Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined (Hardcover)

by Drew Carey (Author) "There's a guy who lives in Ohio..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jim Brown, Las Vegas, Warner Brothers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
At the beginning of Dirty Jokes and Beer, Drew Carey comes right out and says, "Maybe I should have hired a ghostwriter, but I wanted to write the book myself." Forthrightness is one of the best qualities of Carey's collection, which is sure to satisfy fans of his eponymous sitcom. In any event, there's little likelihood of the book falling into the wrong hands. Don't think penis jokes are funny? Don't buy it. Don't want to know what the censors wouldn't let Drew put in the show? Ditto. What makes Carey's no-nonsense attitude even more attractive is the fact that he often turns the spotlight on himself, like so:

I know that I make a lot of jokes about it, but I'm not really happy with the way I look lately. My dream of finally being able to make it with an eighteen-year-old cheerleader is slipping through my fingers.
So, I'm going to lose the weight.
I'm going to lose the weight, get a light tan, and get my back waxed. And, I'm going to buy a cheerleader outfit for the next girl I start dating. A cheerleader outfit and a riding crop. Why hold back?

There's an unexpected edge of dissatisfaction, of unprocessed anger, that seeps between the lines. Sometimes Carey ventures into boneheadedness--as in a pointless rant against the sexual harassment policy at Warner Brothers and how it makes his life hard. More often, though, he comes across as a drinking buddy on a particularly funny night. That's what Carey set out to do--and there's room on many bookshelves for that.

From Library Journal
This collection of dirty jokes, short fiction, and autobiographical tidbits will please some readers and offend others. Carey, a stand-up comic and star of his own TV show, writes mostly about sex, drinking, gambling, football, and television. One of his favorite topics seems to be his "big dick" jokes. Four-letter words predominate, giving the book a definite adolescent, male tone. Carey points out that the raunchier his material, the more popular he became, seeming almost surprised at the public's reaction. To his credit, he also includes a sampling of the negative reviews and letters he has received. The short stories are the most interesting. Carey reads with the familiarity and conviction of one reading his own work. Overall, though, this book has limited appeal; not recommended.?Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; 1st edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078686351X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786863518
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #438,303 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carey Rocks, December 4, 2000

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined (Paperback)

Dirty Jokes & Beer is the first book by Drew Carey, star of his own self-titled TV show. What makes the show so funny is Mr. Carey's ability to poke fun at himself and the humorous look at every day life. This book is written in the same style except it doesn't suffer from the restrictions of network TV. If you are scared off by vulgar language and sexual situations, then this book isn't for you. Mr. Carey goes into tales of his life with a self-deprecating style and keen eye. His account of his trip to Mardi Gras is hysterical and his chapter on the ability, due to his TV success, to buy a house and accoutrements is priceless. The three short stories that make up the end of the book are extremely funny as well. One minor setback is the chapter of big dick jokes. A few of them are very funny, but he drags it out for too long and they get a little tedious. Overall, this is an extremely enjoyable read and just like his show, laugh out loud funny.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Very Funny Book!, March 4, 1999

By A Customer

When I first began to read this book I was very shocked at the jokes and the language that he used (picturing the Drew seen on televison) but then I realized that this is the way that most guys think. I never put this book down. He put an honest a hardworking effort into this book and it came out great. I just couldn't stop laughing. I had no clue that it would be like this and I loved it because it surprised me. I especially like the jokes that he put in front of every chapter and his stories that wrap up the book. In conclusion I would like to say that you must look at the title. If you don't like books containing foul language and dirty jokes well you might as well push the back button on your browser but ..... if you love dirty jokes and you wanna have a good laugh I recommend that you read Dirty Jokes and Beer : Stories of the Unrefined by Drew Carey.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In its own way, a masterpiece., September 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: DIRTY JOKES AND BEER: STORIES OF THE UNREFINED (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished reading a translation of the Nina Berberova novel The Book of Happiness (published by New Directions). Normally, of course, I read only socially/morally uplifting and intellectually challenging books, but from time to time Mr. Hyde wants to come out of the closet and flash somebody. Sometimes I can hold off this attack with a bit of froth, like a mystery novel; at other times, only what I call (for want of a better title) Crud Books will do. I just picked up a great one: Drew Carey's Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined. Criteria for judging great crud books include vulgarity, filth, and humor almost any adult would be ashamed to admit they like. My favorite chapter includes 101 mostly hilarious jokes about genital elephantisis, to use a euphemism. Carey's prose is good enough. He also prefaces almost every chapter with a very funny dirty joke.

After a good amount of this kind of carrying-on, however, comes a very strange part indeed: the stories of the unrefined. It seems Carey wanted to write a book of short stories. The consensus from his friends and business associates who read these stories, however, was "dark," and Carey can't sell dark, only funny. So they get slipped in after Carey has given the customers what they expect - a real professional. The stories are dark indeed (and also funny), and if they are based, even remotely, on what actually happened to him (they sound like they do), I can understand why he tried to commit suicide twice.

The stories are mostly about down-and-outs and marginal characters in Cleveland (West Side equivalents of R. Crumb and Harvey Pekar), so that part was fairly interesting to me, since I grew up in Cleveland as a somewhat marginal figure. They weren't bad at all, as stories, if not up to Wings of the Dove. But Carey surprised me. They didn't have to be good at all.

Carey writes probably pretty close to the way he talks and he talks about things almost every adult male talks about. He didn't write it for prudes, male or female, liberal or conservative. It's up-front, funny (for those who can see the humor), and take-it-or-leave-it.