Customer Reviews

The Worst Person In the World: And 202 Strong Contenders

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

As I read through "Worst Person In The World", I was reminded that Olbermann could have indeed taken the Bill O'Reilly-route and written a book on politics, values, or the ever popular and overexposed "culture wars". Olbermann's perceptive on-air commentaries in recent weeks on Rumsfeld and 9/11 indeed prove he would be quite adept at this. However, as one reviewer here previously noted (and rightly so) there are enough of these types of books. The world doesn't need another. Instead, Olbermann smartly chose to treat us to a little humor in noting some absolutely twisted and foolish individuals. The result is a book that comes across as apolitical more often than political.

If you are a viewer of "Countdown", much of this material will be familiar as it is largely transcripts of what was presented on the broadcasts. However, Olbermann's concise and witty use of the language, even repeated in a printed format, is still informative and necessary. Aspects of the book where Olbermann highlights nominees for astounding failures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina speak largely to this point. Over a year on, many of these failures have not been refuted and some of them will truly make your head spin. At times, his observations are also wildly entertaining. Be on the lookout for my personal favorite: the government agency that posted signs for a suicide hotline with the wrong phone number. Oops!

Then there's Malmedy. Included in the epilogue of this book is a commentary by Olbermann where he takes issue with Bill O'Reilly's characterization of the Malmedy massacre of World War II. For those of you who don't know this story, it goes something like this. On his show, O'Reilly was defending the conduct of American soldiers accused of atrocities at Haditha in Iraq, and did so by mentioning atrocities committed by American soldiers in Malmedy in 1944. Problem is American soldiers didn't commit atrocities in Malmedy; German Nazi soldiers did. American soldiers were taken prisoner and 84 of them were gunned down in a field by the Germans. When Olbermann mentioned O'Reilly's mix up on "Countdown", I decided to do my own research on this. I couldn't believe O'Reilly could be THIS wrong! A quick Yahoo search of Malmedy and Michael Reynolds, the author cited by Olbermann, quickly turned up the primary article that Olbermann used from "World War II" magazine in October 2003. Several other history-related websites corroborated the same information and Olbermann's summary of the article is spot-on. If you can still rationalize O'Reilly and what he says after reading what Olbermann relates in this epilogue, you better start brushing up on what the meaning of the word "is" is. I think you will need it soon.

Hopefully, MSNBC and other networks will have the graciousness to continue giving broadcasters like Olbermann a place on the dial. There is an audience for Olbermann; they just haven't all found him yet! Hopefully, this book might change that. Buy this book and see if you won't want to join us after you've read it.

This is a collection of my favorite spot on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, "The Worst Person in the World." from the past 2 years or so.

As Olbermnn points out, many of the people here are far from being really the worst with the possible exception of Billo who may very be that elusive WPINTW for all time.

The nominees however all have worked hard to at least win their space for that day and enjoy their 15 minutes of fame as the Worse Person in the World if not for always but at least for now.

Unfortunately no book can really do justice to Olbermanns presentation. His wit and timing make the real segment seen on video much funnier than this written version. It will however still crack a smile, a giggle or a belly laugh.

I was reading this in the doctors office and for some reason the segments with a few Billo and Rush awards it had me in stitches. Several other patients waiting asked me what I was reading. It is too bad that my cable service does NOT carry MSNBC, but I'm about ready to buy a dish just so I can see Countdown every night. Until then there is always You Tube and the podcast.

This book is funny but nowhere near as enjoyable and entertaining as hearing Keith give the awards himself.

Obermann in my opinion is 100 times better to watch than John Stewart. Stewart too often just subsitutes funny faces for wit and wisdom. Just watch Keith one time say "Oh Bill made a funny."

Now where is that falafel?

In the past year, Keith Olbermann - already considered a "god" among sports fans - has become a hero to the progressives of this country. His willingness, especially in recent weeks, to call out the Bush Administration and his constant naming of conservatives to his Worst Persons list - like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter-"geist", and "Falafel Boy" Bill O'Reilly - as well as his willingness to do actual news have made Olbermann the most underrated journalist in our time.

This book, while it is mostly a compilation of his Worst Persons segments in the last year, calls people out in a humorous manner, which is not typical of the news. He does, however, let other aspects of his personality - such as the whole Yankee apologist thing - slip (nominating Bubba Crosby for the Yankees' losing a playoff series with the Angels, or his honorary naming of the Boston Red Sox - although that was for the whole Mientkiewicz ball incident).

I strongly suggest this book, in concert with the works of another O'Reilly favorite, Al Franken.

For some reason, logic and reason have slowly disappeared from "network news" channels and so called 24 hr cable news channels. If you have been following Keith's show on MSNBC (on a television set near you) you will quickly appreciate the breadth of the rapid news delivery format and the richness of its content (especially the superb subject matter experts, the real kind, not the FOX kind). One of the daily tidbits on the show is a count down of the three worst persons in the world (for that day). If you are a regular viewer of this extraordinary show hosted by an award winning journalist you will recognize the entries in the book right away and recollect the news stories behind their crowning glory. The book (like the show) bring us down to earth and forces us to look at events in a broader picture. For injecting logic and reason back into journalism and doing a better job of representing mainstream middle America this book (along with the show) deserve 5 stars. I do wish there were more entries on greedy corporations.

It must be said of Keith Olbermann's new book that there is a dearth of new material here; most of its 267 pages consist of verbatim transcripts of his on-air Worst Person in the World Countdown segment from July 1, 2005 to June 1, 2006. Still, if you're like me, WPITW is my favorite part of the program, and it's a genuine treat to have (nearly) a year's worth of them gathered into one convenient tome. In many ways, Olbermann's book serves as a time capsule for the year that was; reading through each day's list of nominees is a journey that visits all of the year's major news stories and some that were not so major (such as the story of the New Hampshire woman who sued her doctor because he informed her that she was obese.)

In addition to the daily list of nominees presented on Countdown, the book also includes several extended "Honorary Nominees" (generally about two or three per month) that explore in more detail issues of the day, ranging from sports, politics, stupid criminals, and everything in between. While Olbermann has become known of late for his social and political commentary, it must be said that the majority of the anecdotes in this book are apolitical in nature, focusing instead on human stupidity in the more general sense. That having been said, this book is not likely to gather a huge following among political conservatives.

I genuinely enjoyed this book and would imagine that anybody who enjoys Keith's signature wit and erudition will as well. Hopefully, he'll follow it up with future volumes; after all, there are plenty of other post-June Worst Persons in the World that deserve to be permanently immortalized!

Not only is this book funny, ITS TRUE! Keith tells it like it is, he calls Bill O'Reilly "Foxs, Ted Baxter" LOL, As you read this book you can hear Keiths voice giving us the dirt on these WORST PEOPLE! Ann Coulter called Muslims "ragheads", Barbara Bush making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund earmarked for the purchase of software sold by her other dumb son, Neil! LOL , this book is gold, you cant make this stuff up! Olbermans book is a good read, enjoy!

I thought that Keith Olbermann was a sports analyst. This book is not only funny, but it points out how absurd some of the most powerful people as well as the unknown can be a menace to our society.

Having watched Keith Olbermann for just a few weeks over the summer, I found myself tuning into his MSNBC program more and more frequently. His new book, "The Worst Person in the World" confirms my thoughts that Olbermann is a rising star. It will be fun to see him continue his upward trajectory.

"The Worst Person in the World" is but a final segment of his program as reflected in this book. However, it's a wonderfully humorous snapshot of a combination of strange events around the world and the babbling of talking heads (mostly conservative) whose commentary is left for an Olbermann dissection. Witty and penetrating, Olbermann seems up for every challenge. It's a delight to read his list of bad, worse and worst people.

This book is good for many reasons, but two stand out. The format, itself, and Olbermann's end comments. The countdown idea is savvy and concise but it is the author's simple interjections that produce the most laughter. He can make his case from serious to mocking at the same time and the fine line that is produced between is juice for the reader.

"The Worst Person in the World" may just be the BEST book of skewer around this fall. (How many copies do you think Bill O'Reilly has ordered?) Go, Keith, go!!

I bought this book for my teenaged son who just loves Keith's worst lists, but I'm reading it myself before I give it to him to enjoy them all again. Great read!

Keith Olbermann is a news and sports personality whose present gig on MSNBC is the program "Countdown with Keith Olbermann. This television program is part humor, part serious news business. But most people who watch his show enjoy it for its sarcastic wit and its "Worst Person in the World" countdown. Three awards are handed out every night, and the recipients can be almost anyone or anything. Usually, the award goes to a news or Hollywood celebrity, but the award winners can also be corporations, activist organizations, and even lesser- known individuals who did something incredibly stupid or unethical the previous day.

In this book, Olbermann summarizes his "Worst Person in the World" lists from his nightly program for an eleven month period. Olbermann includes not only the person/organization's name, but also a short commentary explaining why that person, place, or thing was worthy of inclusion in the nightly list. The people included and the reasons for inclusion are far- ranging and often quite funny. Politicians and celebrities receive the bulk of the awards, but there are some unknown, everyday Joes and Janes as well.

As anyone who watches Olbermann's program already knows, Olbermann is a liberal in thought and practice, and he wastes no time going after those whom he feels push their conservative values a little harder than they should. It should come as no surprise, then, that members of Fox News are among the chief targets of this book, along with members of the Bush administration and others who sport their Republicanism proudly. That isn't to say that Olbermann won't include others because he does. But as anyone who reads this book or watches Countdown will attest, it is obvious that Olbermann considers the actions of most of today's Republicans to be far worse and far more offensive than those on the Democratic side.

When I first started to read this book, I wasn't sure it was worthy of my time, due to the fact that it is nothing more than a printed summary of what Olbermann has already stated on his television show. It seemed like an easy way to make a buck, and not very original since it only required taking what was already stated on one media form and placing it in another. But the more I read the book and its witty quips, the more I liked it and I continued to flip through the pages quickly, enjoying Olbermann's humorous takes on some of the outrageous things people say and do on a daily basis. I finished the book in only two days.

Overall, The Worst Person in the World is a fun book that many- especially those who consider themselves liberal- will find entertaining and quite witty. Olbermann's views may not sit well with every reader, and he is known to take a cheap shot or two. But there is no denying the stupidity, questionable ethics, and/or offensiveness that characterize those included in this book. It's a load of fun from the host of a television news program that has often been described as a liberal version of the O'Reilly Factor and that is also slowly rising in popularity.