The Onion's Finest News Reporting, Volume 1 (Vol.1) (Paperback)

by Scott Dikkers (Author), Robert Siegel (Author), The Onion (Author), Mike Loew (Author) "When my son, J. Phineas Zweibel, who is the current publisher of The Onion news-gazette, informed me that a book of our finest recent reporting..." (more)
Key Phrases: finest news source, chuck wagon, President Clinton, Taco Bell, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
From the editors of the most hilarious periodical around comes The Onion's Finest News Reporting, a collection of stories and commentaries with a sublime satirical bite. Devotees of the Madison, Wisconsin, weekly will erupt with laughter at each turn of the page, while newcomers will wonder how they have done without such headlines as "Civil War Enthusiasts Burn Atlanta to Ground," "Saddam Hussein Steps Down Following Sex Scandal," "Lyndon Johnson Jr. Sworn in as George Editor," "Nation's Educators Alarmed by Poorly Written Teen Suicide Notes," and "Massive Oil Spill Results in Improved Wildlife Viscosity." The brilliant parodies following the headlines are consistently smart, irreverent, and hysterical. Some selections are masterworks of absurdity, such as op-ed pieces written from the perspectives of pylons, chemical plants, or appliances. The book also contains some choice picks from the magazine's "What Do You Think?" column, in which ordinary citizens sound off on timely topics such as the teaching of evolution in schools ("I am against evolution being taught in schools. I am also against widespread literacy and the refrigeration of food.") and the cloning of animals ("I can't believe it--imagine a whole field of sheep that all look alike!"). As with all effective satire, this volume seeks to hit society's raw nerves: homophobia, racism, sexism, even Canada--"Perky 'Canada' Has Own Government, Laws" reads one headline. But buyer beware: if Dave Barry is about your speed, you may find some of these stories (and the language) to be tasteless, if not offensive. Others will love this book for those very reasons. --Shawn Carkonen

Review
"The funniest publication in the United States."  --The New Yorker
"Makes its readers teary-eyed with laughter."  --Washington Post
"Genius...the most consistently hilarious spot on the flogged horse of American comedy."  --Esquire -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609804634
• ISBN-13: 978-0609804636
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,913 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for a gift, but not for a fan, August 2, 2000

By	Tim Lieder "Founder of Dybbuk Press" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Here's a review that is on the average star. If you don't read the Onion, consider this a five star review. If you do read The Onion it's a three star review. Why? It's just a bunch of rehashes of stories that were funny once, but don't hold up.

Also problematic are the editorials. They are amusing but they don't hit the laugh-out loud hilarity of the rest of the articles. The only consistantly funny part of the editorial portion are the "What do you think" which always hits the maddeningly inarticulate and useless statements of the "man on the street" interviews perfectly.

So buy it for someone that you know doesn't read The Onion, but if you want to read an Onion book, buy Our Dumb Century.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Taste of the Onion for Non-Onionites, May 9, 2000

By	Danny Silverman (Santa Ana, California USA) - See all my reviews

For new fans this book is a great read, however for people who tune in to the weekly satire online (or in print), this is simply a rehash of many old highlights. A great buy for a present or indoctrination to the Onion, but for long-time readers there is no new material, nothing like Our Dumb Century. Besides, you can get the whole thing just be reading the archives on theonion.com web site!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still sick, twisted stuff, May 2, 2000

By	Gene Bromberg (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

The Onion delivers a new book and not a moment too soon. I hadn't had a good, long, debilitating laugh in a few weeks and this collection of the Onion's finest work cured me in seconds.

This collection features the Onion's typical incisive and warped stories (my favorite being the one on Russia's hottest game show, "Who Wants to Eat a Meal?") and also pieces by some of their finest columnists, including the Love Man himself, Smoove B.

So I heartily recommend the book, unless you don't like tearing rib cartilage from laughing too hard.