72 Things Younger Than John McCain (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"I have the courage, the wisdom, the experience, and most importantly, the oldness necessary."

-- John McCain, Saturday Night Live, May 17, 2008

John McCain may have been joking during his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, but it is true that, if elected, at age 72 he will have more oldness on his side than any person ever inaugurated as a first-term president of the United States.

72 Things Younger Than John McCain takes a lighthearted look at all that's come into existence since John McCain was born so many, many, many years ago, including:

The Jefferson Memorial

Duct Tape

Nachos

Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Area Codes

Social Security

Based on Joe Quint's popular blog, 72 Things Younger Than John McCain also contains humorous photos and interesting trivia that highlight the events, milestones, inventions, and people that make up American pop-culture history since McCain was born on August 29, 1936. There's also a bonus section (albeit a very short one) of Things Older Than McCain!

About the Author

Joe Quint is a blogger and the owner of a graphic design studio. He lives in New York City with his wife and their twins. This is his first book. He doesn't hate old people.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439102279
• ISBN-13: 978-1439102275
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #841,214 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have before the election! and a perfect item to "honor" McCain's 72nd birthday..., August 26, 2008

By	AnitaV - See all my reviews

Whether or not you've read Joe Quint's blog, this book will keep you laughing in a riotous and/or embarrassingly loud manner with every page. Quint's first book has a look at several surprising items and pop-culture phenomena younger than McCain, almost all of which have not previously appeared on his blog, and I have to say I even found the small bonus section on "Things Older than McCain" highly amusing (the War of 1812! etc.) - not since the stylings of Dave Barry has subtle (and not so subtle) political humor made me randomly bust out laughing.

The book is a fun little flip-through read which can be a witty, edgy substitute for a coffee-table standard, a fantastic conversation starter (do we truly want a president who is older than the invention of PENICILLIN? Penicillin, people. Really.) - and it'll have your friends envying your impeccable taste in humor. This is definitely gobs of fun for anyone and a great buy - loved it!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Take on McCain's Age--Not Substantive, December 27, 2008

By	John M. Ford "johnDC" (near DC, MD USA) - See all my reviews

My son, Steven, gave me this book for Christmas 2008 and it was one of my favorite gifts. It is a cleverly constructed and humorously annotated list of--Can you guess?--72 things that have been around less time than John McCain. My personal favorites are: Alaska, duct tape, Geritol and Social Security. I had a good time reading it and look forward to passing it around the office next week.

It's my own fault that I ruined it for myself by going back and reading the introduction. This cost me my good feeling about the book and the author--should he care--a couple of stars. You see, he seems to think he is taking on "...one of the real issues of the day...and not because I like young people more than I like old people, but because all experience isn't necessarily good experience and because it is important to be relevant, inspiring, exciting, engaging, and sharp." (p. vii). This intention is fine; it just doesn't match the rest of the book.

John McCain's age certainly was a real issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. But a book full of jokes is not engaging in a meaningful discussion of this issue or any other. During the 2004 campaign, I read Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World by John Kerry and John Edwards. THAT was a discussion of the issues. And I was grateful that they wrote it, even though I disagreed with some of what they had to say. I am sorry to belabor this point, but we need to know the difference between humor and useful discussion, between Jay Leno's monologue--no matter how funny--and a Washington post editorial. I worry that the author does not. I fervently hope that his readers do.

Do buy this book. Read it, laugh and pass it around for others to enjoy. Don't read the introduction. If you are a conservative, it will make you sad and tired no matter your age. And if you are a thoughtful Obama supporter, it will be a little embarrassing. I wish the author good things--more specifically a guest host shot on Saturday Night Live. This is a natural venue for someone who is smart, funny and has lost perspective on the distinction between clever wit and substantive political commentary.