Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down (Paperback)

by Dave Barry (Author) "So there I was, sitting under the hot lights, when suddenly Vicki Lawrence leaped to her feet and started yelling at me about the death..." (more)
Key Phrases: humor columnist, new toilets, Beach Boys, New York, Leaning Tower of Pisa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Miami Herald columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Barry (Dave Barry Turns 50, etc.) contemplated titling this book"Tuesdays with Harry Potter"Dbut "the Legal Department had some problems with that." Barry is as funny as ever in these 73 columns, which targets everything from low-fat diets to low-flow toilets. Barry claims in his introduction that there is no better profession than humor columnist: "That is why so many people want my job. It looks so easy!... Every year, hundreds of thousands of people try their hand at this demanding profession. After a few months, almost all of them have given up and gone back to the ninth grade." There's no such regressive retrenchment for Barry, as he expresses his "deep concernDand yes, outrageDabout the forces of ignorance, injustice, oppression and profound moral decay that beset American society today." Thus, he covers such burning issues as airline "bistro service," dog shows, driving ("In addition to Road Rage, I frequently experience Parking Lot Rage"), Florida frogs, horse races, the IRS, online stock trading, Parent's Day at college ("I entered my son's apartment, which he shares with three roommates and approximately 200 used pizza boxes"), Paris, school science fairs and the specialty-coffee craze ("mutant beverages with names like 'mocha-almond-honey-vinaigrette lattespressacino'"). Outstanding is a satire on academic film criticism, larded with absurd foreign phrases. MacNelly's caustic cartoons (he's another Pulitzer winner) are such perfect visual accompaniments to Barry's wry words that it's a surprise to find only 10 of them. A gifted and engaging humorist, Barry never ceases to entertain: no matter what subject, he can always find a side-splitting twist. 5-city author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Barry fans will enjoy this latest collection of columns from one of America's funniest journalists. The title originates from his rant about low-flow toilets in his notorious "Toilet Police" article. According to the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist (Big Trouble), it wasn't his first choice for a title, which would have been (and I am not making this up) Tuesdays with Harry Potter. Apparently, the publisher's legal department had some problems with that. The title represents Barry's rage not only about toilets but about airline "bistro service" meals, television ads for pharmaceuticals, and the general moral decay confronting America today. Fans will not be disappointed with Barry's forays into proper word usage when he dons his "Mr. Language Person" hat. And they will certainly rally around him on issues concerning the IRS, college dormitories, and Internet millionaires. But the toilet on the cover is really why this book should be in every library's humor collection.
-DJoe Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ., Chicago
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345444108
• ISBN-13: 978-0345444103
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #758,355 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry is still the funniest man in America, November 18, 2000

By	M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down! (Hardcover)

I'm not the most unbiased reviewer because I have to confess that I have read every book that Barry has ever written including his not so stellar novel. Still, I can't imagine anyone I'd ever want to have coffee with not thinking this book is hysterical. I'm always amazed at his turn of phrase and wit in every single article on any topic imaginable. Whether he's talking about flushing "acts of congress" (#2) down a low gallon toilet or his coffee addiction, he makes me laugh out loud every 2 minutes. I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't realize I was near the end and sat around not believing that it had ended. Then, I entered a deep depression.... Okay, I'm lying, but I was disappointed that I didn't have another one of his books right there to keep me going.

If you've never read Barry before, rush out and buy this. I guarantee that within minutes, you'll be dialing friends and relatives to read snippets out loud -- I try to, but I ususually collapse into gales of laughter while I'm trying.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed so hard I got an earache, December 14, 2000

By	E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down! (Hardcover)

Our local newspaper has been on strike for several years now, and not wanting to be a scab I stopped my subscription and had to cut myself off from the Dave Barry columns. So, when I bought "Dave Barry is not Taking This Sitting Down" for my sister's Christmas present, I decided she wouldn't mind if I did a bit of catching up on my favorite humor columnist.

That was a mistake.

I took it to bed with me and laughed so long and hard, the cats refused to come into the bedroom. And THEN I got to the column he did on SUVs. That's when I laughed myself into an earache. How many of you out there drive one of those big honker Chevrolet Subdivisions (as Dave has rechristened them)? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, and you will be after you read this book---if you don't die laughing, first. I can't wait until Dave Barry comes out with the ultimate tome on Southern Florida voting customs.

Now my husband wants to read "Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down" before I wrap it up for my sister. After all, he had to spend a sleepless night listening to me read it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm so embarrassed, December 5, 2000

By	Rebekah S Allen "bekahallen" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down! (Hardcover)

I first read this book in a quiet bookstore coffee shop. I don't think that the people studying at the tables around me appreciated it too much. I kept making strange noises in an effort not to laugh. After a little while I just started crying because it was so funny. About every 5 minutes I had to put it down and rest because my stomach hurt so much from laughing. Anyway, it's one of Barry's best and definitely a book you'll want to read in the privacy of your own home.