Customer Reviews

UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much from this book when I bought it. I thought it would just provide a pleasant diversion during a long drive. (And, yes, I'm talking about the audiobook version. Reading while driving is just plain wrong, kids.) I didn't think a comedian/actor would have a proper understanding of the topics presented. Of course, I also never used to question such supposedly august institutions as the U.S. Department of Justice or The New York Times. It was a silly prejudice; Belzer is very knowledgeable. The references peppered throughout convinced me of this. The Belz provides an overview of various conspiracies that has surprising depth. In addition, the writing is very concise and powerful. I didn't find a dull moment in the entire book. And, even though the book would stand well on the organization of information and the excellent writing, the humor really helps put it above the standard conspiracy primer. It's not too over-the-top and not too desperately cynical. (The conspiracy rap at the end is a true masterpiece.) Get it and let the information work its way, unsettlingly, into your storehouse of popular delusions. Or scoff and go back to sleep like the rest of the sheep...but don't forget to keep laughing.

When I first saw this title I thought that Richard Belzer had written a funny book filled with witty musings about little green men and movies in which Kevin Costner has a bad haircut." Belzer has made a turn toward the dramatic with his portrayal of detective John Munch in "Homicide" and "Law & Order SVU", a role he has had since 1993. However, this is still the same guy that was in the 1988 classic "The Wrong Guys". I was in no way prepared for what I was about to read.

Within the first few pages I was reading details about claims of heinous atrocities and government conspiracies. This was not the lighthearted work that I expected. From the very beginning, Belzer makes his goal clear. He urges the reader to "seek out suppressed evidence ... interpret independently everything you hear, read, and even what you see ... question authority."

Even if you are not a conspiracy theory enthusiast, it is hard not to get caught up in the unexpected depth of Belzer's research and his insights on the JFK assassination and alien visitors. I wasn't exactly "transformed from a cheerful trusting soul with unflagging faith in the powers that be into a suspicious, angry skeptic and cynic that can't sit through a 30-second news teaser," as Belzer promised, but reading the book has made me think and look at the situations in question in a new light.

For those who are not big on conspiracy, the information is presented in a way that would make even Lee Harvey Oswald chuckle. The book is both informative and entertaining, with sections with names such as "The Fluke of Earl" and "Just a Simple Nightclub Owner with a Dream". This book had me laughing one moment and somewhat scared the next. If you are not familiar with Belzer's comedy routine or acting, you might not appreciate this book as much as if you were. It makes it easier to tell when Belzer is joking around and when he is serious.

I love this book! It's a wonderful way to make your senses just a little more paranoied. Through this book, Belzer remains funny. Which is what I like about Richard. This book is involved, and some may find it weird or inappropriate, if you can't deal with something that might take away some light form your happy-go-lucky world, don't read it. If you're going to read it, and you find it offensive, it's your own fault, you should know better than to read something that looks like you might be a little shaken by. If you're going to read it, read it because you have some interest in what Belzer is saying, or Belzer himself. I read it becasue I am a fan of his, and wanted to see what he was getting paid to ramble about, and I am very glad I did. It's an informative and really funny book, so if you're not the most content person with the government, this book would probably be a good one for you.

Can a mere mortal be a hilarious stand-up comedian, a marvelous actor in drama, AND a magnificent writer? In Richard Belzer's case, the answer is yes...AND he is married to a beautiful wife...AND he lives in France.

Can a book be, at the very same time, a serious discourse on conspiracies AND be hysterically funny? This book of Richard Belzer's can.

What a talent! I hope you don't think I'm being facetious. Believe me, I'm not. At the same time Belzer got me really thinking about his conspiracy thinking (and I am a conspiracy theory novice, so this is all new to me), he also had me literally laughing out loud. I call this remarkable.

99.9% of the books I purchase, I buy at Amazon. But I found this one in the "HUMOR" section of our local independent bookseller. I'd been reading such heavy-duty literature and non-fiction for so long, I thought I could use some humor...and I was NOT disappointed in that regard in Belzer's book.

But what blew me away (I seem to be, in this review, totally talking in the hippie vernacular, so please, bear with me) is that along with laughing out loud, I found myself immersed in a beautifully and accessibly written treatise on conspiracies. I learned so much! I went running, upon being done to the book, to my computer to look things he'd recommended up.

What a book! WHAT A CONCEPT! This guy is brilliant! I recommend it for humor, I recommend it for an introduction to conspiracy theory, and I recommend it for some truly excellent writing.

Get this book, please! You'll thank me for it.

A great read, very funny. I doubt it would make good reference material for academics. I Loved reading it, it makes me think that I would really love to sit down and have beer or coffee with the Belz.

I picked this book up not knowing what to expect. I was slightly familiar with Belzer's stand-up, but hadn't read anything he had written. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

I have always been slightly interested in conspiracy theories, but with my interest came a bit of embarrassment. Belzer's humor effectively dissolved my embarrassment. If I started feeling a little ridiculous when I found myself seriously considering an off the wall idea, Belzer's wit would put me at ease. The humor made it easy to tell yourself, "I'm not crazy, Belzer is."

I can't say that Belzer was able to convince me of anything, but he certainly managed to pique my curiosity. Should I decide to learn more about the theories Belzer presents, I can simply turn to the helpful bibliography of conspiracy books and resources that Belzer recommends.

The bottom line - this book is a great blend of conspiracy and humor and I think it could be enjoyed by someone looking for either.

We all know that something fishy happened in Dealy Plaza on 11/22/63, and that our government cannot be trusted, but to suggest that people have been copulating with aliens is absurd. I find it interesting the Mr. Belzer failed to point out that UFO sightings have been plummeting since the end of the Cold War, and that these aliens people claim to encounter look suspisciously like the Hollywood aliens depicted in the movies during the fifties. Extra-terrestrials have become the new mythology, and belong in the same realm as werewolves and leprechauns, and are largely a symptom of a mass-hysteria and overactive imaginations. Just because people have seen objects in the air they can't indentify, it doesn't mean they are from other galaxies. Carl Sagan pointed out that the odds of intelligent life outside our solar system is highly likely, but the odds of those two civilizations ever crossing paths is tantamount to two chipmunks in North America finding each other. And, what all UFO pundits have failed to produce over the years is any tangible physical evidence of extra-terrestrial life; it's a lot of grainy, doctored photos and bogus testimonials. As far as the alleged lunar landing hoax, there were good reasons for our government to fake it for purposes of propaganda, but it was well within the realm of possibilty. My old eigth-grade math teacher told us that we had the mathematics to get to the moon in the late 1800's. Belzer resents the fact that such people who believe this nonsense are unfairly marginalized, but how else should rational people deal with paranoid delusions? That being said, the book was entertaining and I read it in one evening, but it was nothing more than a National Enquirer article on steroids. What cracks me up is how Belzer can promote this book with a straight face. I'm sure he's laughing because he got my money. And another thing, he never did tell us where Elvis was hiding! Three Stars!

This book can't decide if it's a book about conspiracies or if it's comedy, which means it trys to straddle both areas. It does a fairly good job, raising some issues about many a controversial subject and at the same time getting many a chuckle from the reader. It's hard to know how much of it Richard Belzer himself believes, but it that doesn't hurt the book too much. I hope Belzer does another one along the same vein, as there are PLENTY more conspiracies out there for him to tackle. Belzer is a funny man and this book proves it and proves he's at his wry best when dealing with his favorite subject: conspiracies and the unexplained.

This book is also highly recommendable based on it's bibliography which should be able to keep any amateur conspiracy theorist reading for a good, long time.

UFO's, JFK, and Elvis seems like a book with an identity crisis. Is it humor, or a serious conspiracy book? Belzer makes some funny jokes and observations while presenting a strong (and one-sided) case for the existence of a conspiracy in the death of John F. Kennedy. This extended rant makes up the first part of the book, and I found it to be pretty enjoyable, but not all that convincing.

The second half of the book is dedicated to UFO's, the possible fakery of the Apollo program, and extraterrestrial life. I found this half to be less compelling than the JFK portion of the book, and it rehashed a lot of the same material I'd read elsewhere about UFO's. Some of the theories were contradictory, and it seemed to be pretty much an amalgamation of everything you've seen on the X-Files.

That said, the book was still enjoyable to read. Belzer is certainly funny, but the humor undermined the credibility of his book. He does have an extensive bibliography in the back of the volume, but citations and footnotes would have gone a long ways in improving his credibility, as would even a cursory mention of any of the counter-points to his views.

One of the greatest books of all time. A must-read. However, don't buy the book with a credit card. It can be tracked, and you don't want that to happen.