Who Cut the Cheese?: A Cutting Edge Way of Surviving Change by Shifting the Blame (Hardcover)

by Mason Brown (Author), Carl Krubenaker (Introduction) "The fact that you are reading "The Fib Behind the Fable" of Who Cut the Cheese?..." (more)
Key Phrases: two rats, eating nothing, Cheese Depot, Mary Lynne, Chili Station (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Who Cut the Cheese? uses a delightful little fable to encapsulate the fundamental rule of modern American management and the new economy: "Survive change by shifting blame."

The fable revolves around two malevolent rats and two spiteful "Punypeople" who find themselves trapped together in a maze, fighting over a dwindling supply of constantly moving cheese. Some characters adapt readily to this treacherous, shifting environment -- blaming the weak and overpowering the helpless. Others perish in horror, praying for death. Read this book and live!

Written for all ages, the story can be understood by even the youngest reader: The "maze"is a metaphor for life, and the "cheese" is a metaphor for whatever you desire in life -- be it worldly goods, spiritual well-being, or unspeakable sexual encounters too deviant even for the Internet.

The more advanced reader will also understand the secondary message of the book: "Resistance is futile." As soon as change happens, we must accept it immediately or suffer the consequences. This heavy-handed lesson is designed to engender unquestioning obedience to authority, and makes the book an ideal gift for subordinates.

Large companies would be well advised to give this book to each and every one of their employees, especially if they are considering a restructuring to bolster shareholder value. Extremely short, even including illustrations, the story takes less than an hour to read, but its unsettling conclusions on the nature of humanity should last a lifetime!

About the Author
Mason Brown, J.D., is currently an associate editor for NationalLampoon.com, where his chief responsibility is to inform incredulous callers that the National Lampoon still really exists, at least as a Web site. He formerly freelanced for such magazines as Maxim, Details and Schwing! He co-wrote the Troma Films script "Class of Nuke 'Em High IV: Attack of the Bikini Subhumanoids." There was also a long period of unemployment when he spent the better part of each day curled up in a fetal position moaning softly, but he would prefer to gloss that over.

Mason went to an all-boys elementary school, then became a varsity wrestler in boarding school in Massachusetts. At Duke University he joined a fraternity that, according to its creed, was "born of sturdy manhood and nurtured by resolute men." While at UCLA Law School, he lived only minutes away from such West Hollywood bars as The Mother Lode and Spike. He greatly enjoyed the movie Spartacus, and confesses to having felt as giddy as a little schoolgirl before seeing Gladiator. Yet he continues to maintain to his wife and family that he is straight.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743212355
• ISBN-13: 978-0743212359
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #520,254 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good antidote to Who Moved my Cheese, November 20, 2000

By	Hal Cheng (Nepean, Canada) - See all my reviews

Spencer Johnson's Who Moved my Cheese left a bad taste in my mouth, and this book helped to clear my palate.

Who Cut the Cheese is a very funny book. I laughed out loud in public as I was reading it. The antics of the puny people as they deal with rats, the cheese famine and flatulence are quite entertaining.

Who Cut the Cheese provides a cynical comment on the modern workplace, especially on managers who compensate for their incompetence by being cruel and manipulative. Sometimes the book hits a bit close to home. The advice it gives is accurate and very applicable in today's corporate world, and if you have no scruples, you could go far by applying it. If the book didn't approach the subject with humour, it would be depressing.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Puny, November 21, 2000

By A Customer

Mason Brown has written a funny and puny tome that takes coporate backstabbing and the art of covering your ... to a whole new level. I laughed. I cried. (Because I was laughing so hard.) I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much so that I bought additional copies for my "corporate" relatives who are sure to appreciate this tantalizing treat when it pops up in their Christmas Stockings.

A must read for all! Especially, those sick of the... feel good, new age, business tomes that have been increasingly and annoyingly showing up on the Best Seller Lists across the country.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Cut the Cheese? by Mason Brown, October 3, 2000, October 3, 2000

By A Customer

Mason Brown's "Who Cut the Cheese?" is a hilarious book depicting corporate America in its truest light. The book is wonderfully funny! I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't resist buying more copies to send to my friends and relatives. It's a great stocking stuffer if you like funny gifts.