Who Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Veteran columnist Molly Ivins, a rare and highly irreverent Texas liberal, is back with a collection of columns gathered from a rich and varied career covering some of the best source material a writer with a knack for whimsy could wish for: politicians. In Who Let the Dogs In, Ivins offers her thoughts on politicos from the Reagan era through the administration of George W. Bush (whom she first nicknamed "Shrub" way back in his early Texas days). While Ivins is of the lefty persuasion, she is far from doctrinaire, which helps separate her from the scores of lockstep pundits on either side: she credits Bill Clinton with being a brilliant politician and condemns the policies of Bush as being terrible for average Americans, but also presents stinging criticisms of Clinton's failed initiatives and defends Bush as being smarter than most give him credit for. Her words are strong, her writing is clear, and her thoughts are well organized. Of course, most people remember a Molly Ivins column for the humor, and we get to witness her firing missiles at low-flying targets like Newt Gingrich and Ross Perot and describing Bush's puzzling lead over Al Gore among men in the 2000 campaign, "One guy played football, went to Vietnam, and is notoriously emotionally distant. The other guy was a cheerleader who got into a National Guard unit through family influence, lost money in the oil business, traded Sammy Sosa and is now sliding through a presidential race on charm. Do I not get American men, or what?" Who Let the Dogs In lacks some of the focus of her Shrub and Bushwhacked simply because it's about a whole generation of political characters as opposed to one memorable Texan, but such broader perspective also affords an opportunity to better understand America's recent history and maybe get a few laughs while doing it. --John Moe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Two decades of Ivins's smart, acerbic political commentary have been harvested for this highly entertaining collection, which includes a new introduction addressing what she calls our country's current "state of open corruptness and intellectual rot." Though a self-described liberal, Ivins is not inflexibly tendentious. Rather, she is a tonic against the mean-spirited pundits found on both sides. She criticizes the Bush administration plenty, but she also reserves some of her sting for Clinton and Kerry. Ivins's delivery is wonderful. Her crisp yet throaty Texan voice is firm and authoritative, but at the same time inviting and homey, and the twinkle in her eye is aurally palpable through the pluck and elfish spunk in her voice. Those who are wary of picking up this audiobook because it's abridged should think again. There's no question that Ivins (Bushwacked, etc.) is a great oral, as well as literary, entertainer, just as there's no denying her genuine concern over the country's current political situation. "Having fun while fighting for freedom," she says, "is one of my life causes."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (July 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812973070
• ISBN-13: 978-0812973075
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, interesting, funny and on target - 10 stars, July 26, 2004

By	MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Who Let the Dogs In? Incredible Political Animals I Have Known (Hardcover)

What I love about Ms. Ivins is she has a genuine non-mean wit when it comes to criticizing or disagreeing with someone like G W Bush. And this book is no exception. She covers all the political bases so she cant be accused of being just for the liberal side. I am a registered Republican who is more of a Reagan Democrat, who is leaning toward Kerry-Edwards in 2004.

Those she writes about so well and in a way that makes you laugh, wince and think are Dick Cheney, Ross Perot, Ann Richards the former Governor of Texas, John Ashcroft, and Donald Rumsfeld, Jimmy Carter, Barbara Jordon, and Bill Clinton just to name a handful.

While I love the book and highly recommend it, I am also going to buy the book on CD because she is one woman who could read the phone book and make it interesting and hold my attention.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bulls**t-free feast for the thinking reader, July 24, 2004

By	L Goodman-Malamuth "Leslie Goodman-Malamuth" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Who Let the Dogs In? Incredible Political Animals I Have Known (Hardcover)

As a longtime fan of Molly Ivins, I found this collection to be a treat in every respect. Sure, there's some repetition from her past books, but I found it refreshing to take another look at articles published long before the horrors of September 11, John Ashcroft, and Shrub. For example, take Ivins' loving tribute to the formidable Texan Barbara Jordan. Just to read BJ's assertion, "My faith in the Con-sti-tution is whole, it is com-plete, it is to-tal," sends shivers up and down the spine. Yet Ivins has added a few more anecdotes about Jordan, one politician and professor about whom it is impossible to say too much.

Ivins told her young editor that the concept of a "career retrospective" makes her feel "slightly dead." To the reader, Ivins' work is still bursting with wit, insight, and just plain fun. Her intimate knowledge of government, based on forty-plus years of reporting from small-town Texas to the vagaries of the White House, gives her a unique perspective and a hilarious way of expressing herself. She can even make us snicker at the Nixon years--no small feat.

In my opinion, "Political Animals" is an excellent introduction to Molly Ivins for those who don't know her work, as well as a delectable read for those who do. You keep going, girl.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Funny, August 23, 2004

By	Stuart Gardner "www.sdgardner.com" (Fair Lawn, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who Let the Dogs In? Incredible Political Animals I Have Known (Hardcover)

This is the first book by Molly Ivins I have read. I found it witty, satirical and worth every penny. Her viewpoint is clear; and it is definately liberal. I'm not. Whether you agree or disagree with her viewpoint, her writing is funny and very entertaining.