Terry Jones's War on the War on Terror: Observations and Denunciations by a Founding Member of Monty Python (Nation Books) (Paperback)

by Terry Jones (Author), Steve Bell (Illustrator) "What really alarms me about President Bush's "War on Terrorism" is the grammar..." (more)
Key Phrases: defense policy board, Saddam Hussein, Tony Blair, President Bush (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Terry Jones is known the world over as one of the beloved creators of the legendary Monty Python. But independent of the Python team, Jones has been writing columns targeting the Anglo-American response to September 11. His wit and venom are particularly focused on the messianic vernacular of Bush and Blair and the semantics of the "war on terror." As Jones writes, "What really alarms me about President Bush’s ‘War on Terrorism’ is the grammar. How do you wage war on an abstract noun? ... How is ‘Terrorism’ going to surrender? It’s well known, in philological circles, that it’s very hard for abstract nouns to surrender." Terry Jones’s War on the War on Terror proves that in times of high political anxiety, humor and irony are most potent antidotes to the spin emanating from the White House and Downing Street.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (December 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256532
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256533
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #705,337 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mix of Satire, Sarcasm, and Pure Welsh Spleen, February 12, 2005

By	Algernon D'Ammassa (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unsurprisingly, the book is getting very low ratings from those who disagree with Jones's political views. It may also suffer from being overestimated by those sympathetic to those views.

This is a collection of columns written by humorist Terry Jones, beginning in in 2001 shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, and leaving off after Iraq's provisional government was granted limited sovereignty in the summer of 2004. Jones, known for his work with the Monty Python troupe and for his own books (including a controversial scholarly work on Chaucer), is a phlegmatic critic of the American Bush administration, and of the aid and comfort led to the American President by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The book ranges from satire, some of it brilliant; to sarcastic rimming; to editorial spleen (what one Amazon reviewer characterized as "whining").

Interestingly, the book (and its perspective) are strongest with the satirical pieces. "I'm Losing Patience With My Neigbors" was one of the funniest pieces of political humor to appear in 2003, written during the buildup to invasion of Iraq that year. In this, as with "It's Not Really Torture," Jones assumes the character of someone who adopts the logic of American policymakers in his normal relationships - sending up the fractured logic and twisted grammar of wartime in a way that is timeless yet, for our times, very pointed. Don't think it's easy.

The sarcastic pieces, "Bombing For A Safer World" or "Colin Powell's Exploding English" play more for the converted, and while Jones is a very funny and analytical thinker, these columns become repetitive and tend towards commentary we have already heard. Pieces like "Shame On Blair" are nothing more than letters to the editor - respectable enough, but not representing Jones's unusual talent and creativity as a satirist.

My 4-star rating is in acknowledgment of the best that is in this little book, illustrated with political cartoons by Steve Bell and perhaps padded out ever so slightly. It remains a worthy volume of political humor with more than a dash of unabashed left-wing invective.

57 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wit, Logic, & Compassion, February 20, 2005

By	Book Lover (California) - See all my reviews

I discovered Jones as a writer with his marvelous book on Chaucer. This book is quite a different type of work, but just as enjoyable in its own way. He is both witty and very logical in his criticism. I take issue with the reviewer who prefers Ann Coulter, saying she backs up her allegations with "tons of material." Read Franken's "Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" for an analysis of Coulter's fraudulent footnoting--or just do the research yourself. As for the comment that she is "as mean spirited as Jones tries to be"-- true, she IS meanspirited--but I don't think Jones is, nor do I think he is trying to be. This is what is called "satire," guy. Jones' sesne of humanity and deep compassion for the people hurt by Bush's & Blair's policies is always close to the surface and obviously sincere. When has anyone ever claimed compassion on the part of Coulter?

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOGIC ABOUNDS!, February 1, 2005

By	Iman Wournos (Plantation, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

I'm only half way through this book and the stark realizations and unwavering logic is overwhelming. Although I agree with everything Mr. Jones says, he's approached it from an angle unfamiliar to me. I highly recommend this book.... but only if you don't fear the truth about this administration. Now.... if only Bush and Blair were this sensible.