s trademark brand of absurdist humor, this collection chronicles our country’s not-so-gradual demise, lambastes political hypocrisies, and also takes on the latest cultural trends and techno-gadgets. One Nation, Oh My God! also features an introduction by Ruben Bolling, creator of Tom the Dancing Bug.

Jen Sorensen is the cartoonist behind Slowpoke, a weekly strip which appears in the The Village Voice and many other alternative newspapers around the country. Slowpoke is also featured in the Funny Times, WorkingforChange.com, CampusProgress.org, MSNBC.com, and has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The American Prospect, and Ms. Magazine. The strip has won several awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, including first place in 2005.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fourth collection of this liberal alt-weekly political strip takes on the Bush administration, fire-breathing right-wing pundits and the frankly sexual Drooly Julie. The four-panel strip, which has hints of Matt Groening, is drawn in a rounded, earnest style good for depicting Americans who are freaked-out, very right-wing or totally apathetic. The humor is a bit puerile, but in an engaging way. We would never flush their silly little book down the toilet, says a right-wing protester about the alleged abuse of the Koran at Guantánamo Bay; or sending the troops in Iraq empty tuna cans as armor, and the White House demanding all the NSA's phone records from the New York Times. Still, sarcasm is the protest of the weak, and the snark that's refreshing in small doses feels like overkill en masse (a problem with many collections of political cartoons). Text on each page, which Sorensen often uses to explain that many of her crazy facts are real, will be of use to future historians. But they intensify the feeling of being swamped. A good book to read a bit at a time, maybe have around on a coffee-table or in a coffee shop that keeps the Indigo Girls on repeat. (Apr.)
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About the Author

Jen Sorensen is the award-winning cartoonist behind "Slowpoke," a weekly strip which appears in alternative newspapers around the country such as Funny Times, WorkingforChange.com, CampusProgress.org, MSNBC.com, the L.A. Times, The Village Voice, The American Prospect, and Ms. Magazine. One Nation, Oh My God is the third book-length Slowpoke collection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Ig Publishing (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978843169
• ISBN-13: 978-0978843168
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,900,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jen Sorensen is a great talent April 24, 2008

By J. E. Holmes

Format:Paperback

I learned of Jen Sorensen's work online a few years ago (her strip does not run in my city's papers) and have been a devoted visitor to her website ever since. One Nation, Oh My God! brings back great memories of strips and comments I have read on her site over the past few years. Having them all in one handy tome has made for delightful evenings on the sofa. Jen has an uncanny knack for making points that desperately need to be made in a most eloquent and thoughtful (and hilarious) way.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One Nation, Oh My God! June 21, 2008

By Matthew Bors

Format:Paperback

Jen Sorensen's "Slowpoke" is one of best weekly strips out there. It's often political and always funny. This collection is plump and makes for some good reading. Brief comments and updates under each comic add to the collection.

One of Jen's strongest suits is her eye for pop culture weirdness. Hipsters, ipods, bizarre fashion trends, and eye glasses are fodder for some of the best cartoons in the book.

On the political front, there's plenty for folks who have followed the news over the past 8 years (a.k.a. elites). Historians may look back at strips like "The Privatization of Snow" and lament the days when the Globoplundimaxx Corp. wasn't yet a reality and only brilliant satire for us to enjoy. "Gay Republican Guilt Camp," however, may already exist in some form--but if you don't buy the book you'll never know what goes down in the confession booths.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing satire December 2, 2009

By Michael P. Adams

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you want a good historical review of the mid 2000s, this collection of satire and commentary is most useful. Sorensen's comics make a point without having to scream it at you.