Customer Reviews

Where's Saddam?

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Having read many books by Henry Beard, I have come to expect some good laughs. Where's Saddam? did not disappoint me. I found the humor to be timely and topical. I probably enjoyed it the most because of the many happy hours I spent reading the Where's Spot? books to my children. Where's Saddam? managed to capture the playful spirit of these childrens' books. The illustrations are delightful. Even my Republican husband laughed out loud at this one!

This is just a great book to give your friends. Apparently inspired by the Where's Spot pop-up book,the illustrations and pop-ups are very funny, and so is the narration. Is Saddam in...Hell?...Las Vegas? Our Prez, outfitted like John Wayne, in full western gear, is on a determined hunt. Even Republicans I know think it's funny.

This book is outrageous, all in style, language and contents and is written in extremely poor English.
Even Marquis de Sade - the French soldier and writer whose name is given to Sadism and who pretty much described the ideas of sexual perversions that prevailed in the eighteenth's century, would have disliked and avoided reading it.
I made a mistake and bought it.
Don't make the same mistake.

Where did you find this book on the New York Times Bestseller list reviewed by Jason Blair?

Seriously, this book is not only offensive it is down right hurtful. Soldiers are dying trying to find Saddam and this author thinks it is material for a satire. Each page, and there are only approx. 16 or so, are filled with distasteful illustrations. Making light of torture chambers, Michael Jackson sitting in hell with two kids on his lap, or WMD's in the form of a vibrator is not funny.

One very patriotic activity is to keep smiling cheerfully when things look bleak. This task Henry Beard, former editor of The National Lampoon, and his colleagues, carry off well in their incomparably witty volume. I loved the one about weapons of mass distraction! I giggled, I chuckled, I whooped with all their rib-tickling fun! This book is not only delightful, it's probably very good for the health of the nation.

I came upon this book while serving in Baghdad and laughed out loud. Given the conditions under which we are living, any opportunity for a laugh is welcome. Especially for those of us with kids who have read so many of these "pop-up" books at bedtime, the wit and humor in an otherwise serious situation is a welcome break. I do understand and respect the views of those who found the book objectionable, but with respect, I disagree.

I first heard about Henry Beard's book when it came out and couldn't wait to buy it. I got sidetracked and then came across it again only very recently. Though the book is now dated in the sense that we (more or less) know where Saddam is, the humor is still there.
Henry Beard's aim is not to make light of our soldier's dying. It is to raise questions about the aims and policies of a President whose choices put them in harms way where they continue to be.
Beard is brilliant and his book is a gem. It is still worth reading.

This book was funny, but as of today, outdated. I am sure its price will go down now, as it quickly becomes a piece of nostalgia. It will be fun to have around for novelty's sake. Good for future generations to show them the debate that was going on in this country.

The name Henry Beard always guarantees humor delivered right to the target. This book will be making people laugh long after the Weapons of Mass Destruction have not been found.