'A pissed off Leary is the best Leary', says one critic of the writer and comic. In "Why We Suck", Dr Denis Leary uses his common sense, and his biting and hilarious take on the world, to attack the politically correct, the hypocritical, the obese, the thin - basically everyone who takes themselves too seriously. In "Why We Suck", Leary's famously smart style and sardonic wit have found their fullest and fiercest expression yet. Zeroing in on the ridiculous wherever he finds it, Leary unravels his Irish Catholic upbringing, the folly of celebrity, the pressures of family life, and the great hypocrisy of politics. Proudly Irish American, defiantly working class, with a reserve of compassion for the underdog and the overlooked, Leary delivers blistering diatribes that are penetrating social commentary with no holds barred. Leary's book will find wide appeal among people who want to laugh out loud or find a guide who matches their view of what's wrong in America and the world-at-large.
Why We Suck
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
According to Leary, his first book is not for the faint of heart, by which he means Americans: "I am here to debunk and declassify and otherwise hold up a brutally honest mirror to our fat, ugly, lazy American selves." Now, a good many comedians make a career out of daring to speak the ugly, gasping truths that few others would. Leary brings a particularly acid-tinged tone to his rantings about annoying children, why cats are satanic spawn, what an ugly racket the Catholic Church is and (more surprisingly) why he loves Oprah. The book will most likely appeal to fans of Leary, and while the material might have been better delivered as a live performance (some of these hate-laced monologues are just begging to be read aloud), Leary himself wildly entertains. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Denis Leary has appeared in more than thirty films, including the Oscar-nominated Wag the Dog, The Thomas Crowne Affair and Ice Age, as well as the Christmas cult classic The Ref. Leary has also written for New York Magazine, GQ, Playboy, Esquire and many other publications. He is also the co-writer, creator and star of the four-time Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated TV series Resue Me.
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More About the Author
Denis Leary has appeared in more than thirty films, including the Oscar-nominated Wag the Dog, The Thomas Crowne Affair, and Ice Age, as well as the Christmas cult classic The Ref, and such indie favorites as Jesus' Son and Suicide Kings. Leary was the co-creator, producer, and star of the critically acclaimed network comedy The Job. His one-man shows No Cure For Cancer and Lock 'n Load broke viewing records on HBO. Leary has also written for New York Magazine, GQ, Playboy, Esquire, and many other publications. He is the co-writer, creator, and star of the four-time Emmy and Golden Globe nominated television series Rescue Me.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
212 of 223 people found the following review helpful
By Hunter Sixx
Format:Hardcover
First off, this book is a riot from page one. I don't write reviews because I think everyone else out there does it better, but after reading the one star reviews on this book I had to chime in. Leary has a mean and angry style to his comedy. If you're easily offended, every other paragraph will get under your skin. This would not be the book for you. This would be a great book for anyone that does have a sense of humor and that can laugh at themselves without being offended.
The one star reviews annoy me. I like hard rock and to me, those reviews come off as being the same as if I wrote a one star review of the latest blue grass album because it's not what I like. It would be a waste of my time and the reader's time.
In the Prologue, Leary comes out saying that this is a comedy book. It is a parody, satire and poking fun. His exaggerated take on life. That's what all comedians do and Leary does it well. He also points out that there are endless things you can buy in America - but a sense of humor isn't one of them. Well put.
The one star reviews annoy me. I like hard rock and to me, those reviews come off as being the same as if I wrote a one star review of the latest blue grass album because it's not what I like. It would be a waste of my time and the reader's time.
In the Prologue, Leary comes out saying that this is a comedy book. It is a parody, satire and poking fun. His exaggerated take on life. That's what all comedians do and Leary does it well. He also points out that there are endless things you can buy in America - but a sense of humor isn't one of them. Well put.
48 of 52 people found the following review helpful
By Zenster
Format:Hardcover
I received "Why We Suck" as a gift on the same day that shoppers killed a man trampling him while lined up for "Holiday Shopping" at Walmart and realized this is WHY WE SUCK.
Happily, the book is funny and fun to read.
Sadly, it is a true commentary about our lives.
From CelebuTards to Dr Full to Mr Leary's idea of justice for Michael Vick, the book is astounding in it's genuine insights into WHY WE TRULY SUCK. Mr. Leary is a man with his eyes open and a mind that has not been brainwashed by the spin doctors and Dr Fulls of this world.
If you read one book this year, Why We Suck should be the one.
Happily, the book is funny and fun to read.
Sadly, it is a true commentary about our lives.
From CelebuTards to Dr Full to Mr Leary's idea of justice for Michael Vick, the book is astounding in it's genuine insights into WHY WE TRULY SUCK. Mr. Leary is a man with his eyes open and a mind that has not been brainwashed by the spin doctors and Dr Fulls of this world.
If you read one book this year, Why We Suck should be the one.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Bookreporter
Format:Hardcover
"Dr." Denis Leary explains it all --- literally. (Leary earned an honorary doctorate in 2005 from his alma mater, Emerson College, and he intends to use it.) For the Boston-bred comedian, there are no sacred cows, no taboos, no subjects off limits --- the Catholic Church, celebrities, politicians, even his Irish lineage. No one is safe from ridicule, and when Leary takes aim with his razor-sharp wit, he takes no prisoners.
When first published in November, WHY WE SUCK and its author courted controversy concerning his statements on afflictions like childhood autism, especially when he says: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can't compete academically so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks and psychotherapists to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a **** what these crackerjack whackjobs tell you --- your kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."
This hardly seems like the diagnosis of a doctor, but as Leary clearly states in his lengthy prologue, "This is a comedy book. Which means it's meant to be funny. So when I say something in here I am offering up my opinion, my slightly exaggerated take on people, places and things and very often a twisted take on reality. In other words: it is parody, satire and poking fun." So I guess the offended parties skipped right over the prologue to get to the offending chapter.
Leary has been a comedian/actor for over 20 years. He created and stars in the popular F/X series "Rescue Me," which is about to begin its fifth season. But even in his earliest stand-up days, he wasn't a stranger to controversy. His first comedy special, "No Cure for Cancer," and his quick MTV commercial spots touting his love of supermodel Cindy Crawford launched him into Hollywood, with more specials ("Lock 'N Load") and even movies (The Ref, Wag the Dog). But now he's in charge of his own show, and we get the feeling that's just the way he likes it.
WHY WE SUCK reflects his own sardonic and incensed viewpoint on America's celebrity-obsessed culture and why people like Anna Nicole Smith should serve as a cautionary tale ("...she serves up a great argument against taking strippers out of the strip club....it's like taking King Kong off the jungle island and dropping him into the middle of midtown Manhattan --- nothing good can come from it."). He also rails against President Bush, whom he refers to as "Bush Jr." and advocates taking bratty teens who appear on the show "My Super Sweet 16" and dropping them chuteless into Iraq. Sure, he exaggerates and embellishes a bit, but some of his points make sense. No wonder our reputation has been less than sterling in the global arena. We live in a culture where a person will sue McDonald's if they get fat from eating their grease-laden food. What really irks Leary is that the notion of personal responsibility is completely forgotten in our modern-day, Wii-obsessed world. And you know what? He's right.
Fans of Leary will devour this book and appreciate his humor. It's not for the faint of heart or humor-impaired. The real surprise here is the touching relationship he shares with his mother. He describes her as "Mary Tyler Moore, Mother Teresa and Joe Pesci in a blender and set it on high..." Their conversations back and forth provide this work with a surprising amount of heart. Maybe it's because I grew up in an Irish Catholic household quite similar to Leary's, but these sweet exchanges with his mother, peppered with reports of who died and who has cancer, read like a chapter out of my own family's book. After finishing WHY WE SUCK, I related some of the best bits to my father over the phone. "I'd like to read that. Send it to me when you're done." Of course, I warned him about the language.
--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller
When first published in November, WHY WE SUCK and its author courted controversy concerning his statements on afflictions like childhood autism, especially when he says: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can't compete academically so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks and psychotherapists to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a **** what these crackerjack whackjobs tell you --- your kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."
This hardly seems like the diagnosis of a doctor, but as Leary clearly states in his lengthy prologue, "This is a comedy book. Which means it's meant to be funny. So when I say something in here I am offering up my opinion, my slightly exaggerated take on people, places and things and very often a twisted take on reality. In other words: it is parody, satire and poking fun." So I guess the offended parties skipped right over the prologue to get to the offending chapter.
Leary has been a comedian/actor for over 20 years. He created and stars in the popular F/X series "Rescue Me," which is about to begin its fifth season. But even in his earliest stand-up days, he wasn't a stranger to controversy. His first comedy special, "No Cure for Cancer," and his quick MTV commercial spots touting his love of supermodel Cindy Crawford launched him into Hollywood, with more specials ("Lock 'N Load") and even movies (The Ref, Wag the Dog). But now he's in charge of his own show, and we get the feeling that's just the way he likes it.
WHY WE SUCK reflects his own sardonic and incensed viewpoint on America's celebrity-obsessed culture and why people like Anna Nicole Smith should serve as a cautionary tale ("...she serves up a great argument against taking strippers out of the strip club....it's like taking King Kong off the jungle island and dropping him into the middle of midtown Manhattan --- nothing good can come from it."). He also rails against President Bush, whom he refers to as "Bush Jr." and advocates taking bratty teens who appear on the show "My Super Sweet 16" and dropping them chuteless into Iraq. Sure, he exaggerates and embellishes a bit, but some of his points make sense. No wonder our reputation has been less than sterling in the global arena. We live in a culture where a person will sue McDonald's if they get fat from eating their grease-laden food. What really irks Leary is that the notion of personal responsibility is completely forgotten in our modern-day, Wii-obsessed world. And you know what? He's right.
Fans of Leary will devour this book and appreciate his humor. It's not for the faint of heart or humor-impaired. The real surprise here is the touching relationship he shares with his mother. He describes her as "Mary Tyler Moore, Mother Teresa and Joe Pesci in a blender and set it on high..." Their conversations back and forth provide this work with a surprising amount of heart. Maybe it's because I grew up in an Irish Catholic household quite similar to Leary's, but these sweet exchanges with his mother, peppered with reports of who died and who has cancer, read like a chapter out of my own family's book. After finishing WHY WE SUCK, I related some of the best bits to my father over the phone. "I'd like to read that. Send it to me when you're done." Of course, I warned him about the language.
--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for the easily offended
If you are:
* politically correct
* easily offended
* reluctant to see the world as it really is
* reluctant to admit that you are (or have been at... Read more
* politically correct
* easily offended
* reluctant to see the world as it really is
* reluctant to admit that you are (or have been at... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Ouellette
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funnny
It tells some of his old jokes but a lot of new ones. It is what would expect from Denis Leary. Be sure to know the author if you are going to buy. It was a fast read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by tpatsfan
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Interesting and Entertaining Read
As I was browsing the book section at my local thrift store, I came across Denis Leary's "Why We Suck". I am a fan of Mr. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sebastian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
I have been on and off reading this book.
I LOVE Denis Leary, the book has inflections of his typical irish charm. Full of wit, sarcasm, and common sense. Read more
I LOVE Denis Leary, the book has inflections of his typical irish charm. Full of wit, sarcasm, and common sense. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rachel Vaughn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Denis Leary Review
What can I say, Denis is hilarious and hits the nail on the head with the state of society today. He's as in tune to America as was George Carlin.
Published 1 month ago by Michael B. Orlando
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dennis Leary
A hilarious rant turned into a book. Do not read if you take anything too seriously. I would recommend it to those who enjoy the in your face type humor.
Published 2 months ago by ~Mags
5.0 out of 5 stars
VERY funny
Denis Leary is a good writer. He is very funny and makes some good points. Very entertaining. My husband enjoyed it.
Published 2 months ago by Amy C. Erwin
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will love it
If you like Denis Leary then you will love Dr. Denis Leary even better after the first few chapter and his start as a youth in the writing business.
Published 2 months ago by kenneth mcmullen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny Stuff!
As a fan of his stand-up, movies, and then "Rescue Me", I knew what I was in for when I picked this one up. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shaun Worcester
3.0 out of 5 stars
Plain and to the point
I liked most of situation described in the book by Dennis Leary. Some experiences hit home big time and most of us can relate to them. Dennis is very outspoken and to the point. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Paul Stehrenberger
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